Finnish Cultural Foundation awards go to Iris Candelaria, Pirkko Saisio and Petri Toiviainen
Every year, the Finnish Cultural Foundation presents three €40,000 awards for activities in the fields of science, research, art and culture. The winners are some of the most interesting researchers, scientists, artists and influencers in their fields.
In line with the three award themes, the winners are people who are building a sustainable, pluralistic and multi-voiced Finland; strengthening the role of science, research and art in society; or are top future talents in driving change in the fields of art, science and research. The Finnish Cultural Foundation’s 2025 Grand Awards went to author Pirkko Saisio, Professor of Music Petri Toiviainen and soprano Iris Candelaria.
“Science, research and art have intrinsic value. Strong, talented artists, scientists and researchers who have a distinctive voice are the backbone of our culture. We need role models who aren’t afraid to ask difficult questions and bring new perspectives to the table,” says Susanna Pettersson, CEO of the Finnish Cultural Foundation.
The nominations for the awards were prepared by three panels of five members each, all specialists in their field of science, research or art. The Finnish Cultural Foundation’s Board of Trustees selected three winners from these nominations. The awards were presented at the foundation’s annual gala on the 27th of February 2025.
The best of the future: Soprano Iris Candelaria
Iris Candelaria (b. 1995) has quickly become one of Finland’s most prominent lyric sopranos. She has performed major roles at the Finnish National Opera and the Savonlinna Opera Festival, among others. She is currently playing the role of Valencienne in The Merry Widow at the National Opera. In the coming years, she will aim for the opera stages of Central Europe.
Candelaria won the joint first prize at the Lappeenranta National Singing Competition in 2023. She also won the Audience Award there and at the Havets Röst competition in 2021 and was the winner of the 2019 Timo Mustakallio Singing Competition. She has appeared as a soloist with the Lahti Symphony Orchestra.
Candelaria studied at the University of the Arts Helsinki’s Sibelius Academy, graduating with a Master of Music degree from its opera programme in 2022, and is currently involved in the Finnish National Opera’s Young Singers Programme.
“She displays a special charisma and radiance in her musical expression,” said the Grand Award panel. They also praised Candelaria’s acting skills.
The panel also mention that Candelaria is helping to take the art form in a healthier direction by being open about the setbacks she has had, rather than simply sharing success stories.
The award is granted to a talented singer at the beginning of her career.
All of Finland: Author Pirkko Saisio
Author and director Pirkko Saisio (b. 1949) is a favourite among readers and critics of many generations. This year marks the 50th anniversary of the publication of Saisio’s debut novel, Elämänmeno (English translation Lowest Common Denominator published in 2024). Since then, she has published more than 20 novels, some under pseudonyms. Saisio has also written around thirty plays.
According to the panel, both the scope of Saisio’s output and its high standard throughout are exceptional in the history of Finnish literature.
Saisio’s The Red Book of Farewells (2023; original Punainen erokirja published in Finnish in 2003) was recently voted the most important Finnish book of the 21st century by the readers of the Helsingin Sanomat newspaper. Her most recent works, Passio (2021) and Suliko (2024), have received rave reviews. Some of her works have also been included in the prestigious Penguin Modern Classics series.
In their statement, the panel say that perhaps the most fundamental part of Saisio’s art is the theme that runs through her work, describing a person’s endless loneliness and feeling of being different in their family, their country, their culture and in the history of the world as a whole.
As well as being a writer, Pirkko Saisio is an active spokesperson for cultural issues. She was an LGBTQ activist long before homosexuality was talked about in the public sphere, or even depicted in art to any significant degree.
The prize is awarded to a literary innovator, a creator of spellbinding writing.
Strong science, research and art: Professor Petri Toiviainen
Professor Petri Toiviainen (b. 1959) is a pioneering interdisciplinary researcher on the role of the body and brain in the perception of music. He was Head of the Research Council of Finland’s Centre of Excellence in Music Research from 2008 to 2013 and Academy Professor from 2014 to 2018. He is currently Director of the Centre of Excellence in Music, Mind, Body and Brain (CoE MMBB).
CoE MMBB, a consortium between three research groups at the University of Jyväskylä and University of Helsinki, studies music as a multimodal human experience, and as a versatile engine of change throughout the human lifespan. The CoE MMBB combines musicology, psychology, education, music therapy, computer science and cognitive neuroscience.
The panel is impressed by Toiviainen’s research, which has gained wide international recognition in the scientific community. His research aims to deepen our understanding of the role of the body and the brain in the perception of music. It also increases our knowledge of perception and cognition in general and, in particular, the relationship between the processing of music and language. The knowledge gained will have applications in music therapy, music education and the performance of music.
The award is granted to a researcher of the mind, music and the brain, an integrator of art and science.
