The Government Council awards the Culture Prize to individuals or groups who have made outstanding artistic achievements or promoted culture through their mediation activities. This year's prize, worth CHF 50,000, goes to 67-year-old designer Hans Knuchel.

Young artists with great development potential can win the Canton of Zurich's sponsorship prize, which is endowed with 40,000 francs. Next year, it will go to the musicians Yuka Tsuboi, Sarah Kilchenmann, David Schneebeli and Julien Kilchenmann.

The four have been performing as a classical string quartet under the name "Galatea Quartet" since 2005, regularly crossing genre boundaries. They have already performed with John Lord from Deep Purple, Tina Turner or in the musical theater "The Dark Side of the Moon" based on Pink Floyd by Daniel Fueter. Contemporary works are also part of their repertoire.

The cantonal government has awarded the Golden Medal of Honor to singer and musician Fritz Näf for his great services to professional choral music in Switzerland. The 69-year-old Näf studied singing at various Swiss music academies and trained as a choir and orchestra conductor.

He himself took part in numerous vocal projects. In 1978, he founded the professional vocal ensemble "Basler Madrigalisten" and in 1997, together with the Tonhalle Orchestra Zurich, the "Schweizer Kammerchor". From 1986 to 2000, Näf was director of the Winterthur Music Academy and Conservatory.