Reena Linna, chief executive of Eläköön Oppiminen Oy, has been named the recipient of Finland’s 2026 Book Industry Promotion Award, worth 15,000 euros, in recognition of her decision to preserve and develop educational materials for preschool and primary school children after their previous publisher discontinued its educational publishing business.
Funded by the Finnish Fair Foundation, the award was presented at the Helsinki Book Fair on Thursday, 22 October 2026, according to the event organiser’s announcement. Linna established Eläköön Oppiminen Oy in 2025 to continue publishing the Eläköön! learning materials following the closure of Edita Oppiminen Oy’s educational materials business.
Linna worked as business manager for primary school materials at Edita Oppiminen between 2022 and 2025, where she developed the Eläköön! concept. When the company decided in January 2025 to discontinue its educational materials business, she took the initiative to establish an independent publishing house and continue the work.
Edita Group subsequently sold the publishing rights for the Eläköön! preschool and primary education materials to Eläköön Oppiminen Oy. The new company has continued publishing the materials while developing the concept and strengthening its commercial potential.
Establishing a publishing business to take over an existing educational materials range involved significant personal and commercial risks. Linna’s decision allowed the materials to remain available to schools and learners while giving the concept an opportunity to develop under independent ownership.
Eläköön Oppiminen Oy produces printed and digital educational materials designed to support children with different learning needs and starting points. Its stated mission includes promoting equal learning opportunities, supporting children’s overall development and helping them build the skills needed to navigate everyday life. The company also aims to encourage tolerance and responsibility among young learners.
The award announcement highlighted the importance of continuing this work at a time when children’s literacy is deteriorating and commercial activity in the educational publishing sector is shrinking. By taking responsibility for an established learning materials concept, Linna has combined the demands of running a business with the continued production of resources for early education.
The Book Industry Promotion Award supports achievements, innovations and development projects that strengthen the book industry and improve its commercial prospects. The 15,000-euro prize can recognise business initiatives, new publishing technologies, marketing concepts and other developments that encourage interest in books and reading.
The award’s broader objective is to help the publishing and bookselling industries reach audiences more effectively, particularly young people and young adults. Promoting reading is important to Finland’s cultural life and education system, as well as to publishers, booksellers and other organisations working across the book sector.
A jury selected Linna as this year’s recipient. Its members were Noora Alanne, director of the Media Research Foundation; Karo Hämäläinen, author, financial journalist and executive producer of Parnasso magazine; Laura Karlsson, chief executive of the Booksellers Association; Sakari Laiho, director of the Finnish Publishing Association; Tanja Pasila, business manager at Helsinki Fair Centre; and Henriika Tulivirta, a library professional.
Previous recipients of the award include LANU! Festivals in 2022, Vinha Bookstore in 2023, Tekstin Talo in 2024 and cultural media Piiri in 2025. The range of winners reflects the award’s support for different initiatives and organisations contributing to the Finnish book and literary sector.
The award was announced during the Helsinki Book Fair, which runs from 22 to 25 October 2026 at Helsinki Fair Centre. Organised in collaboration with the Finnish Publishing Association and the Finnish Booksellers Association, the event brings together writers, publishers, booksellers and readers to promote literature, reading and book sales.
The fair’s programme also includes the Record Fair and Antiquarian Book Fair, alongside the Wine & Food event. Its stated values include freedom of expression, equality and respect for human dignity.
Linna’s recognition places the spotlight on the role independent publishers can play in keeping educational resources available when established businesses withdraw from the market. Through Eläköön Oppiminen Oy, she has continued a publishing concept she helped develop while working to secure its future in Finnish preschool and primary education.
