New Horizons: 2014 +

Due to previously mentioned challenges, no Finno-Ugric Capital of Culture was selected for 2024, however this year represented an important milestone of the Finno-Ugric Capital of Culture programme – 10 years since the official start of the programme when Bygy became the first Finno-Ugric Capital of Culture. To mark this anniversary, Friends of Kindred Peoples NGO (Sukukansojen ystävät ry) and URALIC Centre organized on 29 June, 2024 in Kuhmo a seminar "10 years of Finno-Ugric Capitals of Culture – a Look Ahead". The seminar included two panel discussions: one, reflecting on the impact of the programme so far, and another on potential directions for the future.


A consensus that emerged from both panel discussions was that the Finno-Ugric Capital of Culture programme should be continued, as it has delivered real and tangible benefits for the holders of this title, and has also raised the visibility of the Finno-Ugric movement and Finno-Ugric peoples in general. It was especially important to hear this message from panelists representing the younger generation of Finno-Ugric activists.

On the same day, the winner of the title of Finno-Ugric Capital of Culture 2025 was announced in Kuhmo. This time, the Estonian city of Narva (represented by Ingeri House NGO) competed with the Ukrainian city of Nizhyn (represented by the Nizhyn State University and a delegation of Erzya living in Ukraine). After presentations by candidates, the independent jury awarded the title to Narva. 

The competition for the title of Finno-Ugric Capital of Culture 2026 was announced jointly by URALIC Centre and Friends of Kindred Peoples on March 24 [link to announcement]. The special theme of this year’s competition is "Widening Finno-Ugric Horizons". The main idea behind this is that the Finno-Ugric world is in fact much bigger and more diverse than many of us are used to think. In particular, only a relatively small subset of the Finno-Ugric world has historically participated in the Finno-Ugric movement, and the movement itself has had a distinct focus on Finno-Ugric peoples in the Russian Federation.

At the same time, the Finno-Ugric movement has paid less attention on Finno-Ugric peoples and communities in the Nordic states (e.g., Sámi, Kvens, Tornedalians), Hungarian-speaking regions outside Hungary and also diasporas of Finno-Ugric peoples outside traditional Finno-Ugric territories, including in North America. Reaching out to these Finno-Ugric peoples and communities will be a key priority for the organizers of Finno-Ugric Capitals of Culture in the upcoming years, as a result of which we hope to achieve the programme’s initial objectives in new and inspiring ways.