The best works from the Hymyilevä Oulu 26 photography competition will be shown in exhibitions across central Oulu this summer, including Oulu Cathedral, Valve Cultural Centre, Oulu Theatre, Valkea shopping centre and the Oulu Main Library.
The best works from the Hymyilevä Oulu 26 photography competition will be presented this summer in several photography exhibitions across Oulu. The competition photographs will be shown in exceptionally interesting and visible locations, such as Oulu Cathedral, Valve Cultural Centre, Oulu Theatre, Valkea shopping centre and the Oulu Main Library.
The exhibitions present black-and-white portraits of people and encounters – smiles, moments and stories that might otherwise easily go unnoticed.
At Oulu Theatre the exhibition is connected to a larger whole built around the 100 % Oulu production, where an exhibition composed of the best works from the Hymyilevä Oulu 26 photography competition will be presented.
The project’s main event will take place on 10 June at Pohjankartano in Oulu. During the gala evening, the opening of the photography exhibition composed of the best works from the competition will also take place, and the ten best photographs of the competition will be awarded.
The gala programme includes local music performances throughout the evening, the award ceremony and a panel discussion.
The panel discussion will feature Dean of Oulu Cathedral Satu Saarinen, Director of Wellbeing for the City of Oulu Pirjo Nikula, Chair of the Augmenters Cultural Association Kristian Kaarna from Spain, as well as PhD, MSc Marja-Liisa Manka, who has served among other roles as a professor of work wellbeing.
The panel will discuss why encounters between minorities and the majority population do not always arise naturally and what could be done about loneliness and isolation. The discussion will also consider whether similar challenges exist in Spain or whether the situation differs from Finland. An international perspective is brought by Kristian Kaarna, Chair of the Augmenters Cultural Association operating in Spain, who has lived his adult life in different parts of Europe.
The competition winners will be selected by a diverse jury including Mari Aholainen, Director of Valve Cultural Centre, Yle cultural journalist Tina Cavén, Hanna Manninen from Galleria MABD in Oulu, photographer Mikko Rasila, Sagrario Molina García, member of the Málaga provincial administration, Enrique Godinez Luquez, Director of the Museo Etnográfico de Riogordo, Anna Litewka-Anttolainen, Project Manager of the Equal Oulu2026 project, and Oulu Pride producer Martu Väisänen.
Hymyilevä Oulu 26 is part of the Oulu European Capital of Culture 2026 programme and is implemented by the Augmenters Cultural Association in cooperation with several local partners.
The Hymyilevä Oulu 26 photography competition is currently open and anyone can participate. The competition is free of charge and low-threshold. Participants may submit up to four photographs, and detailed instructions can be found on the project website www.hymyilevaoulu26.com
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Participation is done using a mobile phone so that taking part is as easy as possible for everyone. The photograph can even be a selfie if the participant feels they belong to the theme of the competition. The competition invites people to meet one another and to give visibility to people who often remain unseen.
More information and participation
