Stefanie Heinzmann honored in Valais
Soul and pop singer Stefanie Heinzmann is the 2018 winner of the "Divisionär F. K. Rünzi" Foundation award, which the canton uses to honor ambassadors for Valais.
The 29-year-old Stefanie Heinzmann from Visp-Eyholz became known to the international public as the winner of a German singing competition. On January 10, 2008, she became the first Swiss woman to win a German talent show against all other competitors and win a recording contract.
Over the past ten years, Stefanie Heinzmann has mainly toured Germany and Switzerland with her band. However, she has also played concerts internationally, including in New York, Luxembourg, Austria and Poland. She has released four studio albums (debut album "Masterplan" went double platinum in Switzerland) and received awards at home and abroad (including the Prix Walo as Best Newcomer 2008, two Swiss Music Awards 2009 in the categories "Best Newcomer National" and "Best Song National", the Echo 2009 as Best Artist National Rock/Pop, the Swiss Music Awards 2016 as "Best Female Solo Act").
Heinzmann is also a voice actress in the animated film Pets and an ambassador for the iChance campaign, which promotes learning to read and write. She is also a permanent supporter of Unicef Switzerland and the German Children's Hospice Foundation.
The Rünzi Prize, endowed with CHF 20,000, has been awarded since 1972. According to the foundation charter, it can be awarded by the Council to any personality who has brought special honor to Valais.
