The Endless Journey of the Rune – Kalevala Reimagined Visual Art Competition NEW!

The competition received around 300 submissions in total. The works offered diverse, bold, and powerful interpretations of the Kalevala through different forms of visual art.

One thing became especially clear during the competition: the Kalevala continues to inspire people today and still resonates with new generations of artists. Many of the works used the Kalevala to explore the contemporary world in thoughtful and creative ways — reflecting on identity, the relationship with nature, identity, and human inner experiences. The world of the Kalevala still feels remarkably relevant to our own time.

The selected works will be exhibited as part of the official Oulu2026 program at Juminkeko in Kuhmo from 12 to 25 July 2026.

Thank you to everyone who participated!