Nomination terms and selection process

The "Swiss Jazz Award" is presented annually to a Swiss jazz formation that has enjoyed particular success or recorded a major achievement on the Swiss jazz scene. The nomination is made on the basis of a popularity scale. The five jazz formations that have received the best feedback from Radio Swiss Jazz listeners over the previous 12 months are nominated for the award. The winner is then selected in an online poll at www.swissjazzaward.ch.

This year, the voting process is being divided into three phases for the first time. In the first phase, which runs until 29 March 2012, you can vote for your favourites online or by text message. Only the three bands with the most votes will go forward to the second round of voting. In this round you will be able to vote for these three finalists – again online or by text message – between 2 April 2012 and the start of the Jazz Ascona festival on 21 June 2012. In the final phase, you will have the opportunity to see the three finalists live in Ascona and vote directly for your favourite. The band which has collected the most votes from all three phases will then be honoured as the winner of the Swiss Jazz Award at the Jazz Ascona festival on 24 June 2012.

Text voting works like this: the number is 898 (CHF 0.50 per text). Text sch to vote for the Sandro Schneebeli Boogaloo 4tet, lec for Martin Lechner, jac for the Christina Jaccard & Dave Ruosch Band, abb for Martin Abbuehl’s Swing Express, or jct for the JCT All Stars.

Everyone who participates in the vote will be entered into a draw for a one-week trip for two to New Orleans.

The organisers make every effort to avoid technical errors or abuses. They nonetheless reserve the right to cancel the vote early if manipulation is suspected, or to exclude nominees from further voting. No correspondence will be entered into with regard to the nomination terms, selection process and prize award.

Basel, December 2011