Prix Courage 2020: The nominees have been determined

Who wins the main prize of 15,000 Swiss francs will be decided by the Observer-readers and the jury headed by former Aargau cantonal councillor Susanne Hochuli.

This year's Lifetime Award goes to "Die Dargebotene Hand," whose volunteers make a valuable contribution to society with their telephone counseling service, especially in Corona times.

Amine Diare Conde from Zurich...

provided food to sans-papiers and marginalized people during the Corona crisis. At the age of 16, the 22-year-old rejected refugee from Guinea fled alone through the Sahara and across the Mediterranean to Europe. In Switzerland, he struggled to make ends meet. Nevertheless, after the outbreak of the Corona crisis, he did not hesitate for a second to stand up for people who had even less. Conde found food, collected donations, set up a logistics network, organized volunteers and vans. For weeks, he and his helpers distributed food packages free of charge. Not only sans-papiers picked up food every Saturday - but also people who did not want to apply for social welfare, as well as marginalized people with Swiss passports. In the meantime, the Sozialwerk Pfarrer Sieber has taken over the "Food for All" campaign.

Markus Fritzsche from Adliswil ZH...

fought Covid-19 in the asylum shelter. The family doctor and epidemiologist has been providing medical care for refugees in Adliswil on behalf of the canton of Zurich for years. When a woman in the emergency shelter there fell ill with Covid-19, he wanted to transfer her to a hospital - the Iranian woman's life was in danger because she suffers from a severe rheumatic disease. However, the canton refused to admit the woman and her one-year-old child, who was also ill. Markus Fritzsche decided to go public with his decision. As a result, the Zurich Security Directorate withdrew his mandate as asylum doctor; he is no longer allowed to treat his patients in the emergency shelter. Instead of being praised by the canton for his efforts, Fritzsche is now threatened with the withdrawal of his practice permit in the worst case.

Nils Melzer from Evilard BE...

takes on the powers that be in the case of Wikileaks founder Julian Assange. Fabricated evidence, collusion and torture - these are the accusations that Nils Melzer, UN Special Rapporteur on Torture, has leveled against the law enforcement agencies of Sweden, the UK and the US. Assange faces extradition to the U.S. and 175 years in prison for publishing secret documents on Wikileaks. These document war crimes by U.S. troops, among other things. Most of the media portrayed the activist as a spy and rapist. Melzer was not deterred by this. He made the serious procedural violations public, even though he risked his own reputation and security. Since then, he has been accused of not taking rape victims seriously and of fomenting conspiracy theories.

Yasmine Motarjemi from Nyon VD...

exposed abuses at Nestlé. The food technologist was recruited by the WHO to make the company's products safer. But Motarjemi soon discovered that anyone who uncovered and reported abuses - such as cookies that almost choked babies - was neither listened to nor supported. Instead, she was systematically bullied and no longer allowed to fulfill her mission. As a scientist, she felt obliged to draw attention to the abuses and took the food company to court. After ten years, she was vindicated this January: the Lausanne Cantonal Court found that "Motarjemi was harassed in an insidious manner." The harassment had ruined her professionally and psychologically. The verdict gives her hope - also for other whistleblowers, says Motarjemi.

Nadya and Candid Pfister from Spreitenbach AG...

fight for the victims of cyberbullying. Their daughter Céline was 13 years old when she took her own life in August 2017 after days of digital bullying. Her parents have been fighting cyberbullying on Instagram and Facebook ever since with the hashtag #célinesvoice - they know what it means for children to suffer because of social media. Again and again, young people contact them with concerns, questions and encouragement. The two teenagers who bullied their daughter with an intimate picture got off with just a few days of community service. That's why the Pfisters are campaigning for cyberbullying to be prosecuted in the future. Thanks to their commitment, SP National Councilor Gabriela Suter has now submitted a parliamentary initiative.

Susi Schildknecht from Jonen AG...

sets a sign for acceptance with her face. She lost half her face in the fight against cancer and wants to show that no one has to be ashamed of their appearance. In 2018, doctors tried to rid her face of all cancer cells, removing her nose, right eye including the eye socket, forehead and part of her right cheek. In her new everyday life, exclusion and insults followed; for years, the former activation therapist hid at home as a result. But then she went public with her story - even though it took "a hell of a lot of courage. In newspapers, television appearances and her blog "Krebsgesicht" (Cancer Face), Susi Schildknecht now tells of her fate and stands up for people with disabilities.

Melanie Tamburino from Tenniken BL...

saved two people from a German shepherd in a blood frenzy. A woman from the neighborhood wanted to walk the dog when it suddenly attacked her three-year-old niece. The animal then bit the woman who was trying to protect the girl. Tamburino rushed to the rescue. The 41-year-old has three dogs of her own and leads agility courses - thanks to her knowledge, she did not physically intervene, but immediately gave the dog commands. The dog obeyed at the first "down" and let go of the woman. On "foot" Tamburino was able to grab the animal and lock it away until the police and rescue forces arrived. If the shepherd had caught the toddler, the attack would probably have been fatal. But Melanie Tamburino does not see herself as a hero: at that moment, she was merely doing her job.

Who of the seven nominees will win this year's main prize worth 15,000 Swiss francs will be determined in equal parts by the public voting, which is now open, and by the jury headed by former Aargau cantonal councillor Susanne Hochuli.

As in the previous editions, the Observer Prix Courage will also present an additional award this year: The Lifetime Award 2020 for special services to society goes to the aid organization "Die Dargebotene Hand". For more than 60 years, the telephone counseling service has been supported by around 670 volunteers who listen to and help other people with a lot of heart and without pay - especially in Corona times, an invaluable service for many a person suffering from the manifold consequences of the crisis.

"This award is a great honor and recognition for the decades of anonymous work of our volunteers in favor of people in emotional distress," Sabine Basler, Managing Director of Die Dargebotene Hand, is pleased to say. "It will give us even more visibility to continue our work and align the offer with new social needs."

In recent months, "Die Dargebotene Hand" has seen a sharp increase in calls to its number "143". In order to cover the increased demand in these difficult times around the clock, the organization has increased its capacity by 300 hours of speaking time per week.

Due to the situation surrounding the Coronavirus, the award ceremony of this year's Prix Courage will not take place at a festive dinner - but in the studios of Blick TV. The announcement and award ceremony, interviews with the finalists and the presentation of the Lifetime Award to "Die Dargebotene Hand" will be broadcast live on Blick TV on October 30, 2020.