Photo Contest winners show colourful beauty of Finland’s forests

28 October 2022 Forests in photos

PEFC Finland has presented the winners of their Photo Contest. The Finnish jury had the tricky task of choosing the three winners from over 2000 photos that entered the contest.

First prize went to ‘A misty sunrise’ by Teemu Räisänen.

The photo was taken in Pähkinäkallio, a place that holds the title of Finland's most beautiful landscape.

"In my photo, you can see the Kitkajoki River roaring and the sun rising. The scenery is absolutely stunning, and you try to capture the image for other people to see," the winning photographer explains.

"I enjoy nature best at night or early in the morning, before sunrise. It has a special and magical feeling to be out in nature at dawn, when the birds are singing, and the sun is rising."

Krista Hietakangas came in second with her gorgeous photo taken at sunrise in Kauhaneva National Park.

"Nature has been my lifeline ever since my grandfather took us to work in the woods and make cocoa with a soot pot under a big fir tree. I couldn't imagine life without the forest and the water,” she explained.

“In summer I often cycle through the forests to Kauhaneva, where you can walk around the longitudinal path and at the end of the day take a dip in Kauhalampi lake, where the water is really clean and warm.”

Hannu Sievänen took third place for the photo ‘Taistelevat Tulkut’ (‘Fighting Finches’), taken in Kuusamo, Finland.

Before taking the photo, the photographer followed the small birds for several hours, observing their behaviour.

"The happy little birds are actually quite combative, as the picture shows. For me, nature is the place where I go to get away from the hustle and bustle. In a photo booth or otherwise hidden from view, it's therapeutic to let nature come close and observe animal life," he said.

The Prizes

The winner of PEFC Finland’s contest received a stay in the forest at an ecological Nolla cottage. The prize for second and third place was a gift card from the photo equipment shop Rajala.

To discover more photos entered into the Finnish contest, head to Instagram and look for #luontogram2022.