The Finlandia Prize is a set of Finnish literary prizes awarded by the Finnish Book Foundation to "celebrate reading and highlight new Finnish first-rate literature." Considered the most prestigious in the nation, they are awarded annually in three categories: fiction, non-fiction and children's and youth literature. The prize was first awarded in 1984.
Kirsi Marjatta Kunnas was a Finnish poet, children's literature author and translator into Finnish. Her oeuvre consists of poems, fairy tale books, drama, translations and non-fiction. Her books have been translated into Swedish, English, German, French, Hungarian, Estonian and Polish. She received several awards in Finland for her life's work.
Sofi-Elina Oksanen is a Finnish writer and playwright. Oksanen has published six novels, of which "Purge" has gained the widest recognition. She has received several international and domestic awards for her literary work. Her work has been translated into more than 40 languages and sold more than two million copies. Oksanen has been called "Finnish-Estonian Charles Dickens" and her work has often been compared to Margaret Atwood's novels. Oksanen is actively involved in public debate in Finland and comments on current issues in her columns and various talk shows.
Ville Juhana Haapasalo is a Finnish stage and film actor who has worked in Finland and Russia. His acting career started in 1995, after he finished his studies in St. Petersburg. In 2003, he was honored with the State Prize of the Russian Federation for his role of Veikko in the film The Cuckoo directed by Aleksandr Rogozhkin.
Team Unique is a senior-level synchronized skating team from Helsinki, Finland, representing the figure skating club Helsingfors Skridskoklubb (HSK). Established in 1993 and competing at the senior level since 1996, Team Unique are the 2013 world champions, 2009 world silver medalists and the 2013 and 2016 Finnish champions. Currently, they are ranked seventh in the world by the International Skating Union. The team's home club, HSK, is also the home club to the junior team Team Mystique.
Hannu Mäkelä is an author of more than 100 books in Finnish: novels, collections of short stories, edited anthologies and children's books. Hannu Mäkelä is known for his books for children in many countries around the world, especially the Herra Huu series.
Juulia Turkkila is a Finnish figure skater. Competing in ice dancing with Matthias Versluis, she is the 2023 European bronze medalist, a two-time Grand Prix of Espoo bronze medalist, 2023 CS Finlandia Trophy gold medalist, and a four-time Finnish national champion.
Matthias Versluis is a Finnish figure skater. Competing in ice dancing with Juulia Turkkila, he is the 2023 European bronze medalist, a two-time Grand Prix of Espoo bronze medalist, 2023 CS Finlandia Trophy gold medalist, and a four-time Finnish national champion.
Anna Sofia Eriksson is a Finnish artist, filmmaker, composer, and singer. In September 2018, avantgarde film M directed and produced by Eriksson was having the world premiere at the Venice International Film Critics Week, 75th Venice International Film Festival. In 2022, her second feature Film W premiered at the Locarno Film Festival. Eriksson is one of the most successful singers in Finnish chart history.
Paavo Olavi Rintala was a Finnish novelist and theologian. He also wrote theatre pieces, radio plays and prose.
Olli Lindholm was a Finnish singer and guitarist. He was the lead singer of the renowned Finnish band Yö since the early 1980s with a string of hits and albums. In addition, he worked on a solo basis with his own four albums released on various labels including Maailma on kaunis in 2010 that peaked at number one on The Official Finnish Chart Suomen virallinen lista.
Johanna Rutgera "Joke" van Leeuwen is a Dutch author, illustrator, and cabaret performer.
Kreetta Onkeli is a Finnish writer. Her breakthrough novel "Ilonen talo" was published in 1996, and it received the Kalevi Jäntti award. After that she did not publish any books for seven years. Then she published short stories, columns and three more novels, and after 2013 she has published two books for children. One of them was awarded with Finlandia Junior Award.
Ted van Lieshout is a Dutch poet and writer of children's literature. He has won numerous awards for his work.
Anu Kaipainen was a prolific Finnish writer and literary critic.
Riikka Pelo is a Finnish writer, best known for her novels Taivaankantaja (2006), which was nominated for a Runeberg Prize, and Jokapäiväinen elämämme (2013), for which she won a Finlandia Prize.
Alexandra Salmela is a Slovak author, best known for her Finnish novel 27 eli kuolema tekee taiteilijan (2010), for which she won a Helsingin Sanomat Literature Prize, and was nominated for a Finlandia Prize. In 2013, Salmela published the storybook Giraffe Mum and Other Silly Adults. The book was also published simultaneously in Slovakia. It was nominated for the Arvid Lydecken Prize. Salmela's second novel, The Antihero, was published in September 2015.
Pauliina Susi is a Finnish writer. Her debut novel Ruuhkavuosi was nominated for the Helsingin Sanomat Literature Prize in 2005. In 2016, she received a Lead of the Year award from the Finnish Detective Society for her book Takaikkuna (2015).
Miki Matias Juhani Liukkonen was a Finnish writer, poet and musician. He wrote five novels, the last of which, Vierastila, was released posthumously in September 2023 and nominated for a Finlandia Prize. Liukkonen had previously received one nomination for his 2017 novel O.
Vuokko Aulikki Oksanen-Halonen is a Finnish writer. She was awarded the Runeberg Prize in 1991, and the Pro Finlandia medal in 2020.
