Established in 2013, the programme of Finno-Ugric Capitals of Culture aims to raise awareness of Finno-Ugric and Samoyedic peoples as well as Uralic languages, to strengthen collective Finno-Ugric identity and to stimulate sustainable local development in different corners of the Finno-Ugric world.
To date, the title of Finno-Ugric Capital of Culture has been awarded to eleven villages or cities: Udmurtian village Bygy (2014), Seto village Obinitsa (2015), Hungarian village Iszkaszentgyörgy and City of Veszprém (2016), Karelian village Vuokkiniemi (2017), Mari village Shorunzha (2019), Mari-speaking village Mishkan in Bashkortostan (2020) Abja-Paluoja in Mulgimaa region of Estonia (2021), Udmurtian village Bayterek (2022), the Finnish city Kuhmo (2023) and the Estonian city of Narva (2025).
The title of Finno-Ugric Capital of Culture has helped raise the profile of title-holders both domestically and internationally, including by promoting sustainable cultural tourism. Even more importantly, the status of a Finno-Ugric Capital of Culture has strengthened local communities and provided new opportunities for development. The Finno-Ugric Capitals of Culture programme has also proven to be among the most resilient and sustainable international Finno-Ugric initiatives of the past decade.
For the competition of Finno-Ugric Capital of Culture 2026, villages, towns and cities from any country or region with significant Finno-Ugric populations (both traditional territories of Finno-Ugric peoples and locations with significant Finno-Ugric diasporas) are eligible to apply, except for Estonia considering that this year’s Finno-Ugric Capital of Culture is in Estonia.
This year, organizers of the Finno-Ugric Capitals of Culture programme especially welcome applications from countries and regions that have not traditionally actively participated in international Finno-Ugric cooperation and movement. In particular, applications are expected from locations that do not have indigenous Finno-Ugric populations, but where Finno-Ugric peoples and their descendants form a significant part of the population, local identity and culture. The idea behind this is to widen the understanding of what the so-called Finno-Ugric world constitutes and to bring in new countries, regions, perspectives and ideas into the Finno-Ugric movement.
Application materials of the Finno-Ugric Capital of Culture 2026 competition are available on the programme’s website www.uralic.org/projects/capitals/downloads. The deadline for written applications is May 31, 2025, and the winner of the competition will be announced on June 21, 2025, the day of summer solstice in the Northern Hemisphere.
The competition for the title of Finno-Ugric Capitals of Culture 2026 is supported by Estonia’s Kindred Peoples’ Programme (Hõimurahvaste Programm).
Contact:
Oliver Loode (Secretariat of the Finno-Ugric Capitals of Culture)
oliver.loode@uralic.org , Tel. +372 513 2992
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