JYU's Annual Celebration 2025

Name: JYU's Annual Celebration 2025
Start: 2025-03-05T16:00:00
End: 2025-03-05T18:00:00

The University of Jyväskylä will hold its Annual Celebration on 5 March 2025, presenting awards to distinguished staff members in the fields of science and education.

A recording of the event is now available.
Keycode: v25juhla

See the recording here

JYU's Annual Celebration 2024. Photo: Riku Kylä.

Event information

Event date

5.3.2025 18:00 - 5.3.2025 20:00

Registration period

13.1.2025 - 23.2.2025

Event type

Academic celebrations

Arts and culture

Other events

Event language

Finnish

English

Event accessibility

Hearing loop

Sign language interpretation available, on request in advance

Event space is accessible for all

Event organizer

Communications and Community

Event payment

Free of charge

Show location on map

Event location category

Seminaarinmäki

Main Building (C), assembly hall (C1).

JYU's Annual Celebration will be held on Wednesday, 5 March, 2025, starting at 6:00 p.m. in the University's Main Building (C) and its assembly hall (C1).

The origins of the Annual Celebration are linked to the founding date of district physician Wolmar Schildt's university fund for the Finnish language on 7 March 1860, which is known as "University Day". The day has been established as the day of the Annual Celebration, and it is held every year on the Wednesday closest to March 7.

JYU's Annual Celebration has also become an award ceremony where the University, together with the University Foundation, gives awards to distinguished staff members. The purpose of the University Foundation is to promote the goals of the University of Jyväskylä, provide financial support for its operations and distribute grants and scholarships for research and education at the University of Jyväskylä.

The following awards are presented at JYU's Annual Celebration based on nominations:

The Good Teacher Award
The Developer of Teaching Award
The Good Leadership Award
The Community Builder Award
The Good Dissertation Award
The Scientific Breakthrough Award
The Innovation, Entrepreneurship and Corporate Collaboration Award
The Science Communication Award
The Influencer Award

The Ellen and Artturi Nyyssönen Foundation award will also be presented at the Annual Celebration. The foundation’s task is to promote the research carried out at the University of Jyväskylä and financially support the researchers.

In addition to speeches and awards, JYU's Annual Celebration also has a varied programme. After the award ceremony, there will be a cocktail party in the lobby of the Main Building and the opportunity to attend an art exhibition, curated by Lecturer Kerttu Korhonen.

Dark suit and medals and decorations.
The years of service badge is affixed in the same way as government badges of merit.

Registration / Enrollment

Registration for the event has ended.

Kuvassa orkesteri Magic String — Marian Petrescu & Magic Strings will perform at the JYU's Annual Celebration 2025. Photo: Tony Melville.

Programme

The event begins at 6:00 p.m.
Doors to the assembly hall open to the public at 5:45 p.m.

Welcoming words
Rector of the University of Jyväskylä, Jari Ojala

Jyväskylä University Foundation awards
The Good Teacher Award
The Developer of Teaching Award
The Good Leadership Award
The Community Builder Award
The Good Dissertation Award
The Scientific Breakthrough Award
The Innovation, Entrepreneurship and Corporate Collaboration Award
The Science Communication Award
The Influencer Award
The Ellen and Artturi Nyyssönen Foundation awards

Speech
The Science Communication Award winner

Musical performance
Marian Petrescu & Magic Strings

Cocktail party at 7:00-8:00 p.m.
Lobby of the Main Building

The event will end at 8:00 p.m.

Awards of the Jyväskylä University Foundation

Sponsored by the Jyväskylä University Foundation, annual awards are granted to JYU staff members for their efforts in research, teaching, societal influence, and building community.

In all award categories, proposals for the nominees come originally from the university community, and the award decisions are made by the Board of the Jyväskylä University Foundation based on the proposals from separate committees. The recipient of the Good Teacher Award is selected by a special jury assigned by the Student Union of the University of Jyväskylä on the basis of proposals made by students and subject organisations.

The Foundation's tax-exempt awards are personal and can be given to those working within the University of Jyväskylä, including grant researchers. The award can also be given to a working group, in which case, the amount is divided equally among the group members, or, for example, in the case of larger groups, paid to the university unit where the majority of group members work.

Kuvassa palkintoseremonia 024 — Award ceremony in JYU's Annual Celebration 2024. Photo: Riku Kylä.

See more about Jyväskylä University Foundation (in Finnish)

Good to know about the event

The University of Jyväskylä uses the eParking app. To make parking in the University area easier, be sure you have the eParking app in use. If you are a JYU student or staff member, login to the application with your Haka credentials. Visitor parking follows the street parking prices in the area.

Whether you are parking during chargeable hours or outside of them, you must always register your vehicle when parking in the area.

See here for parking maps and instructions for activating the eParking app.

The venue for the JYU Annual Celebration is the assembly hall (C1) in the Main Building (C). You can find the venue best on the campus map.

See here for the map of the campus.

Parking at JYU is free for persons with reduced mobility when the vehicle has a parking permit for people with reduced mobility.

The eParking app does not need to be used when the vehicle has a parking permit for people with reduced mobility.

Those arriving with wheelchairs and other assistive devices can access the main building’s assembly hall with an elevator, which is located on the first floor near the cloakrooms.

Places for people arriving with wheelchairs and other assistive devices are reserved in the front rows of the left side of the assembly hall. Seats for possible assistants (2 seats) are also located on the same side.

A hearing loop will be used during events in the main building’s assembly hall.

Sign language interpretation is also be available, on request in advance. You can notify the event organiser by email or phone about any other accessibility issues that require attention. For the contact information, see the bottom of this page.

THE LIGHT BEARERS

An art exhibition “The Light Bearers” will be on display in the lobby of the main building (C) during the annual celebration and throughout March. The works from different artists are from the University of Jyväskylä’s own art collections and from works that are deposited to the University.

March is the month of awakening light and Minna Canth. The exhibition began to build around a sculpture of Canth at her young age. Its sculptor, Pekka Kontio, had named his work “the Bearer of Light” in 1961, entering it in a public sculpture competition. The sculpture came second in the competition.

The second sculpture in the exhibition is Leena Turpeinen-Kitula's bronze scarab called “Critic”. In ancient Egypt, the scarab beetle was considered sacred. Because the beetle rolled the dung, lived and reproduced in it, people saw it as a symbol of life. The beetle spinning the dung ball was thought to make the sun rise, thus sustaining the light of life.

Light is power.

Both science and art can be seen as human rotation: through our work, our thinking, and our instincts, we strive towards light and wisdom, we strive to preserve and promote life. Therefore, the symbols of the exhibition are “Critic” and “the Light Bearer”. Colorful paintings and colored graphics surround the above-mentioned sculptures.

Spring light awakens nature to growth after the darkness and cold of winter. Humans perceive the different wavelengths of light as colors. Putting together this exhibition has been an intuitive search for light and power. It was inspired by the visual arts collections of our university. I hope the light will come through and wake you up, too.

The exhibition is curated by Lecturer Kerttu Korhonen.

Further information

Jenna Minkkinen

Event Producer

Anu Mustonen

Head of Relations

JYU's Annual Celebration 2025