Annual Report

Transparency in recognition.

ICSTE publishes a summary of each award cycle — including nomination volumes, geographic distribution, and committee observations — as part of its commitment to transparency and accountability.

185

Total Nominations to date

14

Recipients Honoured

6

Award Cycles

7.6%

Average award rate

Cycle-by-Cycle Summary

2026

47 nominations

3 recipients

19 countries

The 2026 cycle saw the highest number of nominations from Eastern Europe and Sub-Saharan Africa since ICSTE's founding, reflecting the growing geographic reach of the nomination network.

2025

41 nominations

3 recipients

17 countries

The introduction of the Most Promising Female Developer category in 2024 contributed to a 34% increase in nominations from female practitioners in 2025.

2024

35 nominations

2 recipients

14 countries

The Most Promising Female Developer category was introduced as a permanent award category, reflecting the committee's commitment to visibility for underrepresented practitioners.

2023

29 nominations

3 recipients

12 countries

The Community Leadership Award was granted for the first time in 2023, recognising Yuki Tanaka's decade of open source stewardship.

2022

21 nominations

2 recipients

9 countries

The second full award cycle expanded the committee from five to nine members to address growing nomination volume.

2021

12 nominations

2 recipients

7 countries

The inaugural cycle. Two recipients were selected from twelve nominations across seven countries, establishing the evaluation framework that has been in use since.

Governance & Finances

ICSTE is a non-profit association under Swiss law. It does not generate revenue from award activities. Operating costs are met by an endowment established at founding and by a small number of institutional memberships from universities and research bodies that wish to support ICSTE's mission. No institutional member has any influence over award decisions.

Annual accounts are reviewed by an independent auditor (currently Treuhand Zürich AG) and filed with the relevant Swiss cantonal authority. Abridged accounts are available to institutional members on request.

ICSTE does not employ permanent staff. The secretariat function is provided by a service agreement with a Geneva-based administrative firm. Committee members serve in a voluntary capacity and receive no remuneration for their evaluation work.

For enquiries about previous annual summaries or audited accounts, contact contact@icste.org.