Constantin Seibt, Tages-Anzeiger, Rainer Stadler, NZZ, Anja Jardine, NZZ Folio, and Daniel Ryser, Wochenzeitung, are the winners of the Zurich Journalist’s Award 2008. The award ceremony was held on 22 May 2008 in the Bernhard Theater in Zurich. All winners were rewarded with 10’000 Swiss Francs, being offered by the Zurich Journalist’s Award Foundation, an institution of the Zurich Press Association. Margrit Sprecher, doyenne of the Swiss reporters, gave a speech in honour of Constantin Seibt, winner in the category Newspaper. She said in her laudation that he saw and heard as much as every one else at the Swissair court case in Bülach. He, however, managed to bring order in this complicated issue with the eyes of an ironical but highly precise observer, she said.
Peter Hartmeier, Editor-in-chief of the Tages-Anzeiger, receives the «Price for Business Journalism Excellency». This award is presented every second or third year by the Graduate School of Business Administration (GSBA). Students and tutors are invited to submit proposals for nominations; the jury is rewarding one out of the five most mentioned proposals. Peter Hartmeier is not honoured for a single article, but for his «ongoing outstanding work». The award will be handed over to Peter Hartmeier on 9 February at the Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich.
The Art Directors Club of Switzerland rewards for 2008 the «Babuschka» ads of the SonntagsZeitung with the highest price available. «Babuschka» shows perfectly the idea of what is behind the news, and is «intelligent and entertaining advertising, right to the point», the jury said. Silver is rewarded to the SonntagsZeitung as well as the Tages-Anzeiger within the Bollboard category, while the SonntagsZeitung also wins Silver in the Film category as well as the special price for the strategy of the entire «Babuschka» campaign.
Journalists of Berner Zeitung are, amongst others, rewarded with the Bedag Media Award which is offered by the Bernese IT company Bedag. Niklaus Bernhard, Peter Jost, Felix Maurhofer, Jon Mettler, and Stefan Schnyder are honoured with the so-called Eugen Award in the Press category because their Berner Zeitung series of articles on «Informatik macht mobil». The jury declares the series a good example of local journalism.
On 25 November, the jury for the German speaking part of Switzerland of the BZ Award for Local Journalism rewards Mireille Guggenbühler, Der Bund, with the second price. Mireille Guggenbühler reported in the acclaimed article «Aufruhr im Tal» about the two mountain valleys of Simmental and Saanenland in a kerfuffle over the closure of a local hospital. She is honoured for her serene, comprehensive and adequate way of writing.
The jury for the French speaking part of Switzerland of the BZ Award for Local Journalism rewards Philippe Dubath, 24 Heures, for his intelligent, constructive and yet intimate journalism.
A total of 90 journalists submitted 141 essays to be judged by the juries for the German and the French speaking parts of Switzerland of the BZ Award for Local Journalism.
The Espace Media Award for the Press Photo was rewarded, amongst others, to Yves André, Le Temps, in the «Alltag und Umwelt» category, to Valéri Chételat, Der Bund, in the «Sport» category, to Adrian Moser, Der Bund, in the «Kunst und Kultur» category, and Alban Kakulya, free lance photographer for 24 Heures, in the «Ausland» category.
A total of 1’652 photographs by 125 photographer were submitted to be judged by the jury.
At the public vote for the «Journalist of the Year» 2009, Markus Gilli, TeleZüri, was rewarded with the 3rd place. The SonntagsZeitung was elected the «Editorial Team of the Year», followed by the Tages-Anzeiger on the 3rd place and TeleZüri on the 9th place. Andreas Durisch and the SonntagsZeitung were rewarded in the «Editor-in-Chief» category with the 2nd place, followed by Daniel Dunkel and the Schweizer Familie on the 3rd place. Constantin Seibt, Tages-Anzeiger, was elected «Best Reporter of the year», Daniel Di Falco, Der Bund, and Jean-François Tanda, SonntagsZeitung, following on the 5. and the 6. place respectively. Markus Gilli, TeleZüri, was elected best «Local Journalist of the Year».