For their project at the Schulmuseum Bern, the artist duo Michael Meier & Christoph Franz explore one of the oldest writing instruments still regularly used in schools today: the pencil. In their work, Meier & Franz trace connections between trade routes, colonial histories and cultural identities. They examine the migration and appropriation of knowledge and goods, as well as their transformation into symbols of Alpine culture and the historical roots from which these symbols emerged.

The Schulmuseum Bern is awarding the Tintenfass Prize – Swiss Prize for the History of Education – for the sixth time. The prize honours an original contribution to the dissemination of scholarly research in the history of schooling, education and pedagogy. The 2025 Tintenfass Prize is awarded to Michael Egger for his work "Ein lesendes Volk – Alphabetisierung, Lesestoffe und Volksbildung" ("A Nation of Readers – Literacy, Reading Materials and Popular Education").

The award will be presented, and the laudatory address delivered, by Professor Emeritus Dr Lucien Criblez, Co-Head of the Research Department at the Schulmuseum Bern.