Tampere Award and medals of merit

On Tampere Day, the City of Tampere traditionally rewards outstanding people who have contributed to the development of the city and the well-being of its residents through their life’s work or activities, or who have helped to make Tampere more attractive as the most popular city in Finland. The Tampere awards have been granted since 1959 and, so far, there have been 82 awards.

From 1994 until 2015, the award was a sculpture by Unto Hietanen entitled “Lähtevät kurjet” (in English Departing Cranes). In 2016, Markku Salo’s work “Tammerkosken kuohu” (in English The Foam of Tammerkoski rapids) was chosen as the new award following a competition organised by the City’s Visual Arts Expert Group.

The “Tammerkosken kuohu” award has the atmosphere of Tampere in the making, like the seemingly irreconcilable connection between red brick and glass. It is in this spirit, combining tradition and new elements, that we are taking the city forward. The work rests on a strong Tampere foundation, but is also visually light, ready to sparkle like us,” said Mayor Anna-Kaisa Ikonen in her 2016 assessment of the work.

Designer and glass artist Markku Salo (b. 1954, Nokia) graduated as an industrial designer from the University of Art and Design in 1979 and has worked as a designer for Iittala-Nuutajärvi Oy. Since 1991 he has worked as an independent artist. He has also taught at the University of Art and Design, among others. Salo has had nearly 40 solo exhibitions in Finland and abroad.

On the 244th anniversary of Tampere, Tampere awards were granted to conductor Santtu-Matias Rouvali and musician Pauli “Pate” Mustajärvi. The award recipients symbolise the importance of Tampere culture and music life both in Finland and internationally in a great way. The Tampere awards were presented at Tampere City Hall on 1 October 2023.