Old prize for young literary talent receives new sponsorship
Published: Monday, Jan 22nd 2024, 11:00
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The Studer/Ganz Foundation has run out of money. It is therefore handing over its prize for the promotion of young talent in literature to the Sophie and Karl Binding Foundation.
The Sophie and Karl Binding Foundation will take over sponsorship of the Studer/Ganz Prizes from 2024, the Studer/Ganz Foundation announced on Monday. Since 2006, it has initially only awarded prizes for literature in German-speaking Switzerland, followed by French- and Italian-speaking Switzerland. In each case, the prize was awarded to an unpublished first novel by an author under the age of 42. The Studer/Ganz Foundation has now used up its capital and the Board of Trustees has decided to dissolve it at the end of 2023.
In German- and Italian-speaking Switzerland, the prize consisted of the publication of the respective debut in a popular publishing house and a prize money of CHF 5,000. Above all, the publication of a book helped one or the other of the winners to get off the ground. Take Thomas Duarte, for example: he received the 2020 prize for his debut "Was der Fall ist" and was nominated for the 2021 Swiss Book Prize shortly afterwards. Last year, Gianna Olinda Cadonau received the prize for her novel "Feuerlilie".
For the French-language prize, the jury selects literary texts from three to five writers for further development. One author also receives a scholarship for a one-year mentorship.
According to a press release, the Sophie and Karl Binding Foundation intends to maintain the current focus. Only the name will change: the award will be called "Chrysalide" in future. The term refers to the developmental stage of a caterpillar shortly before it becomes a butterfly.
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