The 2025 Prof. Horst Knapp Prize goes to Bernhard Ecker
- Bernhard Ecker has been editor-in-chief of the business magazine “trend” since 2025
- The Prof. Horst Knapp Prize is being awarded for the 30th time this year for outstanding achievements in Austrian business journalism
The Prof. Horst Knapp Prize, which commemorates the doyen of Austrian business journalism who died in 1996, goes to Bernhard Ecker, editor-in-chief of the business magazine “trend”, for the year 2025.
Marion Morales Albiñana-Rosner, Board Member for Private Banking & Wealth Management at UniCredit Bank Austria, on the award winner: “Bernhard Ecker is an experienced business journalist and editor-in-chief who presents and contextualises economic and historical topics from various perspectives. Bernhard Ecker stands for excellent business journalism that provides clarity. This expertise has not diminished in the wake of digital transformation; on the contrary, it is in even greater demand. For 30 years, the Prof. Horst Knapp Prize has served both as recognition of existing quality and as a guide for future developments. Thanks to its long tradition, it is also a symbol of the relevance and responsibility that modern business journalism bears today.”
The award ceremony took place on Monday evening at the Schoellerbank’s Palais Rothschild. The keynote speech on the topic “Austria as a media hub in the digital age: How do we ensure quality?” was held by Prof. Josef Trappel, Professor of Communication Policy and Media Economics at the University of Salzburg.
The laudatory speech was delivered by the jury chairman, Martin Kocher, Governor of the Austrian National Bank, who emphasised in his address: “Independent, high-quality business journalism makes a significant contribution to an informed public and to objective debates on economic policy. This requires analytical precision, intellectual integrity and the ability to present complex interrelationships in an understandable way. It is precisely these qualities that distinguish this year’s prize winner, Bernhard Ecker. Through his many years of journalistic work, he makes a significant contribution to contextualising economic developments and making them understandable to a broad audience. I am delighted to present the traditional award on behalf of the Governor of the Austrian National Bank and offer him my warmest congratulations on winning the 2025 Prof. Horst Knapp Prize.”
About the 2025 prize winner
Bernhard Ecker has been editor-in-chief of the business magazine “trend” since 2025. Originally from the Hausruckviertel region of Upper Austria, he has been working as a journalist since 1999 – for profil, Spiegel Online and, from 2001 onwards, on a permanent basis for “trend”. At the business magazine, founded in 1970, he has been responsible for foreign trade, industry and economic policy issues. After graduating from the Bundesgymnasium Vöcklabruck in Upper Austria in 1990, he began studying history and German language and literature in Salzburg, worked for a year as a teacher in the Republic of Ireland and completed his studies at the University of Vienna in 1998. In 1999, he successfully completed the editorial training course in magazine journalism at the Institute of Journalism at the University of Vienna. His work has focused on reports from around the world, including Eastern Europe, China, India, the USA, Colombia, Iran, Kenya and Argentina. Since 2009, Bernhard Ecker has been teaching “Journalism in Practice” at the Institute of Journalism at the University of Vienna. His work centres on the endeavour to present and contextualise economic and historical topics from various perspectives. Ecker has authored several books on the economic and cultural history of Austria.
The Prof. Horst Knapp Prize has been awarded annually by UniCredit Bank Austria since 1996
This year’s award marks a significant anniversary. The Horst Knapp Prize has been awarded for 30 years, recognising outstanding achievements in Austrian business journalism that present complex economic and socio-political contexts in a particularly clear and accessible manner. An independent jury awards the prize, sponsored by UniCredit Bank Austria, in memory of Prof. Horst Knapp, the doyen of Austrian business journalism who passed away in 1996. The jury is chaired by Martin Kocher, Governor of the Austrian National Bank.
Enquiries:
UniCredit Bank Austria Media Relations
Matthias Raftl, Phone: +43 (0) 5 05 05-52809;
Email: matthias.raftl@unicreditgroup.at
Print-ready photos are available to download from our website presse.bankaustria.at. Reproduction is free of charge.