The Helsinki Cultural Act Award 2025, worth €5,000, was awarded to Kapsäkki Osuuskunta for its Juurilauluja project. In addition to the award itself, two honourable mentions were awarded to the Myötätunto theatre performance and anniversary seminar of Porttiteatteri, celebrating its 10th anniversary, and to the Karhupuisto Film Festival. The city residents were also asked for their nominations as the award-winners in October–November 2025. There were 2,173 responses, and a total of 110 proposed actions. The final decision on the winners was made by the Culture and Library Sub-committee of the City of Helsinki's Culture and Leisure Committee. The award ceremony, open to the public, was held on 13 January 2026 in the lobby of the Helsinki City Museum.
Juurilauluja project brings music to the elderly
Kapsäkki Osuuskunta cooperative’s Juurilauluja project brings art as part of everyday life, making it personal and accessible. Juurilauluja offers free and relaxed singing and story sessions for older people living at home who are unable to attend public cultural events. Professional songwriters visit these older people living at home, making music together with them based on their stories and memories.
“The Juurilauluja project reminds us that it’s not only big stages that bring us meaningful cultural experiences; often, the most moving experiences take place in our day-to-day life and in our homes. It is important for the City that the memories, stories and lives of Helsinki residents are part of Helsinki’s shared story and are heard and appreciated,” says Ulla Bergström, Head of Partnerships at the City of Helsinki.
“The project contributes towards this goal in a creative and human way, turning the thoughts, experiences and perspectives of older residents into building blocks for the city’s future,” she continues.
The city residents’ own proposals praised the project for bringing energy and joy to older people who are in vulnerable positions or living alone, among others.
Honourable mentions for theatre by ex-prisoners and a new film festival in Kallio
In addition to the Cultural Act Award, two honourable mentions were awarded at the ceremony. The first of these was awarded to the Porttiteatteri community theatre company, made up of people released from prison, people with a criminal background and professional artists. In 2025, Porttiteatteri celebrated its tenth anniversary with the performance Myötätunto (Compassion) in the Omapohja Studio of the Finnish National Theatre, as well as with an anniversary seminar. The performance and the seminar highlighted the role of art as a tool for hope and change for both individuals and society.
The second honourable mention was awarded to Sons of Lumière Oy for organising the film event Karhupuisto Film Festival 2025. The event reached a wide audience and brought culture close to people in their day-to-day lives. The city residents who suggested the event felt that watching the films together on a dusky autumn evening helped foster a relaxed sense of community. The festival also made the Kallio area livelier and strengthened its identity, according to the residents proposing it for the award.
Every year, the City of Helsinki’s Culture and Libraries Sub-committee of the Culture and Leisure Committee awards the Helsinki Cultural Act Award to a notable and novel cultural act or project that impacts Helsinki or its residents. A cultural act changes or challenges existing urban spaces or operating methods or makes you see things in a new light. A cultural act, big or small, shows the courage to create something new and different. The City has been granting the Cultural Act Awards since 2009.
