Researchers, developers, and teams from academia, industry, and startups can submit their entries for the 11th German IT Security Award until January 15, 2026. The competition is aimed at innovative solutions “made in Germany” that make a substantial contribution to cybersecurity. The award jury is made up of renowned figures from the fields of cybersecurity research and practice:
- Prof. Dr. Michael Waidner (jury chair) – Founding Director of the ATHENE National Research Center, Head of the Fraunhofer SIT Institute, Professor at TU Darmstadt
- Susanne Dehmel – Member of the Executive Board of Bitkom e.V.
- Julia Hermann – Expert for technology and cybersecurity at Giesecke+Devrient
- Prof. Dr. Gregor Leander – Professor of Cryptography at Ruhr University Bochum
- Claudia Plattner – President of the Federal Office for Information Security (BSI)
- Malte Pollmann – Entrepreneur, investor, and consultant in the field of encryption and digital sovereignty
- Prof. Dr. Konrad Rieck – Professor of Machine Learning & Security at TU Berlin
- Christian Stüble – CTO at GovTech Deutschland e. V.
The German IT Security Award was established in 2006 by the Horst Görtz Foundation and is one of the most highly endowed awards in the field of cybersecurity in the German-speaking world. In the 11th competition, prize money totaling EUR 130,000 will be awarded – EUR 100,000 for first place, EUR 20,000 for second place, and EUR 10,000 for third place.
The process is divided into two stages: First, applicants submit a summary of no more than five pages. Based on this, the jury selects the projects that will be invited to submit a detailed long version (maximum 20 pages).
The award ceremony will take place on November 5, 2026, as part of the 4th Cybersecurity Innovation Conference of Bitkom e. V. in Bochum.
All details on conditions of participation, requirements, and the submission form can be found at: www.deutscher-it-sicherheitspreis.de
Background:
Since 2006, the Horst Görtz Foundation has been awarding the German IT Security Prize every two years, thereby strengthening the visibility and relevance of IT security “Made in Germany” for 20 years. With this award, the foundation aims to contribute to the innovative strength and digital sovereignty of Germany as a business location. In 2024, the award, which is one of the most prestigious in the industry, went to the concept “CryptOpt: Verified and High-Performance Cryptographic Code,” which was submitted by HGI member Yuval Yarom, professor of computer security at the Faculty of Computer Science at Ruhr University Bochum and PI at the CASA Cluster of Excellence, together with colleagues.
Dr.-Ing. E. h. Horst Görtz himself was actively involved in the development of IT security in Germany for many years. In 1996, he founded the Horst Görtz Foundation with the aim of promoting science and technology in research and teaching on a non-profit basis – with a special focus on information security. The foundation supports the industry through endowed professorships, the promotion of doctoral students, specialist events, and the awarding of the German IT Security Prize, among other things.
The award ceremony is organized by the Horst Görtz Institute for IT Security at Ruhr University on behalf of the Horst Görtz Foundation – in cooperation with Bitkom e. V. and the National Research Center for Applied Cybersecurity ATHENE in Darmstadt.
Contact
Thomas Würstlein
Marketing & Public Relations
Cube 5 | Horst-Görtz-Institut for IT Security
Tel.: +49 234 32 29822
E-Mail: thomas.wuerstlein@rub.de