Awards

An overview of the prizes, awards and project grants demonstrates the impact of the projects carried out by (former) students and staff of the department.

2026

Appointment of Team MOSAIK – comprising Nuria Krämer, Daniel Riniker, Eirini Sourgiadaki and Tomer Zirkilevech, all four of whom are alumni of the Master’s programme in Transdisciplinary Studies in the Arts – as project leaders for the City of Zurich’s Intercultural Programme Weeks 2026–29

2025

SNSF funding for the project ‘Materialised Text-Bodies & Reparative Criticism’, led by Elke Bippus, ZHdK FSP Cultural Analysis in the Arts, and Ines Kleesattel, HGK Basel

Appointment of Florian Dombois, Head of the Transdisciplinarity Research Focus, as Chair of the ELIA Working Group on Artistic Research

Nomination for the national competition at the Sonohr Festival for “Sprechpause” by Karolina Sarre, alumna of Cultural Publishing

“100 Best Posters 2024” award for the exhibition posters of the Museum für Gestaltung Zürich: “Collection Insights” by Skala Design, “Japanese Graphic Design Today” by Office for Typography and “Helmut Schmid Typography” by Skala Design

Swiss Art Award for Shamiran Istifan, alumna of the Master’s in Transdisciplinary Studies in the Arts

Jontek Grant 2025 for Laura Breitschmid and Jonas Wandeler, alumni of the current Master’s in Cultural Critique and Cultural Publishing

KURATOR*IN Scholarship 2025 for Kim Anni Bassen, alumna of Curatorial Studies and teaching assistant in the Curatorial Studies Major

ZHdK Support Prize for ‘Listen to us! Survivors of sexualised violence tell their stories’ by Lorena Müller, graduate of Cultural Publishing

ZHdK Support Prize for “Pomegranate (Nar)” by Berna Keleș, graduate of the Bachelor’s in Art Education

Manor Art Prize Aargau 2026 for Shamiran Istifan, alumna of the Master’s in Transdisciplinary Studies in the Arts

Art Scholarship from the City of Zurich for Maya Lama, alumna of the Master’s in Transdisciplinary Studies in the Arts

“Seed Fund” from the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research (CIFAR) for Jana Thierfelder, alumna and lecturer on the Master’s in Transdisciplinary Studies in the Arts

“Campaign of the Year” and “Culture” awards at the Swiss Out of Home Award 2025 for “Japanese Graphic Art Today” by the Museum für Gestaltung Zürich

ZHdK Teaching Award 2025 for “Ecology of Learning” by Karin Fromherz and Christian Vetter, Head and Lecturer respectively of the Bachelor’s in Art Education

lab award 2025 from the media art festival lab.30 for “Answer the Call” by Simon Braissant and Joachim Clematide, students of the Master’s in Transdisciplinary Studies in the Arts

2024

SNF Agora grant for the exhibition project ‘The Past in the Front Garden. The Tank Barrier as a Relic’ within the research focus on Cultural Analysis in the Arts, led by Dr Sønke Gau

SNF Spark grant for the research project ‘Visual Noise. The New Left and Critique of the Justice System in Switzerland 1960–1990” within the research focus on Cultural Analysis in the Arts

Pro Helvetia Synergies 2024 for “Fluid Boundaries” from the artists-in-labs program led by Irène Hediger

Else Lasker-Schüler Play Prize 2024 for “Victory im Sonnengruss” by Deborah von Wartburg, alumna of the Master’s in Art Education and Cultural Publishing

City of Zurich Artist-in-Residence for Julia Weber, researcher at the Research Focus on Transdisciplinarity

Project funding from the Zurich Digital Initiative for ‘Augmented Ecospheres’, a collaboration between the ZHaW’s Research Group on Sustainability Communication and Environmental Education and a research group within the Master’s in Transdisciplinary Studies in the Arts and the Immersive Arts Space, led by Patrick Müller

Swiss Literature Prize for ‘Giftland’ (Der gesunde Menschenversand, 2023) by Dominique Oppliger, alumnus of the Master’s in Transdisciplinary Studies in the Arts and former member of the DKV

Swiss Art Award for Juliette Uzor, alumna of the Master’s in Art Education, Teaching Art

Nomination for the ‘True Story Award’ for the reportage ‘Ich bin jetzt Lino’ by Naomi Gregoris, alumna of Cultural Publishing
 

2023

Award in the ‘100 Best Posters 2022’ competition for the exhibition posters by the Museum für Gestaltung Zürich for ‘Haettenschweiler from A to Z’, designed by Studio Feixen, and ‘Collectomania’, designed by Erich Brechbühl

Programme funding from the Sustainability Dossier for four projects from the DKV: lmost ready: Cooking Workshop 0.1, W for Reuse, Tiny Food Forest, Growing Together!

