Equal opportunities in the media: Ermiza Prize awarded

The Ermiza Prize was awarded on Saturday, 11 November. The competition aims to increase awareness of gender issues in the editorial offices of radio, television, and web contributions in the Italian-speaking part of Switzerland. The award ceremony occurred within the event on sports and equality in front of the cameras, which took place in the morning at Centro Sportivo di Tenero. Valentina Grignoli won the seventh Ermiza Prize for her radio contribution "La voce delle donne: 50 anni di Suffragio femminile in Svizzera" (the voice of women: 50 years of women's suffrage in Switzerland), broadcast on 5 February 2021 on Rete Due. The Prize consists of CHF 2,000 provided by BancaStato. The jury also gave a special mention to the Falò report "Colpevoli di stupro" (guilty of rape), by Katia Ranzanici and Marco Tagliabue, aired on RSI La 1 on 21 October 2021.

The winner of the seventh edition of the Ermiza prize is Valentina Grignoli, with the radio contribution "La voce delle donne: 50 anni di Suffragio femminile in Svizzera", aired on 5 February 2021 on Rete Due. The journalist addresses a topic of great relevance, the right to vote for women, which was acquired in Switzerland in 1971. Grignoli emphasises the significance of this ambivalent anniversary, where feelings of pride for the achievement of a long-awaited goal are mixed with bitterness over a law that was extensively debated but not acted upon politically. The radio programme discusses gender equality, inclusion, and fairness by presenting a series of well-collected testimonies and a critical approach that provides the proper depth to a challenging reality.

The Jury of the Ermiza Prize has given a special mention to Falò's report "Colpevoli di stupro", by Katia Ranzanici and Marco Tagliabue, which was aired on RSI La 1 on 21 October 2021. The report was lauded for its sensitivity and tact in dealing with the issue of sexual violence, which is a very sensitive and painful topic. Thanks to the courage of the victims who shared their stories, Ranzanici and Tagliabue succeeded in creating public awareness and starting a crucial debate that should continue to progress.

The Ermiza Prize jury, chaired by Morena Ferrari Gamba (HR expert, representative of SSR. CORSI, member of the Human Rights Foundation and delegate to the Human Rights Film Festival), also featured Maurizio Binaghi (representative of the Advisory Commission for Equal Opportunities), Athina Greco (coordinator of the Prize and representative of the Equal Opportunities Service), Francesca Scalici (Head of USI Equal Opportunities Service), Nelly Valsangiacomo (professor of contemporary history at the University of Lausanne) and Giancarlo Zappoli (artistic director of Castellinaria).

The Prize is promoted by the Equal Opportunities Advisory Commission, in collaboration with SUPSI Gender and Diversity Service, USI Equal Opportunities Service and SSR Svizzera Italiana CORSI (SSR.CORSI). The Prize of 2000 francs was made available by BancaStato.

Further information:

Ermiza Prize

• Davina Fitas, President of the Advisory Commission for Equal Opportunities, [email protected], tel. 076 811 47 75
• Athina Greco, Equal Opportunities Service, [email protected], tel. 091 814 30 02