LUT University, in cooperation with the Marjatta and Eino Kolli Foundation, is organising a competition for  middle school students (grades 7-9) which encourages young people to get to know the forests, their significance and potential and to come up with solutions for the future.

Competition will open on spring 2026. 

Instructions for participation

Participation Guidelines

Eligibility

  • The competition is aimed at lower secondary school pupils. Participants must still be in grades 7–9 in autumn 2026 when the winner is selected.
  • Participation is possible as a class or as a small group.
  • Each class/group must have a teacher or another adult supervisor as the contact person.
  • Participation requires completing the electronic registration form.

Competition Entry

  • The competition entry must be a video with a duration of 3–4 minutes.
  • If the video contains content not produced by the participants themselves, sources must be credited.
  • Videos must follow the given theme. The theme for the 2026 competition will be announced in spring 2026.

Participating via YouTube

  • Upload the video to YouTube.
  • Include the name of the school/educational institution in the description field.
  • Participants must ensure that the YouTube channel is public.
  • Add the video link to the registration form.
  • A written description of the video must also be prepared and attached to the registration form.

Participating via Instagram

  • Share the video on Instagram using the hashtag #metsä360kilpailu.
  • Include the name of the school/educational institution in the caption.
  • Participants must ensure that the Instagram account is public.
  • Add the video link to the registration form.
  • A written description of the video must also be prepared and attached to the registration form.
More information about participating via Instagram can be found in the file below.
 

Winner selection and prizes

The winner of the competition and other prize winners are selected by LUT University's evaluation team together with the Marjatta and Eino Kolli Foundation.

When selecting the winning video the team pays attention to the following criteria:

  • highlighting the value of forests
  • innovativeness
    • opening up new perspectives: value being found where it has not been seen before
  • visuality
    • video’s illustrative quality and the strength of mental imagery
    • speaking to young people
  • strength of insight

The deadline for entries for the 2026 competition will end on September 30, 2026. The best entries will be announced later in the autumn of 2026 and the award ceremony is being held in Lahti on 23 November 2026.  

The best video will be awarded a prize of €3,000, the second will receive €2,000 and the third €1,000.

See also

Metsä360 Competition