Pro Litteris Prize 2014 in the field of journalism

The four-member jury of recognized experts (this year's jury members: Constantin Seibt, Lotta Suter, Gerhard Lob and Marie-Pierre Genecand), which is newly composed each year, justifies its decision by stating that "exceptionally good journalism" only emerges when "the well-trodden paths" are left behind. Both award winners had done this in their own unique way. Al Imfeld traveled far and wide, found his stories in refugee camps, slums and factories and wrote "about the little people, the powerless" in small newspapers and books. Viktor Parma, on the other hand, has been working "for 32 years in the most written-about place in Switzerland: the Federal Palace", from where he has written "about the powerful", above all in Switzerland's highest-circulation newspaper, Sonntagsblick, and in three books.

The 79-year-old Al Imfeld, son of a large family of mountain farmers from the Napf region of Lucerne, came to journalism after studying theology, philosophy, development sociology and tropical agriculture. He has traveled to many countries for his research and is considered one of the best experts on Africa. He founded the Third World Information Center and is co-editor of the "Dialogue Africa" series. His research and columns have appeared in daily newspapers and magazines. To date, Al Imfeld has published over 50 non-fiction books, short stories and volumes of poetry, often on development issues, including "Hunger und Hilfe: Provokationen" (1985), "Wir weinen nicht mehr, Afrika: Frauenleben" (1994), "Fremde Heimat & tausend Grenzen: 101 Gedichte" (2005) and "Mission beendet: Reflections on the Religious Conquest of the World" (2012).

The 64-year-old Victor Parma began his career as a journalist in the 1970s at the Schweizerische Depeschenagentur. He then worked for the "Basler Zeitung". In 1981, he moved to Bern as a journalist for the Swiss parliament, from where he wrote for Bilanz, Weltwoch, Basler Zeitung and Sonntagsblick. He has been a freelance journalist and author since 2009. In his core area, Switzerland's economic and political system, he published the bestsellers "Machtgier - Wer die Schweiz wirklich regiert" (2007), "Schurkenstaat Schweiz? -Tax evasion: Wie sich der grösste Bankenstaat der Welt korrumpiert und andere Länder destabilisiert" (2009, with Werner Vontobel) and "Die käufliche Schweiz - Für die Rückeroberung der Demokratie durch ihre Bürger" (2011, with Oswald Sigg).

With Oliver Classen the two prizewinners are honoring a committed journalist who, like others, is "increasingly walking a tightrope and crossing borders" as a result of the media crisis. The former journalist and editor at Werbewoche and Handelszeitung moved to the Berne Declaration eight years ago as a media spokesperson. There he played a key role in the publication "Rohstoff: Das gefährlichste Geschäft der Schweiz" (2011), which became a bestseller. This was "a genuine journalistic achievement", as Al Imfeld and Viktor Parma emphasize.

Pro Litteris, the Swiss copyright society for literature and the visual arts, has been awarding the annual Pro Litteris Prize of CHF 40,000 and the Sponsorship Prize of CHF 10,000 since 2012. The prizes are awarded to individuals who have made outstanding and lasting contributions in the four fields of literature, visual arts/photography, journalism and publishing. The main prizewinners are selected by an independent jury, which in turn determines the sponsorship prize.

This year's award ceremony will take place on Sunday, May 18, 2014, at 11:00 a.m. in the Kaufleuten Klubsaal in Zurich.