Three Finnish cities competing for European Capital of Culture

A Finnish city will become a European Capital of Culture in 2026. Tampere, Oulu and Savonlinna are the candidates competing for the title.

The applications submitted by the cities will be evaluated by a panel of 12 members, composed of independent European experts in the field of arts and culture. The panel will convene on 23 and 24 June in Helsinki, according to the Ministry of Education and Culture.

At their meeting, the panel will hear the plans of the applicant cities and decide which of them will continue in the race for the next decisive round.

The Finnish members of the panel are Riitta Vanhatalo and Kai Amberla. Other members include Sylvia Amann, Jelle Burggraaff, Cristina Farinha, Paulina Florjanowicz, Beatriz Garcia, Dessislava Gavrilova, Alin Nica, Pierre Sauvageot, Jiří Suchánek and Agnieszka Wlazel.

The selection procedure will then continue with the panel's visits to cities. The panel's second meeting will take place in summer 2021, when the name of the European Capital of Culture in 2026 will be revealed.

The cities that have reached the next stage will be announced on Wednesday 24 June at Helsinki Central Library Oodi. Representatives of the Ministry of Education and Culture, the European Commission and the panel will attend the event.

Third capital chosen from Finland

This will be the third European Capital of Culture chosen from Finland. Helsinki held the title as one of nine cities in 2000 and Turku together with Tallinn in 2011. 

In 2026 there will be two capitals of culture, one from Finland and the other from Slovakia.

The European Capital of Culture initiative is a widely known action of the European Union. The designated city aims to increase the scope, diversity and European dimension of its cultural resources and to raise the city's international profile.