Finland’s most prestigious jazz awards to be presented in Tampere on October 30

Each autumn, in conjunction with the Tampere Jazz Happening, the Finnish Jazz Federation (Suomen Jazzliitto) organizes the National Jazz Days for its members, featuring the association’s annual meeting alongside discussions and training sessions for the sector. The event also plays host to the presentation of the industry’s most prestigious awards.

The recipient of the 2026 Yrjö Award will be announced at Tullikamarin Pakkahuone on Friday, October 30, at 7:00 PM as part of the Tampere Jazz Happening program. Following the ceremony, the award-winning artist will perform a short concert. In previous years, the award has been granted to vocalist Aili Ikonen (2025), bassist Antti Lötjönen (2024) and saxophonist Linda Fredriksson (2023).

A detail of a work by Mari Hallapuro, presented as the 2026 Yrjö Award. Photo: Mari Hallapuro.

The Yrjö Award is a unique work of art created each year by a different artist. This year’s award artwork has been created by visual artist and printmaker Mari Hallapuro. In 2025, Hallapuro was awarded the William Thuring Prize for her artistic merits. Her works can be found in collections including the Finnish State Art Deposit Collection, the Helsinki Art Museum (HAM) collection, and the Jenny and Antti Wihuri Foundation collection.

Since 1988, the Jazz Federation has also occasionally presented the Andania Award at its discretion for long-standing and meritorious work on behalf of Finnish jazz. In 2023, the Jazz Federation launched the annual Taimi Award, which is presented to a young musician who is passionately developing their musical expression. Taimi Award includes performance opportunities at three domestic jazz festivals.

During the award ceremony, Yleisradio’s Jazzradio will also present its own Varjo-Yrjö (“Shadow Yrjö”) Award to honor contributions to jazz culture.

On Saturday, October 31, following the Finnish Jazz Federation’s statutory autumn meeting, a discussion event will be held at Kulttuuritalo Laikku focusing on topics such as strengthening regional cooperation. The event will open with a keynote speech by Susanna Malo, Communications Manager at LiveFIN ry, titled “What do young people want from live music? Participation, audience development, and the live culture of the future.”

Cover photo: 2025 Yrjö Award recipient, vocalist Aili Ikonen, delivering her acceptance speech. Photo: Maarit Kytöharju