Swiss Grand Award for Design 2026

About the awards

Since 2007, the Federal Office of Culture (FOC), alongside the Swiss Design Awards, has also awarded the Swiss Grand Award for Design. This distinction honours established Swiss designers and design studios that make a significant contribution to the reputation of Swiss design at both national and international level. The aim of the prize is to promote, strengthen and publicly acknowledge the design scene while highlighting the tradition of Swiss design. The Swiss Grand Award for Design is endowed with CHF 40,000 per award and, in 2026, will be granted on the recommendation of the Federal Design Commission to the design and architecture studio atelier oï, the graphic designer Ursula Hiestand, and the designer and researcher Simone C. Niquille. With this award, the Swiss Confederation honours three outstanding personalities and studios that sustainably shape and advance Swiss design.

Swiss Design Awards exhibition, 16–21 June 2026 in Basel

The award ceremony will take place on 15 June 2026 in Basel as part of the exhibition “Swiss Design Awards.” The exhibition will open at Messe Basel, Hall 1.1, and will be on view from 16 to 21 June 2026 during Art Basel.
The recipients of the Swiss Grand Award for Design will be presented through video portraits. On this occasion, the publication “Swiss Grand Award for Design 2026” will also be released, featuring short portraits by Susanna Koeberle, interviews with the award recipients conducted by Keiji Ashizawa, Isabel Koellreuter & Franziska Schürch as well as Nora O’Murchú, and extensive visual material. Admission to all events and to the exhibition is free of charge.