The Best Swiss Photographers

The two winners will each receive prize money of 5,000 francs. Their works, along with the next four best entries in each category, will be on display at the Photobastei in Zurich through June 26.

After a three-stage judging process involving a record number of submissions, the judges were in agreement: Lucas Olivet from Geneva wins the Fine Art category with his work *Black Water Ballad*. In this poetic piece, Olivet returns to the place of his childhood dreams in the forests of Canada. The work is superbly edited and manages to create an almost absurd poetry full of love using seemingly simple images.

Alexandre Haefeli from Neuchâtel wins in the Free category with his work *The Company of Men*. His work stages spaces in a figurative sense. It reinterprets macro photographs and landscape images and juxtaposes them. He succeeds in immersing the viewer in a world of his own without creating any definitive meaning. This playful, cheeky work exudes great fun, and one would love to see more of it.

The Swiss Photo Award in a new look

The Swiss Photo Award is one of Switzerland’s most prestigious photography awards and, with a total prize fund of 30,000 francs, one of the most generously endowed. It showcases Swiss photography in all its forms—in advertising, fashion, editorial, photojournalism, and art. For 18 years, it has annually honored the best works based on their high technical and artistic standards.

This year the award will take place for the first time in the Photobastei and reinvents itself. The awards will be presented in three stages and embedded in Professional Weeks. They transform the entire Photobastei into a house of reportage in April, art photography in June and fashion photography in September.

From June 10 to 26, the Photobastei will be transformed into a venue dedicated to fine art photography with the award exhibition.