Runo-Kaarina for poetry

Runo-Kaarina (literally ‘Poetry Kaarina’) is an annual, nationwide poem collection competition arranged by the City of Kaarina. It is complemented by the Poetry Kaarina Festival in February with a programme comprised of poem recitals, music, workshops, debates and clubs. All festival events are free for public.

The Runo-Kaarina competition was arranged for the first time in 1994, and it has become an established poetry competition in Finland. The patron of the competition is the spouse of the President of the Republic, poet Jenni Haukio. The competition is open for contributions from first-time poets writing in Finnish. The closing date for the competition is in April, and the City of Kaarina publishes the winning poem collection as a book. The winner is announced at the Turku Book Fair in October.