Inari 150 in English

Inari 150

The Municipality of Inari was established on June 25, 1876, and will celebrate its 150th anniversary in 2026. The anniversary celebrations will begin already in late 2025 and continue throughout the year 2026.

The Municipality of Inari Celebrates Its 150th Anniversary in 2026

The Anniversary year will be marked by a diverse range of events across the different villages of Inari, offering something for all age groups. The celebrations are being organized collaboratively by the municipality, businesses, and various communities. The intention is that some of the anniversary events will become lasting traditions. The Municipality of Inari is coordinating the anniversary events and supporting event organizers in various ways.

This page provides all the information and instructions on how to participate in the Anniversary year. The event calendar lists all anniversary events taking place within the Municipality of Inari.

Participate

Inari 150th Anniversary Knitting Design Competition

To celebrate the Municipality of Inari’s 150th anniversary in 2026, the municipality is organizing an open knitting design competition for an Inari Sweater and Inari Mittens. The competition is open to everyone, and the submission deadline is Aug 10, 2025.

Design a Sweater or Mittens – or Both – for Inari

The goal of the competition is to find a unique sweater and mittens design for the Municipality of Inari. The designs must be original and unpublished and should reflect the values and characteristics of Inari. All winning designs will be made available for public use. You may take part either or both categories with a finished product or a detailed design plan. Please include a short description of your work and the inspiration behind it.

INARI – SWEATER

Design and knit a sweater inspired by Inari. You may submit a hand-knitted sweater or a photo of the sweater. Your entry must include a written knitting pattern, a charted design (grid chart), sizing information (S, M, L, XL), and recommendations for yarn and needles.

INARI – MITTENS

Design mittens inspired by Inari. You can enter with a finished pair of mittens or a detailed design plan. Submit either hand-knitted mittens or a photo of them. Your submission must include a knitting pattern, a charted design, and yarn and needle recommendations. Entries can also consist of just the design plan.

Competition Details

• Competition period: December 6, 2024 – Aug 10, 2025
• You may submit one or multiple entries, each as a separate proposal. All works must be hand-knitted using wool or other natural materials.
• The winning designs will be made freely available for everyone to use.
• The organizer reserves the right to produce a finished product based on the winning designs.
• The Inari 150th Anniversary Committee will select three finalists in each category. These will be test-knitted and presented on December 6, 2025, when a public vote will be opened to select the winners.

Prizes

The winner of the sweater design competition will receive 500€. The winner of the mitten design competition will receive 100€. Winners will be announced at the official opening event of the anniversary year in January 2026.

How to participate

Name your work and use this name as your pseudonym for the competition. Label your submission with your pseudonym and include a sealed envelope with your pseudonym written on it. Inside the envelope, include your full contact information: name, address, phone number, and email address.

Deliver your work to either:

• Inari Main Library (Piiskuntie 4, 99800 Ivalo)
• Inari Sámi Library (Sajos, Menesjärventie 2 A, 99870 Inari)
• Or send it by post to:
  Municipality of Inari / Design Competition
  Piiskuntie 2, 99800 Ivalo, Finland

Please make sure your work arrives by the deadline. Late submissions will not be considered. All submitted works will be returned to their creators after the competition.

Old Photograph Collection

To mark the 150th anniversary of the Municipality of Inari, the municipality and the Sámi Museum Siida are launching a collection of old photographs for a new book about Inari and for long-term preservation in Siida’s archives. The collection period runs from May 1 to August 31, 2025.

During the anniversary year, selected photographs will be featured in photo viewing evenings and compiled into a digital exhibition on the official anniversary website in 2026.

The focus of the collection is on photographs from the post-war period up to the early 2000s, depicting everyday life and changes in lifestyle across the Inari region over the decades. All contributions are welcome – every photo is valuable, and it doesn’t need to be artistically composed.

All submitted photos will be digitized at the Sámi Museum Siida and archived by the municipality for future generations. While only a selection of the donated photographs will likely be included in the new Inari book, the aim is to encourage as many people as possible to participate and contribute to the exhibition.

How to Participate

Photos can be brought in between May 1 and August 31, 2025 during library opening hours to the following locations:

• Ivalo Library
• Inari Sámi Library
• Inari Municipal Bookmobile

Summer opening hours for the libraries can be found at inari150.fi/ajankohtaista (in Finnish).

Photos will be returned after digitization if requested. Details about the photo return schedule will be announced in autumn, and additional information is available at the libraries. A photo usage agreement will be completed when donating.

Submit Your Event or Idea for the Anniversary Year

We are looking for contributors to the anniversary year – residents, associations, and businesses! You can submit your own event to the Tapahtumien Lappi event calendar or leave your idea for the anniversary year using the form below.

Submit Your Event to the Tapahtumien Lappi Calendar

All events for the anniversary year will be displayed on the Events website through an embed from the Tapahtumien Lappi calendar. Below are instructions on how to submit your event for the anniversary year:

• Submit your event to the Tapahtumien Lappi calendar. Creating a user account is required.
• Fill in the necessary information and make sure your event takes place within the municipality of Inari
• Publish the event. Your event will appear in both the Tapahtumien Lappi and the Municipality of Inari event calendars by the next business day at the latest.
• By selecting Inari150 as the theme of your event, you can have it included in the official anniversary calendar
• Your event will be visible in the anniversary calendar by the next business day at the latest.
• Send images related to your event to the anniversary year coordinator so you can receive marketing materials with the anniversary year’s visual identity and logo.