URALIC Centre (Estonia), in cooperation with Sukukansojen Ystävät ry (Finland) announced the start of the competition for the title of Finno-Ugric Capital of Culture 2027. The special theme of the year will be “Sustainable Finno-Ugric Tourism”. Winner of the competition will be announced on June 20, 2026 in Hancock (Michigan, USA).
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 twelve 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), the Estonian city of Narva (2025), and the US city, a centre of Finnish American culture Hancock (2026).
The title of Finno-Ugric Capital of Culture has helped raise the profile of title-holders both domestically and internationally. 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 2027, 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.
The United Nations has declared 2027 as the International Year of Sustainable and Resilient Tourism. Hence, the secretariat of Finno-Ugric Capitals of Culture especially welcomes applicants who would like the Finno-Ugric Capital of Culture year to boost local economic development via tourism – including cultural, nature and culinary tourism that builds on the region’s Finno-Ugric heritage.
Application form of the Finno-Ugric Capital of Culture 2027 competition is available here. The deadline for written applications is May 15, 2026, and the winner of the competition will be announced on June 20, 2026, during the mid-summer Juhannus festivities in Hancock (Michigan, USA) – the Finno-Ugric Capital of Culture 2026.
