Overwhelmed by Tuesday night’s magic moments during the award ceremony, we thank everyone who joined this highlight of the dense art and design week in Basel! Some seen, heard and spotted last night for you….

More than 600 guests joined the award ceremony that honoured this year’s laureates of the Swiss Design Awards and the Swiss Grand Award for Design. Taking place at hall 3, our new venue this year, and future home to both, the Swiss Design Awards and the Swiss Art Awards in 2017, the ceremony once again marked a unique encounter of outstanding figures of Swiss Design practice.

The event was opened by the welcoming words of Federal Councillor Alain Berset, who underlined the relevance and importance of the role of the designer – and closed his speech with a statement which was quoted again by the laureates: “Design speaks for itself”.

The evening was moderated by Patrizia Crivelli (Responsible for Promotion of Design in the Department for Cultural Creation at the Federal Office of Culture) and Lionel Bovier (Chair of the Federal Design Commission). Celebrating one by one: The 13 awards  in the 4 categories – photography, fashion and textile design, graphic design, products and objects and scenography – were joyfully received by the 20 laureates. Both Bovier and Crivelli highlighted the unexpected, innovative, complex, fresh, humorous, delightful positions the jury could discover and reward, surprising through unusual approaches while sensitive to detailing and context.

GRANDEZZA! After the award ceremony of the Swiss Design Awards, Christoph Hefti, Renate Menzi and Laurent Benner – members of the Federal Design Commission – presented the laudatory speeches for the three laureates of this years Swiss Grand Award for Design: Claudia Caviezel, Hans Eichenberger and Ralph Schraivogel. Both Caviezel and Schraivogel quoted Alain Berset in their acknowledgements, referring to the quality of design, speaking for itself.

Among the many guests, we were happy to count on previous winners, former members of the Federal Design Commission, as well as current and former participants of the Swiss Design exhibition, which – winner or not – make an outstanding overview of the contemporary  Swiss design practice.

Who missed last night’s celebration, do not miss your chance to visit us at hall 3 and to discover the many languages that design speaks. Until 19 June, 11 am – 7 pm, hall 3, Messe Basel, free admission.