Summary

The Federal Office of Culture has announced the winners of the competition "The Most Beautiful Swiss Books 2025". The renowned Jan Tschichold Prize (25,000 Swiss francs) goes to the French-Swiss graphic design duo Coline Sunier & Charles Mazé for outstanding achievements in book design. Additionally, a Swiss work received a bronze medal at the international competition "The Most Beautiful Books in the World" in Leipzig. Of 388 submitted books, 17 works were awarded, reflecting contemporary design trends.

People

Topics

  • Book design and book production
  • Swiss cultural awards
  • Graphic design and typography
  • International design competitions

Clarus Lead

The Federal Office of Culture annually honors outstanding achievements in Swiss book design. This year's Jan Tschichold Prize recognizes the transnational duo Sunier & Mazé, who understand graphic design as critical research and knowledge transfer. Relevant for cultural institutions and design schools: The prize winners actively promote international exchange and the renewal of design from a collective, transdisciplinary perspective. A Swiss book also achieved a bronze medal at the Leipzig competition "The Most Beautiful Books in the World".

Detailed Summary

The international expert jury chaired by Sereina Rothenberger evaluated 388 submissions and awarded 17 works from the 2025 vintage. The jury attests to the awards "exceptional quality and high standards" that document contemporary design trends.

Coline Sunier (b. 1984, CH/FR) and Charles Mazé (b. 1982, FR) form an internationally established design duo based in Marseille and Paris. Both are academically active – Sunier teaches at the Geneva HEAD and at the Institut supérieur des arts et du design de Toulouse, Mazé directs research projects at the Atelier national de recherche typographique in Nancy. Their working method combines critical documentation with pedagogical ambition: they understand typography as a cultural, social, and political reality and position graphic design at the intersection of science, publication, and teaching. Their projects have received multiple awards (Prix Fernand Baudin, Prix unique du livre, Silver Medal "The Most Beautiful Books in the World" 2022).

On the international level, the Swiss book "Heatwave" (design: Samuel Bänziger, Rosario Florio, Larissa Kasper, St. Gallen) received a bronze medal at the Leipzig competition. Two additional Swiss publications were included on the shortlist. The exhibition "The Most Beautiful Swiss Books 2025" will take place from June 12 to 21, 2026 at the Helmhaus Zurich and will subsequently be shown at approximately 20 locations in Switzerland and worldwide.

Key Points

  • The Jan Tschichold Prize 2025 (25,000 Swiss francs) honors the French-Swiss duo Sunier & Mazé for innovative book design
  • 17 of 388 submitted books were awarded as "The Most Beautiful Swiss Books 2025"
  • Swiss works achieve international success: bronze medal at the Leipzig competition "The Most Beautiful Books in the World"
  • The prize winners understand graphic design as critical research and promote transnational knowledge transfer
  • Exhibition and catalog from June 2026; tour to 20 international locations planned

Critical Questions

  1. Evidence: What objective criteria does the jury define for "outstanding achievements in book design" – and how transparent are these evaluation criteria for submitters and the public?

  2. Conflicts of Interest: To what extent could the academic activities of the prize winners (teaching positions at HEAD and isdaT) have increased their visibility in international expert juries, and how are such conflicts of interest considered in jury composition?

  3. Causality: Can it be demonstrated that the award "most beautiful books" actually leads to increased market acceptance or sales figures, or is the effect primarily symbolic and prestige-related?

  4. Feasibility: How are the 17 awarded works made accessible to a broader public after the exhibition tour – for example through catalog distribution or digital archives – and what follow-up use is planned for design schools?

  5. Alternative Perspectives: Are representatives from smaller publishers or unconventional design approaches consciously considered in jury selection, or does an established academic-institutional network dominate the evaluation?

  6. Risks: Could the strong focus on formal design excellence result in overlooking content-innovative but formally less spectacular publications?

Bibliography

Primary Source: Press Release Federal Office of Culture – "The Most Beautiful Swiss Books of 2025" – https://www.news.admin.ch/de/newnsb/SF_2QNR4Wlw5pu-RZ2CBx (12.03.2026)

Further Information:

  • www.themostbeautifulswissbooks.ch
  • www.schweizerkulturpreise.ch
  • www.bak.admin.ch/beautifulbooks.ch

Verification Status: ✓ 12.03.2026

This text was created with the support of an AI model. Editorial responsibility: clarus.news | Fact-checking: 12.03.2026