State Award for Public Information goes to eight recipients – making the invisible visible
The recipients of the 2025 State Award for Public Information have two things in common: they give a voice to those often left unheard and they challenge the status quo. Their work invites us to look at the world with curiosity, empathy and a critical eye.
Minister of Science and Culture Mari-Leena Talvitie presented the awards on 13 June in Helsinki. She highlighted how important public information is for building deep understanding, especially in uncertain times.
“Making information public strengthens our sense of community. It opens doors to worlds that we would not otherwise see or experience. Especially in today’s world, structured knowledge helps us understand different perspectives and experiences. It helps us find common words and themes, and it promotes a culture of constructive dialogue. Together, these make our society both more humane and stronger,” said Minister Talvitie.
The State Award for Public Information is Finland’s highest recognition for outstanding work in making knowledge accessible. Anyone can nominate a candidate. The Committee for Public Information reviews the nominations and proposes recipients to the Minister of Science and Culture.
Each award is worth EUR 15,000, except for the awards given to Katariina Havukainen, Inkeri Hyvönen ja Ella Lahdenmäki, as well as the organisation Operaatio Arktis, which are each EUR 30,000. If the winner is a working group, each member will receive an equal share of the award money.
The 2025 Finnish State Awards for Public Information
Masters of Arts (Theatre and Drama) Katariina Havukainen, Inkeri Hyvönen and Ella Lahdenmäki for the play Jumppatytöt (The Gym Girls), a statement in defence of young people’s right to a peaceful space to grow
Jumppatytöt, performed by Theatre Takomo, is an alliance of memory and movement. This piece of documentary theatre is based on the personal experiences of Katariina Havukainen, Inkeri Hyvönen and Ella Lahdenmäki in the world of aesthetic group gymnastics. Written and directed by the cast, the play gives a voice to the hundreds of thousands of Finnish girls and women who have moved in gymnastics circles.
Finland is the world’s most successful country in aesthetic group gymnastics. And yet the sport’s history remains largely invisible. Gymnastics leotards that have literally been stretched to their limits in peak performances do not hang frozen from the rafters of sports halls.
Jumppatytöt expertly reveals the background of the sport from multiple perspectives. It is not merely a story about sport. The audience do not need to be gymnasts to recognise themes of problematic body image, poor leadership or bullying. The play emphasises the right of young people to grow up in peace.
Praised for its authenticity, the performance will tour widely across Finland at least until the spring of 2026. After performances, the actors engage in dialogue with audiences, both in theatres and on social media. Jumppatytöt touches both tender and painful personal memories, transforming them into collective shared experiences.
[Jumppatytöt is a performance produced by Theatre Takomo, which premiered in the assembly hall of Minervaskolan in Helsinki on April 13, 2024.]
Docent Riie Heikkilä for the timely non-fiction book Miksi lakkasimme lukemasta? Sosiologinen tulkinta lukemisen muutoksesta (Why Did We Stop Reading? A Sociological Interpretation of the Changing Nature of Reading)
The time spent reading is in decline. Riie Heikkilä does not simply sigh about the loss of a reading culture but asks: Why did we stop reading? She examines the phenomenon through the lens of societal structures, daily rhythms and cultural lifestyles. She amplifies the voices of those whose relationship with reading – and with culture in general – is conflicted, indifferent or even negative.
This is where the book’s great merit lies: we hear from the people we talk about.
The work offers an engaging and accessible perspective on the development of reading in Finland. Heikkilä draws from both historical statistics and a rich body of interviews collected for the book. The result is both methodologically robust and emotionally impactful: rigorous scientific research packaged in a way that appeals to a broad audience.
[Miksi lakkasimme lukemasta? Sosiologinen tulkinta lukemisen muutoksesta, Gaudeamus 2024]
Journalist Anne Kantola, journalist Jecaterina Mantsinen and creative professional Omos ‘Opa’ Okoh for the non-fiction book Kuin veljet. Totuus Suomen katujengeistä (Like Brothers: The Truth About Street Gangs in Finland)
In their book, Anne Kantola, Jecaterina Mantsinen and Omos ‘Opa’ Okoh explore the roots of youth gang formation and violence. They ask whether street gangs are real, how they are connected to organised crime, and to what extent they are outcomes of racism, poverty and exclusion.
The book features voices from the authorities, experts and the close circles of gang members. Its exceptional strength lies in interviews with young men identified as gang members. The authors have earned their trust, enabling these young men to tell their own stories: recounting childhoods, analysing the role of peer groups, and reflecting on their own opportunities and choices.
The book reminds us that behind the phenomenon of street gangs lies a lesser-known reality in which young people feel excluded. They have no place, no faith in the future and no real opportunity to become full members of Finnish society.
[Kuin veljet. Totuus Suomen katujengeistä, Johnny Kniga 2024]
Journalist Jaakko Keso for journalism that crosses boundaries
Journalist Jaakko Keso has already established himself as a trailblazer. He is present where things happen, is participatory and personal, and meets people with gentleness. At the same time, he deliberately challenges the traditional boundaries of journalism.
