Finnish company wins international World Summit Awards - Crowdsorsa and Laurea open doors to international opportunities
Finnish mobile game Crowdsorsa won the World Summit Awards (WSA) in the Environment and Green Energy category. Crowdsorsa gamifies the fight against invasive alien species and inspires young people in particular to get involved in environmental protection.
The WSA is an annual international competition supported by the UN that rewards digital solutions that have a positive impact on society. The 2025 WSA Global Congress took place in April in Hyderabad, India.
Ilkka Kurkela, Director of Key Partnerships and Customer Relations at Laurea University of Applied Sciences, is one of the international judges and the representative of Finland. Each year he nominates the Finnish candidates for the international competition and acts as a link in the WSA's global network. Kurkela's role deepens the long-standing cooperation between Laurea and WSA, which provides students with opportunities for international projects and companies with visibility and networks at a global level. Crowdsorsa and Laurea have also decided to intensify their collaboration, including by offering students joint projects.
- The WSA collaboration brings students and companies into direct contact with international innovation networks, says Kurkela.
- This recognition shows that gamification can inspire people to act for nature. The WSA award opens doors to international cooperation opportunities and strengthens our direction, says Toni Paju, CEO of Crowdsorsa.
Previous winners of the WSA include CHAOS Architects (2018), a Finnish company with impressive digital innovations.
Applications for next year's competition are now open for innovative companies.