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2023
• Sep 13, 2023
The results are in – all votes have been counted! Pekka Kurki, from Seinäjoki in Finland, is the winner!
It was a tight race, but ”The Dip" received almost 20 % of all votes.
You can get your own copy of these posters at cometofinland.fi
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"So Pekka, how do you feel"?
”It feels unreal and absolutely amazing! This year's competition theme was nice and different and immediately set my imagination in motion.”
”Ok, what's your take: does poster art have a place in the digital age?”
”It certainly does. Even though the way posters are used has changed, the principles and idea remain the same. The aim is to capture the viewer's attention, to communicate a message and to tickle the viewer's brain so that the poster stays in the mind. In the midst of AI images and other imagery, beautiful works designed by real illustrators are absolutely necessary.”
Why did you enter the competition?
”I've entered the competition in a few previous years, so it was a familiar competition. The sauna theme was approachable and ideas came easily, so I decided to enter again this year.”
”What does sauna and sauna bathing mean to you?”
”I have a lot of memories of saunas from my childhood. In fact, I designed my winning poster on the train on the way to Kihlanki, my grandparents' farm, where I have the best memories of the courtyard sauna by the Muonio river. In summer we used to run from the sauna to swim in the river and in winter we used to roll in the snow on the riverbank. You can't really capture the atmosphere and smell of a wood-fired sauna, you have to experience it for yourself. I tried to achieve something like that in the poster and I feel I succeeded quite well. A proper sauna also needs a water element - a dip - to make the experience complete.
The runner up is Lakeside Sauna by Nadia Tolstoy from Sweden:
Greta Cappellini from Italy came in third with the poster Rolling in the snow:
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You can get your own copy of these posters at cometofinland.fi
2021
Watch the opening of the exhibition at Hanko Museum!
The Riviera of Finland is the chosen one!
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• May 6, 2021
It's all about the ice cream! The poster ”The Riviera of Finland” has been chosen as the Finnish travel poster of the year 2021. The artist behind the glorious poster is Fanny Törnqvist from Helsinki.
- It's amazing that people like my poster. It seems like many people have the same image and perspiction of Hango as I do, and that makes me happy!
Törnqvist's poster, picturing a woman eating ice cream on the beach with the legendary beach huts in the background, recieved over a third of the votes and clearly won the public vote in the contest.
- Hanko inspired me to use a happy color palette. I also took impressions from the classic vintage posters, using a spirited but simple style.The whole jury and the poster team at Come to Finland congratulates Fanny!
The winning poster as well as all the other finalists are now for sale at www.cometofinland.fi!
Runner up 2021: Space in Hanko!
Mio Okubo from Japan created the runner up in the contest:
How does it feel to reach this far in the contest?
”I feel fortunate to have been able to share my poster with the world during this difficult time. My poster is simple, but I spent a lot of time adjusting the composition and colours. It took a lot of trial and error to express the charm of Hanko while maintaining my style. It is a great honour to receive the award among so many wonderful entries.”
What do you know about Finland and Hanko?
”Finnish art and design are a long-time favourite of Japan. You see many people with Marimekko products in the streets. There are also many collectors of Finnish ceramics such as iittala and Arabia. These examples of Finnish art bring a sense of peace and warmth to my heart. I think they are influenced by the splendour of Finland's nature. Many travel magazines that I've been collecting for several years always take me to Finland and give me inspiration. When I found a photo of a nostalgic beach in Hanko, I imagined how happy I would be if I could spend relaxing time there. Hanko is now on my bucket list.”
Do you think there is room for poster art in the digital era of today?
”Yes. For decades, poster art has entertained us. I think that "one-of-a-kind" artwork will become more highly valued in the future. The warm texture of paper, the faint smell of ink... Things which can be experienced more than just visually. I hope that such works will continue to enrich our lives.”
Get your own copy of Mios fantastic poster!
2020
”Come to Helsinki” is the chosen one!
The artwork Come to Helsinki has been selected as this year's Finnish travel poster. The artist behind the poster is Jolanda Kerttuli - a resident of Helsinki.
”The most important thing for me in Helsinki is that nature is always near and an important part of the city's identity. The proximity to the sea brings a unique atmosphere to the city” says the happy winner.
Jolanda Kerttuli's poster - a panoramic sweep of Helsinki seen from the south with a focus on sea bathing - clearly won the public vote in the contest My Finland Poster.
Jolanda studies Visual Communication Design at Aalto University and gets her inspiration from “nature and differences in people”. The fact that Helsinki is close to her heart cannot be missed:
- I like that every neighborhood in the city feels like its own country. There is something for everyone here.
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Runner-up 2020: Light in the Night!
The runner-up in 2020 was Joonas Kavasto from Finland, with his great poster called Light in the Night.
Approximately 3000 people from all over the world voted online at myfinlandposter.com and at the Matka travel fair in Helsinki. Thanks to all who participated!
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2019
”A place to Reflect” is the chosen one!
The art work ”A Place to Reflect” is the Finnish Travel Poster of the year 2019! The artist behind the poster, Beth Chesser, is born in the UK but currently residing in Finland.
”To me, lakes possess a uniquely calm and reflective atmosphere and that is what I wanted to portray in my poster” Beth Chesser explains.
