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Rising to the challenges of our time requires courage, perseverance and dedication – qualities that define true heroines. With the Future Hero Award, Hochschule Campus Wien (HCW) honours graduates who embody this mindset and bring it to life through their projects every two years.
Community voting is now open! The expert jury’s vote has narrowed the field to eight candidates, who are now competing for the three coveted awards in the finals. Get to know our Top 8 in the profiles below and support your favorites with your vote!
Curious to find out which graduates impressed the university jury and have therefore made it through to the final round? In the videos below, our finalists introduce themselves and tell you what makes them ‘Future Heroes’. Take part in the community vote and help us choose our Future Heroes 2026.
As a civil engineer and visible Muslim, Esma Atak resolutely counters possible prejudices. Especially in male-dominated professions like hers, she has to overcome many hurdles. With school workshops and talks in Vienna, Lower Austria and Burgenland, she encourages girls to take up technical professions and raises awareness of the issues of equal rights, gender pay and the dream gap. She is involved in Let's Empower Austria, Fem* and Zusammen:Österreich. "We need more skilled workers and must not leave the potential of women untapped."
Graduate of the Bachelor's degree programme in Civil Engineering and Construction and the Master's degree programme in Civil Engineering and Construction
As a civil engineer and visible Muslim, Esma Atak resolutely counters possible prejudices. Especially in male-dominated professions like hers, she has to overcome many hurdles. With school workshops and talks in Vienna, Lower Austria and Burgenland, she encourages girls to take up technical professions and raises awareness of the issues of equal rights, gender pay and the dream gap. She is involved in Let's Empower Austria, Fem* and Zusammen:Österreich. "We need more skilled workers and must not leave the potential of women untapped."
Graduate of the Bachelor's degree programme in Civil Engineering and Construction and the Master's degree programme in Civil Engineering and Construction
As a civil engineer and visible Muslim, Esma Atak resolutely counters possible prejudices. Especially in male-dominated professions like hers, she has to overcome many hurdles. With school workshops and talks in Vienna, Lower Austria and Burgenland, she encourages girls to take up technical professions and raises awareness of the issues of equal rights, gender pay and the dream gap. She is involved in Let's Empower Austria, Fem* and Zusammen:Österreich. "We need more skilled workers and must not leave the potential of women untapped."
Graduate of the Bachelor's degree programme in Civil Engineering and Construction and the Master's degree programme in Civil Engineering and Construction
As a civil engineer and visible Muslim, Esma Atak resolutely counters possible prejudices. Especially in male-dominated professions like hers, she has to overcome many hurdles. With school workshops and talks in Vienna, Lower Austria and Burgenland, she encourages girls to take up technical professions and raises awareness of the issues of equal rights, gender pay and the dream gap. She is involved in Let's Empower Austria, Fem* and Zusammen:Österreich. "We need more skilled workers and must not leave the potential of women untapped."
Graduate of the Bachelor's degree programme in Civil Engineering and Construction and the Master's degree programme in Civil Engineering and Construction
As a civil engineer and visible Muslim, Esma Atak resolutely counters possible prejudices. Especially in male-dominated professions like hers, she has to overcome many hurdles. With school workshops and talks in Vienna, Lower Austria and Burgenland, she encourages girls to take up technical professions and raises awareness of the issues of equal rights, gender pay and the dream gap. She is involved in Let's Empower Austria, Fem* and Zusammen:Österreich. "We need more skilled workers and must not leave the potential of women untapped."
Graduate of the Bachelor's degree programme in Civil Engineering and Construction and the Master's degree programme in Civil Engineering and Construction
As a civil engineer and visible Muslim, Esma Atak resolutely counters possible prejudices. Especially in male-dominated professions like hers, she has to overcome many hurdles. With school workshops and talks in Vienna, Lower Austria and Burgenland, she encourages girls to take up technical professions and raises awareness of the issues of equal rights, gender pay and the dream gap. She is involved in Let's Empower Austria, Fem* and Zusammen:Österreich. "We need more skilled workers and must not leave the potential of women untapped."
Graduate of the Bachelor's degree programme in Civil Engineering and Construction and the Master's degree programme in Civil Engineering and Construction
As a civil engineer and visible Muslim, Esma Atak resolutely counters possible prejudices. Especially in male-dominated professions like hers, she has to overcome many hurdles. With school workshops and talks in Vienna, Lower Austria and Burgenland, she encourages girls to take up technical professions and raises awareness of the issues of equal rights, gender pay and the dream gap. She is involved in Let's Empower Austria, Fem* and Zusammen:Österreich. "We need more skilled workers and must not leave the potential of women untapped."
Graduate of the Bachelor's degree programme in Civil Engineering and Construction and the Master's degree programme in Civil Engineering and Construction
As a civil engineer and visible Muslim, Esma Atak resolutely counters possible prejudices. Especially in male-dominated professions like hers, she has to overcome many hurdles. With school workshops and talks in Vienna, Lower Austria and Burgenland, she encourages girls to take up technical professions and raises awareness of the issues of equal rights, gender pay and the dream gap. She is involved in Let's Empower Austria, Fem* and Zusammen:Österreich. "We need more skilled workers and must not leave the potential of women untapped."
Graduate of the Bachelor's degree programme in Civil Engineering and Construction and the Master's degree programme in Civil Engineering and Construction
The order in which the entries are presented is based on the alphabetical order of the finalists’ surnames. All videos were produced or commissioned by the finalists themselves.
Only one vote per email address will be counted.
You can also support your favourites by liking their videos on YouTube.
The award ceremony will take place in autumn 2026 at the main campus of Hochschule Campus Wien in Favoriten. The three graduates can look forward not only to congratulations and admiration, but also to receiving the Future Hero Award, a travel voucher for a two-day hotel stay for two people and a written certificate.
Nominate yourself or other graduates who have achieved outstanding results since obtaining their final degree. The nomination may relate to professional activity in general or to a specific project.
Eligibility criteria: The nominee must be a graduate of Hochschule Campus Wien and must have already completed their degree at the time of nomination. The nominee must consent to being contacted and to public communications relating to the award.
Our expert jury, comprising representatives from the areas of Gender & Diversity Management, Entrepreneurship, Innovation & Career Centre, International Office, Research and Project Coordination, Sustainability Management and Corporate Communications, will assess all submissions based on the following criteria, each scored on a scale of 1–10:
The top 8 will be selected to proceed to the next round and will be put to a community vote.
The finalists selected by the expert jury will be put to a community vote. From 20 July, you can cast your vote online and play an active part in deciding which three graduates will become our Future Heroes 2026. The announcement and invitations to the awards ceremony will be sent out in the week following the voting.
The awards ceremony will take place at Hochschule Campus Wien’s main site in Favoriten. The three graduates can look forward not only to congratulations and admiration, but will also receive: the Future Hero Award, a travel voucher for a two-day hotel stay for two people, and a written certificate.
