Events

Grafia’s annual events include the Vuoden Huiput competition, Huiput Creative Festival and nominating the Graphic Designer of the Year. Grafia also participates in the organisation of the Mikkeli Illustration Triennial and the Lahti International Poster Triennial. The Rudolf Koivu Prize to illustrators of books for both children and young adults is awarded biennially.

Vuoden Huiput

The Vuoden Huiput competition organised by Grafia since 1980 is Finland’s most important marketing communication and design competition. The annual event aims to raise the quality of design, reinforce creativity and originality and to promote the professional skills of designers. The focus of the event is creative design. The core purpose of the competition is to generate discussion that promotes the industry and strengthens professional pride and identity. The Vuoden Huiput exhibition shows to the general public the diverse economic and cultural importance of the industry. The event includes the competition as well as an award gala, an exhibition showcasing the award winners and an annual, which presents the works chosen by the juries as well as the creators of those works. The Huiput Creative Festival, organised since 2017, is also part of the overall event. The festival features internationally renowned designers.

Huiput Creative Festival

The Huiput Creative Festival was originally established in conjunction with the Vuoden Huiput competition and has been running since 2017. The festival features internationally renowned designers. In 2020, the festival was separated from the Vuoden Huiput competition, and the name was changed to Huiput Creative Festival.

Lahti Poster Triennial

Since 1975, Grafia and the Lahti Poster Museum have organised jointly the Lahti International Poster Biennial. In 2014, the event became a triennial. The posters exhibited at the triennial are selected by a competition committee, and an international jury chooses which posters receive the awards. Lahti Poster Museum is nowadays Lahti Museum of Visual Arts Malva.

Mikkeli Illustration Triennial

The Mikkeli Art Museum has organised the Illustration Triennial since 1987 in cooperation with Grafia. The aim of the Illustration Triennial is to bring together the best of the Finnish illustration industry and to make illustration better known. It also provides an opportunity for the general public and professionals alike to follow the evolution of the illustration sector. The works presented at the Illustration Triennial are selected by a jury appointed for each exhibition.