History of the Golden Owl

The golden Owls were first awarded in 2005, on the occasion of the ETH Zurich’s 150^th anniversary.. The idea met with a great response within the ETH community. Since then, the price is awarded annually in November in the context of the ETH Day.

The award was initiated by VSETH, ETH Zurich’s students association to honour lecturers who have provided exceptional teaching and motivate them to continue in this way.

ETH itself benefits: High-quality teaching enhances its reputation as one of Europe’s leading universities in science and technology and so boosts its attraction for qualified students and researchers worldwide.

 

Credit Suisse Award for Best Teaching

The Credit Suisse Award for Best Teaching was launched in 2006 by the Credit Suisse Foundation Jubilee Fund and includes prize money of CHF 10’000. It allows the Swiss Universities and Universities of Applied Sciences to award the prize to their best teachers on a yearly basis and by enhancing the quality of university teaching also to strengthen Switzerland as a knowledge- and research location.

All winners of the Golden Owl at ETH Zurich are automatically nominated for the Credit Suisse Award for Best Teaching. VSETH determines the laureate based on an interview and further criteria. As opposed to the Nobel Prize, the Credit Suisse Award can only be won once in lifetime.