The Finnish Music Publishers Association (MPA Finland) presented its annual awards for the 12th time. Among the winners in ten categories were composers Lara Poe and Joel Järventausta, dance music pioneer Darude, as well as comedy group KAJ (pictured above), who walked home with two awards.

The Song of the Year award and the Export Achievement of the Year were both presented to KAJ. The Finland-Swedish comedy music trio represented Sweden at this year’s Eurovision Song Contest, ultimately placing fourth in the final. Their performance of the song Bara Bada Bastu became a massive phenomenon. In the week following the final, the song climbed to 46th place on Spotify’s list of the most-streamed songs globally and entered the Top 50 in over 20 countries. To date, it has been streamed nearly 100 million times. The Export Achievement of the Year Award was awarded by Music Finland.

This year’s Honorary Award was presented to Darude, also known as Ville Virtanen, the co-writer and artist behind the international mega-hit Sandstorm, which made its breakthrough 25 years ago. The track continues to play around the world — from nightclubs in Japan to hockey arenas in North America — and has helped Virtanen build a lifelong career as an artist, top-level DJ, and label owner. At the time of publication, the track has amassed nearly 550 million streams on Spotify.

The Breakthrough of the Year award was presented to composer Lara Poe. The Finnish-American composer Poe (b. 1993) is experiencing a rapid rise in her career both in Finland and internationally. Success in composition competitions, a growing catalogue of works, and acclaimed performances have paved the way for several major commissions and premieres. Over the past year, Poe has ventured into new artistic territory and secured significant collaborative projects with, among others, the BBC and the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra. The Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra selected Poe as its featured composer for the 2024–2025 season and performed three of her orchestral works.

The Classical Composer of the Year category was divided between large-scale and small-scale works. The award in large-scale Works was presented to Outi Tarkiainen for her piece The Rapids of Life (Edition Wilhelm Hansen). The structure of the composition mirrors the physiological process of childbirth and its various stages, carried forward by ever-shifting waves.

The Award for Classical Composer of the Year in small-scale Works went to Joel Järventausta for his piece Songs, Games & Dances (Edition Wilhelm Hansen). The work explores a wide emotional spectrum from solemn, melancholic, and restless moods to euphoric and playful tones. Each of the six short movements is distinct in character and built on unique musical ideas, resulting in a vividly colorful listening experience.

The Genre-free Work of the Year award was presented to the band Saimaa, led by Matti Mikkola. Over the course of just six months last year, the group released two albums, Vol. 6 - and Vol. 7, featuring contributions from a wide range of leading Finnish songwriters and musicians. The albums have received widespread acclaim from both the media and the public.

The Songwriter of the Year (Popular Music) award was given to Emma Johansson, and the Young Talent Grant was awarded to Obikeys (b. 1998), who has contributed to writing and producing several chart-topping hits in recent years.