Finlandia Literary Prize

The Finlandia Prize is an award presented by the Finnish Book Foundation in recognition of the most deserving Finnish novel. The award sum is 30,000 euros, and by decision of the Ministry of Finance is free of tax.

The prize was established in 1984. Initially, fiction and non-fiction competed together for the prize until, in 1989, a separate Tieto-Finlandia Prize was created for works of non-fiction. Since 1993 the Finlandia Prize has been open only to novels.

The Finnish Book Foundation sets up an annual three-member selection jury with the task of nominating a minimum of three and a maximum of six candidates for the prize. Since 1993 the choice of winner has been made by one person.

Award guidelines for the Finlandia Prize for Literature

On 17 February 1997 the Board of the Finnish Book Foundation approved the following guidelines concerning presentation of the Finlandia Prize for Literature:

1.
The Finlandia Prize may be granted in recognition of the best novel written by a Finnish citizen.

2.
The Board of the Finnish Book Foundation shall decide separately on the sum for each prize awarded and the date of the presentation, and shall allocate the resources required for the purpose.

3.
The Board of the Finnish Book Foundation shall set up a three-member selection jury for each award with the task of nominating a minimum of three and a maximum of six candidates for the prize, and also the person who shall select the final prize-winner from the candidates nominated. The above-mentioned persons must be nominated and their names made public at least three months prior to the award ceremony. The secretary of the jury shall be a representative of the Foundation who shall not have the power to vote in jury meetings.

4.
Authors or publishers wishing to put forward their published novels as candidates for the Finlandia Prize must submit a copy of their work to each member of the jury by the date determined by the Foundation. A copy of the book must also be sent to the Foundation´s office, and a registration fee - the size of which the Board shall decide annually - paid into the Foundation´s account. If the selection jury nominates the work as a candidate for the prize, the party putting the work forward shall pay the Foundation a candidate fee, the size of which the Board shall decide annually.

5.
In nominating the candidates for the prize the jury shall take note of the new novels published since the nominations of the previous year´s jury. If a novel was originally published in a language other than Finnish or Swedish, it may become eligible for consideration after publication of the Finnish or Swedish translation.

6.
The jury shall endeavour to reach a unanimous decision. Should the jury fail to reach a consensus, a vote shall be held if one member of the jury so demands. The jury shall provide a justification for its decision.

The substance of conversations or votes held during jury meetings shall not be made public. The candidates for the prize, the winner, and the reasons for the decisions shall be revealed at an event to be organized by the Finnish Book Foundation.