Ida Somazzi Prize
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| Ida Somazzi Prize | |
|---|---|
| Awarded for | Education, peace, freedom, human rights, human dignity, and gender equality |
| Sponsored by | Somazzi Foundation |
| Location | Bern, Switzerland |
| Country | Switzerland |
| Presented by | Somazzi Foundation |
| First award | 1966 |
The Ida Somazzi Prize is a Swiss award established in 1966 to honor individuals and organizations working in the fields of education and training, peace and freedom, human rights and human dignity, as well as gender equality. The prize is awarded almost annually by the Somazzi Foundation (known as the Dr. Ida Somazzi Foundation until 2011), based in Bern.[1]
The foundation was established in 1964 by the Swiss Working Group "Woman and Democracy" in memory of women's rights activist Ida Somazzi. The foundation's finances were largely supported by a donation from Maria Felchlin, a physician from Olten.[1]
The Swiss Working Group "Woman and Democracy" was a non-partisan association composed of individual members and women's organizations, founded in 1933 in response to the rise of fascism in Italy and National Socialism in Germany. After World War II, the organization was reorganized and, until its dissolution in 1998, focused primarily on civic and political education for women, as well as the fight against communism as part of Switzerland's spiritual defense efforts. Ida Somazzi, one of the key figures in the organization's founding alongside feminist activist Maria Fierz, served as its president from 1949 to 1963 and played a crucial role in its post-war reorganization.[1]
