The winner of the main prize was selected by an independent jury. It is made up of personalities from the same field. In 2026, these were Alexandra Stark, Amit Juillard and Kaspar Surber.
The jury justifies its choice of the prizewinner as follows:
The life’s work of Hans Stutz shows how historical research, journalistic accuracy and a democratic attitude come together. Stutz has devoted himself to topics that were often reluctantly discussed in public: right-wing extremist organizations and structures, racist incidents and ideologies hostile to democracy. With Hans Stutz, the jury honors a journalist who has pursued uncomfortable topics over decades, even under personal threats and with professional disadvantages, and who understands his work as a defense of democracy and human rights.
The journalist Hans Stutz (*1952), who grew up in the Seetal region of the canton of Lucerne, has been one of the most prominent investigators in the field of right-wing extremism and racism in Switzerland for decades. After university studies and work as a secondary school teacher, he moved into freelance journalism. He pursued this path throughout his life. He held a permanent part-time position as editor-in-chief of what was then the media magazine of the journalists’ union. Since the 1980s, Hans Stutz has written as a freelancer for various media. The work of Hans Stutz is based on precise document research, careful verification of sources and great persistence. From 1995 to 2014, he continued the chronology of racist incidents founded by Sigi Feigl and managed by Regula Bähler. He wrote two books: «Frontisten und Nationalsozialisten in Luzern 1933 – 1945» (published 1997) and «Der Judenmord von Payerne» about the murder of Arthur Bloch (2000).
The recipient of the main prize was responsible for selecting the winner of the sponsorship prize. Hans Stutz chose Anabelle Bourquin (*1983). The prizewinner is a journalist and head of research at the Neuchâtel daily newspaper «ArcInfo». After university studies in literary studies, she discovered journalism on the radio. From 2007, she worked at the local Neuchâtel radio station RTN, where she was deputy editor-in-chief from 2009 to 2015. Since 2017, she has been part of the editorial team of «L’Express», which became «ArcInfo» in 2018; there she works in a journalistic field that particularly suits her: local investigative reporting. The choice of the prizewinner this year is based on a recommendation by the jury, supported by the importance of her investigations and publications.
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