1st prize (€3,000): A Piece of Nature
Made by the scout troop Maahiset ry:
Antti Raikunen, Julius Kuula, and Tapio Räsänen, with supervising instructor Elina Jalo.
Reasons:
This rap video, filmed in Nuuksio National Park, conveys a positive attitude and is emotionally appealing. All aspects of the video (music, lyrics, filming, editing) were handled by the participants themselves. The work features thought-provoking lyrics, and the visual implementation is polished, gently humorous, and versatile. The video makes use of both the lyrics and visuals to describe well how the forests are important to the video’s authors. The video gives the viewer an insight into what nature offers to Antti, Julius and Tapio and what they do in nature. The evaluation team also felt that the video speaks well to its target group – young people.
2nd prize (€2,000): A Forest of a Million Opportunities
Author from Muhos General Upper Secondary School:
Heini Niva, with supervising teacher Minna Kemppainen.
Reasons:
The video uses a wide range of image material from the different seasons of the year. The video displays beautifully the seasonal cycles of the Finnish forests and the impact of the seasons on our own activities. In the video, we hear captivating storytelling and deep reflection on forest wonders both large and small. The work highlights extensively the benefits and opportunities of forests. In the video, the author has also wanted to emphasise the importance of people’s joint actions for the good of nature.
3rd prize (€1,000): The Enabling Forest
Made by students from Häme Vocational Institute, Evo:
Anton Happonen, Eemil Mäkelä, Lasse Nikkilä, and Elias Nuuttila, with supervising teacher Juha Mäkelä
Reasons:
The evaluation team found that the work highlighted the value of forests excellently and from several different perspectives. For some, the forest is a place of work, for others a place to spend leisure time and relax. The video was beautifully and versatilely filmed and has a calm and pleasant atmosphere throughout. The future is in the forests and in young people, and it is essential to increase young people’s interest in forests. The video highlights well the fact that young people have a crucial role to play in building a sustainable future.
In addition to the award-winning works, the jury also gave a special mention to We are the Forests (Authors: Kasper Tiainen and Aleksios Tuovinen with supervising teacher Marja Tihtarinen-Ulmanen / Kuopio Classical Upper Secondary School and Kirsi Saloheimo / Alppila General Upper Secondary School) and The Healing Forest (authors: Vilma Flyckt and Heli Väänänen, with supervising teacher Irene Bonsdorff / Töölö Coeducational School).
The award-winning videos were brought together in a YouTube playlist