XAVER Award 2026: Gold for the Eurovision Song Contest and the Mobiliar anniversary

The highlights of the evening were provided by two gold winners in different categories: Nadine Imboden Production – Entertainment in Motion received the XAVER Gold Award for ‘Best Corporate Event’ for the ceremony marking Mobiliar’s 200th anniversary, entitled ‘Better Together’. The production impressed the jury with an emotional and striking ceremony that transformed the company’s history and values into a shared experience. In the ‘Best Public Event’ category, gold went to the 2025 Eurovision Song Contest in Basel, submitted by the Swiss Radio and Television Corporation (SRG) and the Canton of Basel-Stadt. The Eurovision Song Contest turned Basel into an international stage in May 2025 and generated significant interest far beyond the competition itself with its numerous events and productions.

Silver and bronze for the best projects

In addition to the two gold awards, the jury presented numerous other XAVER Awards in silver and bronze. Among the projects awarded silver were HeroFest 2025 by MYI, ‘Unwritten – The moment when a new “we” begins’ by standing ovation, ‘WIEDER SPIEGELN for Ruckstuhl @ ZDW ’25’ by Bureau Hindermann GmbH, ‘UBS × SwissSkills – Activate your superpower!’ by WWP Weirather – Wenzel & Partner AG, the Azerbaijan Pavilion at Expo 2025 Osaka, and the Hörnli Bergland meeting place by Bellprat Partner. Aroma AG also won silver in the ‘Best Brandworlds & Installations’ category with MUNI MAX. Bronze went, amongst others, to the Swiss Pavilion at Expo 2025 Osaka, SYMA EuroShop 2026 – Next Level System Architecture, the Eurovision Song Contest 2025 Opening Ceremony, the FEI World Cup™ Finals 2025 Basel, Celonis – Executive Briefing Centre, the VSNZ Winter Festival 25 / Mirror Tower, Marti goes Phantasia, Pink Rabbit and SPS at OLMA 2025. The XAVER Public Award went to Aroma for MUNI MAX.

XAVER Lifetime Achievement Award for Urs Kessler

With the Lifetime Achievement Award, XAVER 2026 honoured a figure who, over many years, has set new standards for combining tourism, experiences and live communication. Urs Kessler, former CEO of Jungfraubahnen AG, has played a decisive role in shaping the development of the Jungfraujoch experience and the Jungfraubahnen brand, repeatedly demonstrating how a destination can be transformed into a holistic emotional experience. Kessler epitomises a generation of leaders who view the experience not as a single event, but as a long-term relationship between people, the brand and the location. Under his leadership, numerous projects were realised that went far beyond traditional tourism communication and positioned Jungfraubahnen on the international stage.

About the XAVER Award

The XAVER Award is the most prestigious accolade in the Swiss live communications industry. It is organised by Switzerland’s leading LiveCom association. The award recognises outstanding achievements and projects in the fields of live communications, events, brand experiences, exhibitions, temporary installations and related disciplines. The XAVER brings the industry together once a year and shines a spotlight on those projects and individuals who, through their ideas and commitment, shape the Swiss LiveCom landscape.