Meinrad Schade (Swiss, born 1968) is based in Zurich. After his studies in biology he was employed by the Social Welfare Department of the city of Zurich from 1996-1999. Subsequently he attended the first course in photojournalism to be held at the Medienausbidlungszentrum MAZ in Lucerne. After that he worked as staffer at a daily Swiss newspaper. In 2003 he joined Lookat Photos in Zurich. Since that time he's working as a freelance photographer specialized in portraits and documentary photography. Grants allow him to follow long-term projects. The current one is entitled «Before, After and Beside the War – A search for traces on the margins of conflicts». In 2008 and 2011 he has been shortlisted for the «Henri Nannen Preis». In 2006 and 2010 he has been selected for the Swiss Photo Award (ewz.selection). In 2011 he won the main price of the Swiss Photo Award. In 2013 he won the «n-ost-Reportagepreis» and he is nominated for the «prix pictet».