Distinguished residents awarded on Helsinki Day

The City of Helsinki has traditionally presented awards to distinguished residents for their contributions in respective fields on Monday marking the Helsinki Day, said the city in a press release.

This year, awards were once again presented to Helsinki residents who had distinguished themselves in the fields of science, culture and sports.

The City of Helsinki also awarded ten golden Helsinki medals for merits for the benefit of the city.

The golden Helsinki medal is the highest recognition of the City of Helsinki – a kind of honorary citizenship of the city.

The recipients of the golden Helsinki awards were Ilona Anhava, Elina Brotherus, Raoul Grünstein, Kari Helin, Antti Kuronen, Timo Laitinen, Marianne Miettinen, Miska Rantanen, Stepan Sarpaneva and Hannele Siro.

The City of Helsinki Science Award was presented to Professor Craig Primmer. The award, in the amount of EUR 10,000, was awarded in recognition of significant scientific work carried out by a Helsinki resident or in Helsinki.

The Helsinki Culture Award was presented to singer-songwriter Maija Vilkkumaa. The Award is in the amount of EUR 15,000. The award is presented to a Helsinki-based artist in recognition of significant artistic merits or significant work for Helsinki's cultural life.

The Artist of the Year awards were presented to Anna Brotkin (scriptwriter), Ima Iduozee (dancer, choreographer, video director) and Sonja Salomäki (textile artist). The Artist of the Year awards are presented to Helsinki-based artists from different fields of the arts. The Artist of the Year awards are in the amount of EUR 5,000.

The Helsinki Athlete of the Year 2023 was given to Viivi Lehikoinen. The City of Helsinki also annually presents awards to the Helsinki Athlete or Sports Team of the Year, Helsinki Sports Club of the Year, Young Helsinki Athlete of the Year and Helsinki Coach of the Year based on achievements in sports.

The grants awarded are in the amount of EUR 10,000 for the Athlete of the Year, EUR 5,000 for the Sports Club of the Year and EUR 2,500 for the Coach and Young Athlete of the Year.

The Young Helsinki Athlete of the Year 2023 was Greco-Roman wrestler Tino Ojala, who won a gold medal in his age group in the European U23 Wrestling Championships in March.

The Helsinki Coach of the Year 2023 is Helsinki-based football coach Kimmo Ståhlhammar. Ståhlhammar has coached football players in different sports clubs around Helsinki for more than 40 years.

“Helsinki Day is absolutely one of the highlights of the year. Today, we prominently celebrate our wonderful capital and what it means to be a Helsinki resident, in addition to honouring residents who have distinguished themselves in different ways – members of our community who have contributed to a better Helsinki. The spirit of the city is created by its people, which is why it’s my great honour to present awards to them today,” said Mayor of Helsinki Juhana Vartiainen.