Nine ANU students of the French, German and Italian languages have been awarded prizes by the ambassador of Switzerland as part of the annual Swiss Prize.

At a ceremony at the Swiss Embassy last month, His Excellency Christian Mühlethaler underlined the importance of the topics discussed in the 2007 essays: ‘neutrality’ by Italian students, ‘aging population’ by French students, and ‘democracy’ by the students of German.

The ambassador made special mention of the importance of neutrality in Switzerland’s constitution and way of life.

Vice-Chancellor Professor Ian Chubb attended the ceremony and expressed his support for all language studies at the University. “It is through language learning that we understand each other better as human beings,” he said.

The prize presentation was followed by a meal of Swiss specialities from the country’s different Cantons (provinces), including the special Nusse Torte (walnut tart).

The Swiss Prize is organised by the School of Language Studies and the Swiss Embassy.

The prize recipients were:

Italian:
1. Katherine Dinale
2. Claudia Benham, Jessica Feeney
3. Francesco Di Luzio

German:
1. Carl Zimmermann
2. Amy Vickers
3. Robert Lanyasunya

French:
1. Harriet McHigh-Dillon
2. Eugenie Joseph
3. Holly Matley and Hannah Smith

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