Prix Suisse

Switzerland’s highest national award

This unique award will be presented each year to a Swiss personality who has achieved remarkable things for our country both now and in the past through a combination of audacity, creativity, innovation, hard work and perseverance. They will act as role models for present and future generations.

The laureates of the ‘Prix Suisse’ are personalities who have made outstanding contributions to Switzerland in recent years and who stand out as a result of their audacity, innovation, and creativity. The Prix Suisse 2023 will be awarded on Saturday, November 11, 2023.

Prix Suisse 2022

The President of the National Council, Irène Kälin, presented the Prix Suisse to the researcher Martine Clozel on Saturday evening in front of around 350 invited guests from business, science, politics and sport in the Kursaal in Bern.

Martine Clozel is a doctor, scientist, and an entrepreneur. Through her scientific research, Martine’s discoveries have resulted in several new drugs that have changed the lives of hundreds of thousands of patients.  Martine co-founded Actelion in 1997 and more recently, Idorsia in 2017, which builds on the 20 years of heritage of drug discovery.

We congratulate Martine Clozel on being awarded the Prix Suisse 2022.

The Award

With a base made of an ancient larch tree, the Prix Suisse represents connectedness and sustainability. The tree lived for around 350 years and was trapped inside a glacier in the Engadin Alps for some 10,500 years before emerging from the ice in 2019. The upward lines end in a Swiss cross, which represents Swiss quality and reliability. The design of the award is not realizable using current metalworking techniques. It was made from aluminum using the 3D metal printing process, thus displaying Switzerland’s great innovative capacity and creativity.

The award night

The big gala dinner with award ceremony of the "Prix Suisse" is a closed event and is not advertised publicly. Guests from business, science, politics and sports are personally invited.
The well-known presenter Sandra Studer will guide the guests through a varied and unforgettable evening full of highlights and top culinary delights. Our guests can also look forward to the keynote speech by our surprise guest with exciting insights and food for thought.

Previous award nights

Previous Awardees

2022: Martine Clozel

Doctor, scientist, entrepreneur

2021: Peter Spuhler

Entrepreneur, investor, doer