And here's how the poster was created:
”My poster was made by combining traditional art and digital techniques. The trees and moon are hand drawn, painted and cut out then scanned to Photoshop where I was able to manipulate their features and add the digital effects. I purposefully kept the amount of different objects in the poster to a minimum as I felt it was important to highlight the space within Saimaa and the peace that nature in general can provide us.”
Over 4400 people voted and it was a tight race, thank you to all who partcipated!
Read more about the winning poster and Beth here!
Beth Chesser created the Finnish travel poster of the year 2019. Follow her on Instagram here!
Runner-up 2019
The poster ”Explore Lake Saimaa in Finland” by Chen Yu is the runner-up 2019!
Chen Yu presents himself:
I am originally from China and came to Finland for study in 2016.
As a nature lover, I heard the name of Saimaa Lake even before I came to Finland. I was always looking forward to visiting Saimaa Lake since I moved to Finland and I finally made it in 2017. I have been to the Saimaa lake three times in the year and visited the cities including Imatra, Savonlinna and Lappeenranta. All of the journeys were exciting and unforgettable.
The poster illustrates a lovely autumn scenery of Saimaa lake. It is inspired by the enjoyable journey that I had from Lappeenranta to Taipalsaari by cycling. Throughout the journey, I was impressed by the vast lake, the maze of islands, the colourful cottages, the waved layers of autumn trees and the peaceful life at the lake.
You can find Chen on Instagram here: @anotherbigriver
3rd place 2019:
The poster ”Find your waterway" was voted the 3rd most popular poster in the MyFinlandPoster contest 2019.
The artist is Henna Gaus (Kansas, USA / Finland)
In the words of the artist:
Born in Finland, my childhood was formed in the nature surrounding Finland’s lakes. Although I currently reside in the Midwest of the United States, I still make sure to return to the lakeland each summer, so that my own children get to experience the stunning natural beauty of our homeland.
I find a lot of inspiration through nature and Scandinavian aesthetics, and the shape of Lake Saimaa itself served as the vision for my poster. The natural bays, sounds and capes formed over thousands of years make Lake Saimaa the crown jewel of Finland’s lake country. With endless nature and cultural activities, at Lake Saimaa you just need to Find Your Waterway…
4th place 2019:
The poster ”The beauty of Saimaa" was voted the 4th most popular poster in the MyFinlandPoster contest 2019.
The artist is Pekka Kurki (Finland)
5th place 2019:
The poster ”Pommi” was voted the 5th most popular poster in the MyFinlandPoster contest 2019.
The artist is Annika Mannström (Finland)
The other fantastic finalists were (in random order):
Anna Polkutie (Finland):
Ellen Portin (Finland/Sweden):
Yuta Ikeya (Japan):
Sanna Ahola (Finland):
Elina Kasesalu (Estonia):
Thank you to all voters and participants! See you next year again!
Many of the these posters will be available in the Come to Finland web shop soon!
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2018
”Home of the Northern Lights” is the chosen one!
Amelia Hillebrants art work ”Home of the Northern Lights” has been voted Finnish travel poster of the year 2018.
– I created my Finland travel poster as an assignment for a class and wanted to recreate the feelings of majesty and awe that I found in the rich colors of the wintry landcape and northern lights.
Hillebrant is a student at Brigham Young University in Utah and she has served as a missionary in Finland.
– I fell in love immediately. The cities were beautiful, the scenery breathtaking, and the people so kind and honest.
and on Instagram (@ameliaruthart)
Runner up 2018
Emma Chudoba was voted the Runner up with the poster ”The Magic of Lapland”:
Emma is 23 yrs old and a graphic design student at the University of Lapland in Rovaniemi:
”When I started to work on my poster, I tried to think of the best way to capture the beauty of Lapland the way I see it. There are countless things I love about Lapland, but hiking in its vast wilderness and getting up to high places with spectacular views is something I could consider one of my favourite things. Lapland also tends to display colours in a way that can feel truly magical, and to me that was definitely something worth trying to capture in my poster.”
You can find Emma on Instagram (@emmachuuu)
2017
”Take Some Finland” is the chosen one!
We received over 5400 votes and the winner is Omar Escalante with the poster "Take Some FInland". It's such a masterpiece!
Omar is from Guatemala and came to Finland ten years ago as a singer (or rather, screamer as he says himself) in a heavy metal band. Well, the band split up but Omar stayed in Finland, luckily for us! Now he is a graphic designer.
He receives 1000 euros in cash. He also gets to invite a friend or relative from Guatemala (or anywhere else in the world) for a holiday to Finland, worth 2000 euros. Congratulations!!
The runner up
The second prize goes to Jaco & Aline Hubregtse with this amazing poster (below). They live in Oulu in Finland, but are from Holland.
Seeing this poster the longing for Midsummer just intensifies... !
Also in the exhibition
Three more posters were also chosen by the popular vote to participate in the exhibition. They are:
Above: 3rd place. Artist: Adrienn Széll
Above: 4th place. Artist: Mareike Mosch.
Above: 5th place. Artist: Albert Pinilla.
The names of the other five artists that reached the finals with five fantastic posters were:
Teija Hohl-Kellosalo, Rina Kusaga, Emma Pitkäjärvi, Nadine Tenhaken and Wensi Zhai.
We thank all artists for participating and making this a lovely experience. We look forward to the next contest in late 2017! Stay tuned for more information!