The yearly swiss poster competition "Plakat des Jahres" that was started in 1941 has come to an end, as I found out by chance in an official press communication from the "Bundesamt fuer Kultur" (a section of the Swiss Federal Departement of Home Affairs)
Nach 63 Jahren Ende des Wettbewerbs "Plakat des Jahres" (bis 2001 "Schweizer Plakate des Jahres"), dated September 28, 2004.
The text puts the blame for the end of the traditional and prestigious event on a declining interest in the competition and it's results, particularly from the advertising industry.
At the same time, the swiss graphic designers Melk Imboden, Stephan Bundi and Paula Troxler win a whopping 25% of all prizes in an international poster competition in Korea where 2112 posters from 44 countries were received (see the blog item below), so I see some contradiction in the valuation of swiss poster design, as seen from inside and outside of the country.
The poster above for the competition in 1996 was made by Rosmarie Tissi from Odermatt & Tissi.