Rudolf Koivu Awards have been granted

The first prize of the Rudolf Koivu Children’s and Young Adult Book Illustration Competition, valued at €15,000, was awarded to Maria Vilja for her illustrations in Kesän ainoa kaunis päivä. The second prize went to Jussi Kaakinen for his illustrations in Maailman pahimmat paikat, and the third prize was awarded to Tuomas Kärkkäinen for his work in Terveiset Kalevalasta.

Grafia, the Finnish association for visual communication designers, has awarded the biennial Rudolf Koivu Children’s and Young Adult Book Illustration Prize. On 13 November 2025, the competition awarded three prizes for the first time: the first prize of €15,000, granted by Grafia, and the second (€10,000) and third (€5,000) prizes, funded by the Amer Cultural Foundation. Grafia’s prize is financed through Kopiosto copyright compensation fees.

Maria Vilja (b. 1986) is an illustrator and children’s book author with a background in art education and social work. She is known, among other works, for the Näkymätön reppu series, which explores the life of a highly sensitive child. Vilja both wrote and illustrated Kesän ainoa kaunis päivä (The Only Beautiful Day of Summer) (WSOY, 2024), which won the first prize in the Rudolf Koivu competition. The picture book depicts how a single day of accumulated tension upsets a mother and her two children, casting a shadow over an otherwise beautiful outing. Kesän ainoa kaunis päivä was also nominated for the Nordic Council Children and Young People’s Literature Prize in 2025 and was a Finlandia Children’s and Young Adult Literature Prize nominee last year.

The jury of the Rudolf Koivu Illustration Competition explained their choice of the winner as follows:

“The work is cleverly composed, expressive, and a cohesive whole. The perspectives and emotions of the main characters—the mother and her children—are conveyed beautifully through the illustrated spreads. The images invite reflection beyond the story itself: What happened yesterday, and what are the less beautiful days of summer like? The illustrations radiate warmth, love, and humor, while also leaving space for the mother’s piercing fear of failure and the children’s longing for acceptance. Vilja’s characters’ expressions and gestures are perceptive, and the composition is inventive. The book’s illustrations also offer an excellent lesson in how light shapes mood: The Only Beautiful Day of Summer glows alternately in the soft evening sun and through the reddish saturation of the mother’s skirt.”

The 2025 Rudolf Koivu jury included the previous prize winner, illustrator and comic artist Kati Närhi; Executive Director Emmi Jäkkö from the Reading Centre (Lukukeskus); exhibition curator Marja Niemi from the Tuusula Art Museum; illustrator Anja Reponen; and illustrator and designer Ville Salervo.

A total of 139 works published in the past two years competed for the 2025 Rudolf Koivu prizes. The awards were presented on 13 November at the Luonnos Gallery on Uudenmaankatu, Helsinki. The event also marked the opening of the award exhibition, which features the winning illustrations as well as seven children’s books that received honorary mentions from the jury. The exhibition will be on view at Luonnos until 21 December 2025.

Rudolf Koivu 2025 Award Exhibition
14 November – 21 December 2025
Luonnos, Grafia’s Creative Space
Uudenmaankatu 13, Helsinki
Wed–Fri 12:00–17:00, Sat–Sun 12:00–16:00, free admission