DIZ funding for “The Museum of the Future” by the Museum für Gestaltung Zürich

SNSF funding for ‘Echoing the Un(fore)seen: Cultural-Analytical Listening in the Arts’ under the project leadership of Sigrid Adorf, Research Focus: Cultural Analysis in the Arts

Artist grant from the Canton of Zurich for Nina Williman, alumna of the Master’s in Transdisciplinary Studies in the Arts, and Mayumi Arai
Dissertation Prize from the Society for Cultural Studies for “Guantánamo bezeugen” by Sebastian Köthe, research assistant at the Research Focus on Aesthetics

ZKB Schiller Prize 2023 for “Die Vermengung” by Julia Weber, researcher at the Research Focus on Transdisciplinarity

Most Beautiful German Books 2022 featuring the edition “Sophie Taeuber-Arp. Letters 1905–1942”, edited by Medea Hoch, Walburga Krupp and Sigrid Schade, from the Research Focus on Cultural Analysis in the Arts

ZHdK Encouragement Prize for the Master’s thesis “Marylène” by Livia Grossenbacher, alumna of the Master’s in Art Education and Cultural Publishing

2022

Dr Margrit Egnér Foundation Award for Kathrin Luchsinger, researcher in Art Education

Three-year grant from swissuniversities under the programme ‘Subject Didactics: Consolidation of Networks and Career Development’ for Judit Villiger, lecturer on the Bachelor’s and Master’s programmes in Art Education and researcher

Swiss Design Award 2022 for Mara Danz, Master’s student in Art Education, Teaching Art

Doctoral Prize from the University of Marburg for the dissertation ‘Diffraction Events of the Present. Feminist Media Art Meets New Materialism” (to be published by Transcript in 2022) by Alisa Kronberger

Art Grant from the Canton of St. Gallen for Miriam Egloff, alumna of the Master’s in Transdisciplinary Studies in the Arts

Manor Art Prize St. Gallen 2022 for Juliette Uzor, alumna of the Master’s in Art Education, Teaching Art

Audience Award of the Zurich Film Festival (ZFF) for the feature film debut “Becoming Giulia” by Laura Kaehr, Master’s in Transdisciplinary Studies in the Arts

Literature Grant 2022 from the Aargau Curatorial Board for Dominic Oppliger, alumnus of the Master’s in Transdisciplinary Studies in the Arts and research assistant in Cultural Publishing

City of Zurich Art Scholarship (2022 Studio Abroad Scholarship in Genoa) for Jana Vanecek, alumna of the Master’s in Transdisciplinary Studies in the Arts

City of Zurich Art Scholarship for Susanne Hefti, PhD candidate in the Department of Cultural Analysis and Mediation

Scholarship from the German National Academic Foundation for Florence Borggrefe, research assistant in the Aesthetics research cluster and PhD candidate in the ‘Epistemologies of Aesthetic Practices’ PhD programme

Nomination for the 2022 Teaching Award for Michèle Novak and Anna Schürch, lecturers on the Master’s in Art Education, Teaching Art

2021

SNSF project funding for “Triple Instruments. Through truth wind blows” led by Prof. Florian Dombois, Research Focus: Transdisciplinarity

Comenius EduMedia Seal for the “Design Studio” teaching resource from the Bachelor’s programme in Art Education, in collaboration with Lehrmittelverlag Zürich and the Lucerne University of Teacher Education

Nico Kaufmann Scholarship 2021 for Franziska Staubli, alumna of the Master’s in Transdisciplinary Studies in the Arts

Retzhofer Drama Prize 2021 in the category “For Young Audiences” for the play “nachtschattengewächse” by Johannes Hoffmann, alumnus of the Master’s in Transdisciplinary Studies in the Arts

Basler-Werkbeitrag for Chantal Küng, former lecturer in Art Education

“Most Beautiful Swiss Books 2021” award for “Sophie Taeuber-Arp. Letters 1905–1942”, edited by Medea Hoch, Walburga Krupp and Sigrid Schade, from the Research Focus on Cultural Analysis in the Arts

“Most Beautiful Swiss Books 2021” award for the monograph “Bonzo, Tintin & Nina” by cultural journalism student Laura Breitschmid