Orell Füssli becomes main sponsor of the Swiss Book Prize

The 15th Swiss Book Prize will be awarded in Basel on November 20. Orell Füssli is involved in the award ceremony for the first time this year as the main sponsor. "Promoting reading and literature has always been an important issue for Orell Füssli. The partnership with the Swiss Book Prize is the logical continuation of this strategy. On the one hand, Orell Füssli supports supra-regional and national projects, while on the other we are constantly developing our own regional formats and events," says Christine Roth, Head of Marketing and Communications at Orell Füssli Thalia Ltd, explaining the commitment. As part of the partnership, the authors on the shortlist for the book prize announced today, Simon Froehling, Lioba Happel, Kim de l'Horizon, Thomas Hürlimann and Thomas Röthlisberger, will also appear together for the first time at a special event at the Orell Füssli Basel branch on Tuesday, October 18, 2022. The award ceremony will be followed by the winner's first reading at the Orell Füssli branch in Berne on November 22.

National Cooperations to Reading promotion

In addition to its partnership with the Swiss Book Prize, Orell Füssli donates CHF 1 per book sold each year on World Book Day to the Swiss Reading and Writing Association. The money goes into a fund which is used to finance writing and reading courses for adults who cannot afford the fees. Orell Füssli also offers a wide range of events for children on Swiss Read Aloud Day organized by the Institute for Children's and Youth Media (SIKJM) at branches throughout German-speaking Switzerland and promotes the event. "We want to get people excited about reading. With the partnerships, we can spread our commitment to books and reading in general even further than just through our own channels," says Roth.

Regional Events for all Age groups

With more than 300 of its own events and openings in bookstores every year, the book retailer creates a stage for Swiss authors and thus contributes to their promotion. There are readings especially for children with Finki, the mascot of the children's club. "Our range of events for all age groups is very much appreciated and actively attended by our customers. It's a way for us as booksellers to bring books to life for our clientele. In our opinion, personal encounters are essential for the communication of literature and for the promotion of reading as a whole," explains Roth. This year, Orell Füssli held its first writing competition in the Basel area under the name "Open Word". An independent jury selected 10 finalists, who will be given a five-minute performance at the Open Word event at the Orell Füssli Basel branch on September 23, 2022.

Increased focus on children and young people

Orell Füssli is constantly evaluating the possibility of additional partnerships and new formats of its own. For the future, the focus is primarily on promoting reading and writing for children and young people. "It is very important to us to support the younger generation in reading and writing and to awaken their enjoyment of it. In the area of writing promotion, we would like to work more with schools and support projects, for example in the context of writing competitions," says Roth about future plans. Children and young people already have the opportunity to discover book tips, activities and events specific to their age and interests through the Orell Füssli Children's Club and Young Circle. At youngcircle.ch/stories is currently running the "Member Stories" competition, in which young people between the ages of 12 and 19 can upload their own short story and win a book voucher worth CHF 150.