Switzerland's Alpine skier Tanguy Nef has been announced as the winner of the International Matteo Baumgarten Award ©Getty Images

Switzerland's Alpine skier Tanguy Nef has been announced as the winner of the International Matteo Baumgarten Award.

The annual prize recognises skiers who compete at the highest level while also completing their higher education.

It is named in memory of Baumgarten, a promising World Cup Alpine skier who lost his life in a car crash in 1996.

Twenty-three-year-old Nef currently combines competing on the world Cup circuit with a computer science course at Dartmouth College in the United States.

He won the prize from a field of 24 nominees, who represented 12 different countries.

Tanguy Nef studies computer science at Dartmouth College ©Getty Images
Tanguy Nef studies computer science at Dartmouth College ©Getty Images

Previous winners include Slovenia's downhill world champion Ilka Stuhec and two-time Olympic gold medalist Tina Maze, as well as Pyeongchang 2018 Olympic gold medalist Ramon Zenhäusern of Switzerland. 

Czech star Ester Ledecká, an Olympic gold medallist in both Alpine skiing and snowboard at Pyeongchang 2018, is also a former recipient.

Giacomo and Paola, Baumgarten's parents, are the judges of the award.

The prize is now in its 20th year and aims to encourage athletes to study as well as compete.