On 27 January, Michael Solomicky, Deputy Editor-in-chief of Schweizer Familie, wins the 2010 Swiss Media Award within the «Travel» category. He was rewarded for his travel report about Uruguay which was published on 18 February 2010 as main travel report in the Schweizer Familie. The jury stated that the article with the title «The forgotten paradise» stands out for its pictorial and virtuous language and that its anecdotes about personal encounters encourages and tempts readers to travel to Uruguay. Awards have been rewarded within some 30 categories. The Swiss Media Awards are the only travel and air traffic journalism awards in Switzerland.
On 5 May, at the Savoy in Zurich, the Media Award for Financial Journalism is rewarded for the tenth time. Mark Dittli, journalist at the Finanz und Wirtschaft, wins the award within the Print category with an acclaimed article about the Swiss banking industry, its development in recent years, and the «too big to fail» issue. The article has been published in the Magazin. The jury honours the article for its clear language and for the author’s accomplishment to explain a highly complex subject in a comprehensible way.
The Media Award for Financial Journalism is rewarding journalists for high quality reports in view of contents, style and editing, dealing with private banking, questions around the banking and financial industry, and tax politics. The jury itself has 19 members, all of them representing the world of economics.
Paulina Szczesniak, writing articles for the Züritipp as well as for the art and culture section of the Tages-Anzeiger since spring 2010, is rewarded with the R&R Award for Art Journalism. When the award was presented for the first time in 2008, she was rewarded with a scholarship award, this year she receives the main price. The award is handed over on 11 may in Berne.
The award, which is presented every third year, was introduced by Berne based gallery owner Raphael Rigassi and communication professional Daniel C. Rohr, and aims the support young art journalists up to the age of 32.
The Media Award in Financial Journalism is presented for the tenth time on 5 May. Mark Dittli, journalist at Finanz und Wirtschaft, is rewarded with the price within the Print category for his acclaimed article «Unter Heimatschutz». The report about the development of the financial and banking sector and the too big to fail issue was published in the Magazin.
The 31st Zurich Journalism Awards are presented on 24 May at the Casinotheater in Winterthur. Awards are rewarded in four categories, the prices remunerating the winners with 10’000 francs each. Michael Meier, special interest journalist at the Tages-Anzeiger for religion and society matters since 25 years, is honoured for his complete works. The jury states that his achievement is not only in writing facts and figures, but also in describing them within a larger context. Maurice Thiriet, journalist for domestic politics and reports with the Tages-Anzeiger, wins the award within the «Newcomer» category. He unearthed the truth about a young woman from the Toggenburg area which said she became a Nasa astronaut, and published this «stratospheric» story. The jury honoured his insistent research in this complex matter, within this brisk media coverage in which the media take something for granted so easily.
The League of Women Journalists in Germany rewards for the first time ever a Swiss journalist with its Young Journalists Award: Simone Rau of the Tages-Anzeiger. She was presented with this 1000 Euro, «Different Words – New Sounds» Award on 3 September in Berlin for her report «The nurse». This feature story was published on 22 January this year in the Magazin, covering the story of a mother making her daughter continuously sick to – in a superficial caring spirit – take care of her. A vicious circle nobody seems to identify, neither the health professionals nor the father, who take this «Münchhausen Substitute Syndrome» for the acting of a loving mother. The jury is stating that 32 years old Simone Rau presents an almost thriller like report, showing «profound investigation tools» and an «amazing sense for dramaturgy».
The Prix Média of the Swiss Academies of Sciences, within the Medical category is rewarded to Tages-Anzeiger journalist Simone Rau. The 32 years old journalist receives 10’000 Swiss Francs for her feature story «The nurse». It was published on 22 January this year in the Magazin, covering the story of a mother making her daughter continuously sick to – in a superficial caring spirit – take care of her. Nobody seems to uncover this, neither the health professionals nor the father, who take this «Münchhausen Substitute Syndrome» for the acting of a loving mother. The story is an almost thriller like report, the author achieves «to attract interest by a large readership for a seldom psychological sickness, using an amazing sense for dramaturgy». Simone Rau already was rewarded with the Young Journalists Award by the League of Women Journalists in Germany for the same story.
The Swiss media branch magazine Schweizer Journalist determined – by internet vote – the Journalist of the Year. For the sub-category voting, a new procedure was established for this year’s award, the seventh in a row: For the first time, the award winners were determined in an online vote as well. However, a jury designated possible candidates at first. Fredy Wettstein of the Tages-Anzeiger and SonntagsZeitung was elected Sports Journalist of the year, Jean-Pierre Büttner of the Tages-Anzeiger was winning within the Culture Journalist of the Year sub-category.