Media Education Autumn Is Underway – See the Key Dates

This autumn, Kuvi’s work to promote media education will focus on preparing the implementation plan for the Media Literacy and Media Education Policy Guidelines published in the spring. In connection with the new guidelines, the media education project grant scheme will also be updated and moved to a new platform. Registration for Media Literacy Week is also just around the corner, as is this year’s Game Week.

The Media Literacy and Media Education Policy Guidelines, published last May, will be supported by an implementation plan. Its purpose is to translate the objectives of the guidelines into concrete measures and to describe what kind of work is required to achieve the objectives and what roles different actors will play. The Finnish Arts and Culture Agency (Kuvi) is responsible for preparing the implementation plan and, going forward, for actively monitoring and reporting on its implementation. The implementation plan will cover the years 2026–2031.

A broad range of actors from all sectors of society will be invited to participate in preparing the plan. Consultations with the field have begun with cooperation discussions involving central government actors, and an open consultation concept for everyone is currently being prepared. In addition, a separate event for representatives of the media and journalism sectors will be held in Helsinki in early October. The event will consider the role of the media sector in promoting media literacy in Finland. The need for the event arose from requests made by representatives of the sector.

We hope for active participation in the meetings and consultation opportunities organized during the autumn, as everyone now has an opportunity to influence how activities that are important to their own work are reflected in the plan and, ultimately, how they are reported in an appropriate way.

During the autumn, many of you will receive messages from Kuvi’s new Planning Officer, Raakel Saarinen, who serves as an expert and coordinator in the implementation planning process. Raakel holds a Master’s degree in Education and has studied media education at the University of Lapland. She has previous experience in areas including online pedagogy and communications.

Raakel is particularly responsible for coordinating the preparation of the implementation plan and liaising with different partners. Later in the autumn, she will send a survey to actors in the media education field asking, among other things, for examples of their media education work and information on ongoing or planned measures related to the objectives of the guidelines. The aim of the survey is to gather comprehensive information on work in the field that can be incorporated into the implementation plan.

For further information on the preparation of the implementation plan: Planning Officer Raakel Saarinen, raakel.saarinen@kuvi.fi, tel. 050 566 1836.

Changes to project grants – application opens in late autumn

The revised guidelines will also affect the funding scheme previously known as the special grant for media education. In future, the funding scheme will be known as the “Project grants for media education”. In addition to the name, the assessment criteria and application procedure will also be updated to some extent. Applications will in future be submitted through the national haeavustuksia.fi service.

Using the haeavustuksia.fi service requires a Suomi.fi e-Authorization. You can read more about this here: https://www.haeavustuksia.fi/en/tietoa-palvelusta.

An announcement on the project grants will be published in September–October, and the application period itself will open in early November. A webinar will also be organized and recorded. Follow the Media Literacy in Finland website and its social media channels for confirmed schedules.

For further information on project grants: Senior Adviser Julia Alajärvi, julia.alajarvi@kuvi.fi, tel. 050 434 4229.

Media Literacy Week returns – with new developments for both partners and participants

The 15th Media Literacy Week once again invites everyone to take part in strengthening media literacy skills and raising awareness of the importance of media literacy.

Preparations for Media Literacy Week will begin with a kick-off event for partner organizations on Tuesday, 25 August. Come and hear about next year’s updates and join the partner network.

Materials for Media Literacy Week produced by partners and Kuvi will in future be available through Media Literacy School. They will be available to participants throughout the year. The next Media Literacy Week will culminate on 8–14 February 2027.

For further information and the invitation link to the kick-off event: Project Manager Ella Airola, ella.airola@kuvi.fi, tel. 050 475 1279.

Game Week explores the game character of your dreams

The 16th Game Week will be celebrated on 2–8 November 2026 under the theme Art and Stories. We encourage local actors to organize activities related to the theme, such as game art exhibitions, story-driven role-playing games, and themed competitions.

During Game Week (Peliviikko), you can also take part in the national “Game Character of Your Dreams” competition, aimed particularly at schools and educational institutions. Read more about Game Week and the competition in early September on the Game Week website at www.peliviikko.fi (in Finnish).

For further information on Game Week: Planning Officer Tommi Tossavainen, tommi.tossavainen@kuvi.fi, tel. +358 29 524 9018.

The Arts and Culture Agency is a new agency under the Ministry of Education and Culture, established on 1 January 2026 through the merger of the National Audiovisual Institute (KAVI) and the Arts Promotion Centre Finland (Taike).

Photo: Ville Sohn / Kuvi