Aviador Publishing and author Hannu Luntiala have launched a writing competition open to everyone on the theme "Culture Meets Culture." The competition, which started in February, is still ongoing and will accept submissions until June 15th.
Everyone who lives in Finland has their own experience of encountering two different cultures, whether it's when they moved to Finland or within Finland.
When people move to Finland, they bring a piece of their own culture with them. This culture often clashes with the dominant culture or shapes it, and over time, it may merge with it.
Each immigrant's story is unique, and every encounter is worth telling. The competition seeks novella-style stories from people from different parts of the world who have arrived in Finland. We also hope to receive submissions from Finns about their experiences of encountering new cultures.
"Each of us has experiences of encountering a foreign culture and how even the most ingrained prejudices can fade away with closer acquaintance. Literature has endless work in depicting this," Hannu Luntiala reflects.
Luntiala provides a personal example. He met a Somali-born cleaner while working. Inspired by this encounter, he wrote the novella "Black," which won a short story competition organized by Kymen Sanomat to commemorate Toivo Pekkanen's centennial. This launched Luntiala's ongoing career as a writer.
How to participate:
The recommended length for the text is 5-20 pages. As it is a novella competition, the stories should use imagination, and factual and fictional elements can be combined. You can participate in the competition in your mother tongue, but in addition to the text written in a language other than Finnish, you should also send a carefully crafted Finnish translation of the story.
Send your entry by mail to Aviador's Cultural Corner, Liisankatu 19, ground floor, 00170 Helsinki, or by email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Submissions must arrive by June 15, 2023.
Participants will use a pseudonym, and the envelope containing the story should also include a sealed envelope with the pseudonym and the writer's name and contact information. If you submit by email, your name may appear in the sender's address, as the texts are forwarded anonymously to the jury.
The winners of the competition will be selected by the panel appointed by Aviador Publishing in October 2023. A total of €5,000 in prizes will be awarded to the best stories, with the panel deciding on the distribution. The most captivating stories will be compiled into an anthology edited by Aviador, which will be published in late 2023.
The Finnish Government has named the Culture Meets Culture Writing Competition the significant art competition of 2023, with tax-free prizes for the winners.
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Source: Aviador Publishing