Keso’s work questions oversimplified moral narratives and does not offer ready-made answers. He allows phenomena to speak for themselves. His approach to subcultures and marginal topics is both approachable and analytical. He has also illuminated social pain points related to the marginalisation of young men.
Authenticity, presence and empathy are at the core of Keso’s work. This kind of journalism does not merely show the world – it changes how we see it.
[Journalist Jaakko Keso works for Yle Kioski at the Finnish Broadcasting Company]
Journalist Mikko ‘Peltsi’ Peltola, adventurer Osmo Peltola and director-cinematographer Juha Korhonen for Peltsi ja Osmo (Peltsi and Osmo), showcasing the richness of humanity and nature
In their series, journalist Mikko ‘Peltsi’ Peltola and his son Osmo Peltola open windows into the richness of life, humanity and nature. They cycle, camp and stay in cabins across Finland, introducing viewers to regional and ecological diversity.
Osmo has Down’s syndrome. The strength of the series lies in how this fact is neither emphasised nor hidden. Peltsi and Osmo’s adventures and conversations show just how ordinary life can be, even in a family that is a little different.
Peltsi ja Osmo neither preaches nor explains. It views the world with curiosity and openness, inviting the viewer to do the same: we are encouraged to see not only nature’s biodiversity but also the joyful variety of humanity.
Down’s syndrome is often associated with cheerfulness, carefree attitudes and tenderness. When these vital qualities are given room to shine, they become contagious. The series fosters community, inner resilience and intellectual attentiveness.
[Peltsi ja Osmo, Yle Tiede ja ympäristö, Finnish Broadcasting Company]
Architectural historian Panu Savolainen and photographer Aleks Talve for popularising Finnish architectural history and promoting architectural literacy
Arkkitehtuurimme vuosituhannet. Suomen arkkitehtuurin historia alusta loppuun (The Millennia of Our Architecture: The History of Finnish Architecture from Start to Finish) is a time machine crafted from printer’s ink, a planetary perspective and intellectual daring. It not only tells us what we have built but also reveals how building has shaped us as a culture and a species.
The book achieves the nearly impossible: it popularises and illustrates 10,000 years of Finnish architectural heritage from prehistoric pit dwellings to the ice age of the future. It is critical, sharp and inspiring – deconstructing architectural myths as forcefully as excavators tear down modern buildings. The result is a vision in which even a concrete block of flats is a fossil relic, and a clay hut a model of sustainable living.
The book’s merit lies not only in its wealth of information but also in the way it challenges readers to think differently. Rather than stating how things are, it compels us to ask why we do what we do.
Such books are rare. They not only inform; they shift the emphasis from knowledge to worldview. Popular science writing cannot have a more ambitious goal.
[Arkkitehtuurimme vuosituhannet. Suomen arkkitehtuurin historia alusta loppuun, Kustannusosakeyhtiö Sammakko 2024]
Docent Hanna Ylöstalo and postdoctoral researchers Heini Kinnunen, Emma Lamberg and Inna Perheentupa for broadening economic discourse with the non-fiction book Feminismiä talouteen. Opas kriittiseen talouslukutaitoon (Bringing Feminism into Economics: A Guide to Critical Economic Literacy)
Economic discourse does not need to be difficult or without alternatives. Feminismiä talouteen invites readers to engage in economic discussions with diverse voices.
Hanna Ylöstalo, Heini Kinnunen, Emma Lamberg and Inna Perheentupa compile research-based knowledge on how current economic policies are undermining their own foundations.
The book asks why foundational elements of the economy such as care work and housework remain mostly invisible in national accounting. Likewise, it questions why environmental sustainability still lacks market value to the extent that its destruction is not seen as utterly irrational.
The authors critique persistent economic assumptions and power structures that ignore forms of inequality. The book concisely presents the core themes and concepts of feminist economics and encourages deeper exploration.
The book is not confined to printed pages. It continues as a podcast conversation and reminds us that the economy belongs to all of us.
[Feminismiä talouteen. Opas kriittiseen talouslukutaitoon, Gaudeamus 2024]
Operaatio Arktis (Operation Arctic) for research-based societal advocacy
Operaatio Arktis is a youth-founded organisation that deliberately influences global climate policy and strategies to preserve the polar ice caps and prevent the planet from reaching tipping points. Their tool is climate intervention, and their goal is to secure a stable society and flourishing environment for future generations.
In the Finnish field of civil society organisations, Operaatio Arktis is an exceptional example. Its actions are rooted in scientific knowledge and collaboration with high-level scientific experts. Operaatio Arktis’s activities are persuasive and emotional, but always grounded in evidence.
Global advocacy belongs especially to those who will live with the decisions being made today. In a short time, these young Arctic advocates have succeeded in making their voices heard both in Finland and internationally through their compelling use of knowledge.
Inquiries: Reetta Kettunen, Secretary General, Committee for Public Information, tel. +358 40 733 5935, reetta.kettunen(a)tjnk.fi