Zurich Journalism Prize 2025: Martin Stoll receives prize for complete works
The 2025 Zurich Journalism Award was presented on Tuesday. In addition to four award-winning reports, Martin Stoll was honored for his lifetime achievement.
On Tuesday evening, four journalists were honored for their outstanding work as part of the Zurich Journalism Prize 2025. In his speech and subsequent discussion with Foundation Board President Hannes Britschgi, Federal Councillor Albert Rösti addressed the importance of journalism in democracy: "Journalists play a key role in our democracy - they enable informed decisions and promote public discourse. They are responsible for ensuring that the public is not only informed, but also empowered to have a say and participate in decision-making. More than ever, the craft of journalism requires a clear inner compass. Those who research precisely, classify fairly and write with linguistic acuity strengthen trust in the media," said the Media Minister at the award ceremony in Zurich.
217 entries from German-speaking Switzerland were submitted for the Zurich Journalism Prize 2025. From these, the seven-member expert jury of journalists and publicists nominated nine stories for the Zurich Journalism Prize and three for the Newcomer Prize.
Martin Stoll receives the prize for his complete works for his decades of work in Swiss investigative journalism. The prize honors Stoll's tireless commitment to transparency and his often explosive revelations, which have often had political consequences. Among other things, the 63-year-old is known as the founder of Öffentlichkeitsgesetz.ch, which has improved working conditions for many journalists.
Barbara Achermann from The magazine, Kaspar Surber from WozIvo Mijnssen from the NZZ and freelance media journalist Lea Ernst. Achermann received the prize for her report on a rescue operation during the genocide in Rwanda. Kaspar Surber was honored for his report on the fate of a deported Secondo who died shortly before leaving the country. Mijnssen received the award for his reporting from the embattled Ukrainian city of Pokrovsk. And Ernst received the Newcomer Award for her report "Cinema Sarajevo", in which she told the story of the legendary bar Cinema Bosna in Sarajevo.
The Zurich Journalism Prize is one of the most prestigious awards for journalism in Switzerland. Outstanding journalistic achievements in print and online media have been honored since 1981. Each of the main prizes is endowed with CHF 10,000, the newcomer prize with CHF 5,000. The foundation is supported by the media companies CH Media, NZZ, Ringier and Tamedia. Other well-known companies and institutions support the event financially.
