For the twelfth time, Best of Swiss Apps has shown who sets the tone in the Swiss app scene. The industry met on Tuesday in Zurich's Kongresshaus to celebrate the best app projects of the year. This year, the organizers recorded record participation: 241 submissions vied for the favor of the juries and the guests in the hall.

The program also included a premiere: Best of Swiss Software awarded prizes to individual software and system integration projects in four categories for the first time. In a two-stage process, the University of Bern and the expert juries had previously examined all submissions for their quality and innovative strength and selected the winners. 25 projects nominated.

Four trophies for Enterprise Software

The "InsightLoop" project was the winner in the Data & AI Solutions category. The data analysis software from Coresystems combines large language models with RAG technology and impressed the jury with efficiency gains of up to 20 percent for manufacturing companies.

The "Apriko" platform from the Zurich-based software manufacturer of the same name came out on top in the Business Solutions category. According to the jury, the platform sets standards in the digitalization of staff leasing and shines with its user-friendliness and wide range of functions.

With the "Service Portal 2.0" project, the health insurance company Sanitas brought a business-critical core application, which also contains sensitive customer data, into the cloud - and thus won the prize for the best cloud native solution. Valtech implemented the project on behalf of Sanitas.

In the Core Business Integration category, the trophy went to Baloise Bank and its implementation partner TI&M for the "New e- and mobile banking" project. With the highest security standards and innovative functions such as push TAN and QR-bills, the platform offers a future-proof, user-centered solution, the jury found.

A Master with three gold medals

The big winner of the evening was the "Helion One App", which claimed the title of Master of Swiss Apps 2024. The app for the energy management of solar systems was developed by Dept and Solar Manager on behalf of Helion Energy. In addition to the Master title, the project also won three gold awards in the Customer Experience, Design and Functionality categories.

In terms of customer experience, the jury praised the app for its ability to inspire users with clever micro animations for a complex topic. They also liked the consistently coherent design of the app and the infographics it contains. And in terms of functionality, the judges were impressed by the successful balancing act of appealing to both end users and professionals.

Help for spills and bituminous VR

The Barryvox app received the second most votes in the Masters of Swiss Apps poll. The app is used to prepare for the search for avalanche victims with the Mammut search device of the same name. Users can train for emergencies using various scenarios - with live feedback via Bluetooth.

The third most votes went to the "Bitumen VR" app, which also won gold in the Extended Reality category. The training app is designed to support the training of trainee plumbers. Thanks to VR, the application not only conveys a good basic understanding, but also solid handling of the tools. In addition, training with the app is safer than live training - and it saves 25 tons of bitumen per year, as the jury noted.

Double gold for an occupational safety app

Two gold awards went to the Uepaa app from the ETH spin-off of the same name, which specializes in occupational safety solutions for people working alone. The app excelled in the Innovation category, with the jury particularly highlighting the life-saving functions such as a digital dead man's function or a motionless detector, 24/7 emergency call, first responder search and precise location.

The app also emerged as the winner in the Business Impact category. Originally developed as a protection system for mountaineers, Uepaa has successfully transferred its expertise to the field of occupational health and safety and established itself in a new, promising market, the jury explained.

"No digitalization without young talent"

Another highlight of the evening was the presentation of the "Hack an app" award. Young talents between the ages of 11 and 14 were able to qualify for this award. The aim is to find the best apps developed by children and young people as part of TI&M's IT youth development program "Hack an app".

The prize was won by 12-year-old Rahel Panosian from Bern - with an app on the subject of first aid. Andreas Németh, Director of the Organization and IT Department of the City of Zurich, began by emphasizing the importance of the award. "Without young talent, there is no digitalization," he said and then praised the winner for her creativity, innovative spirit and especially for her ability to convey a serious topic in an accessible and entertaining way. "The combination of different elements that are not only informative, but also make learning easier and more appealing through humor and musical accents is particularly successful."

A prize for accessibility is a win for everyone

"The fact is that every second person in Switzerland has difficulties with digitalization," said Markus Riesch, Head of the Federal Government's E-Accessibility Office, introducing the special category of accessibility. By "difficulty", Riesch did not mean aversion, but difficulties with hurdles in accessing digital services. After all, accessible websites and apps are still nowhere near as widespread as they should be. With the aim of changing this, the jury, in cooperation with the Allianz Digitale Inklusion Schweiz (ADIS), awarded prizes to apps that are characterized by above-average accessibility.

Gold in the special category Accessibility went to SBB Inclusive - an app explicitly designed for people with disabilities. Live functions such as door button recognition are proof that mobile apps and the use of haptic feedback bring added value for people with disabilities, said jury president Markus Böni from the "Access for All" foundation, adding: "At the same time, it is clear that we all benefit from accessibility: Information such as the carriage number, exit page and written announcements are a plus for everyone!"

A community of practice assistants, floorball on the street and a health insurance app

The "MyLab app" won gold in the Web Apps category. The app is used for networking and the professional development of medical practice assistants. Although the application was implemented as a progressive web app, it feels like a native app, said jury president Claes Lennman. "User engagement through the points system, the appealing design and good usability round off this package for this year's gold award in this category."

The "Level Sports" app triumphed in the User Engagement category. With this application, the Swiss Floorball Association aims to anchor the clubs' offerings more firmly in the regions. The app encourages users to meet up outside and compete in games. And thanks to the practical map, it is also easy to find places where opponents are playing, said jury president Matthias Sala. "The hip avatars also make street floorball a cool sport for the target group."

MyCSS" was the winner in the User Experience category. The Lucerne health insurance company's app has a refreshing layout and offers a number of personalization options, said jury president Nino Cometti. Among other things, he praised the micro-animations and the subtle use of colors and pictograms. "MyCSS combines all the touchpoints of an insurance app and is also fun to use." (Joël Orizet/tme/swi)

This article first appeared in Netzwoche.

Claudio Dionisio worked for Publigroupe and as Managing Director and Partner of the web service provider Namics before joining Uvision, where he will serve as a member of the Board of Directors in the future. He is President of the Best of Swiss Web Association and Vice President of Simsa, the industry association of the Swiss Internet industry. On a part-time basis, Dionisio is a course instructor for the federal diploma course "Web Project Manager" and a lecturer for online media and e-business at Sawi, among others.

The Events business unit complements the range of services offered by Netzmedien: With thematically narrowly focused events, executives and decision-makers in the field of information technology, web and telecommunications are to be addressed. The first events are planned for the beginning of 2012, as the specialist publisher announced on Monday.