Turku celebrates its 800th anniversary in 2029. Students at higher education institutions in Turku are included in the preparations for the anniversary year through thesis stipends. The first call for stipend applications commences on 1 October 2026.
Students are important for Turku, and a central part of the Turku 800 anniversary year. Therefore, theses underpinning the anniversary year themes are supported with special Turku 800 thesis stipends. This autumn, the Turku 2029 Foundation will award a maximum of four thesis stipends of € 2,000 each. In the spring of 2027, a second round of stipends will be awarded.
The theses that receive support must be connected to the Turku 800 anniversary or its themes. The main themes of the anniversary are new firsts and strengthening urbanism. Subthemes include A City of Joy, A City of Nature, A City of Oases, A City of Know-How and A City for Everyone. More information on the themes and key focuses of the anniversary year can be found on the anniversary year website.
Stipends are applied for through an electronic application system. You will find a link to this below. Paper applications are not accepted. All application and selection criteria can be found below.
Application and selection criteria
- Students study in a degree programme leading to a higher education degree at one of the following higher education institutions: University of Turku, Åbo Akademi University, Turku University of Applied Sciences, HUMAK (Turku), Novia.
- Students in HUMAK’s Master’s Degree programmes are also eligible to apply, provided that their thesis has a strong connection to Turku, for example through the commissioning organisation or the content of the thesis.
- The thesis stipend can be awarded to a student pursuing a master’s degree on the basis of an application.
- The thesis stipend is intended for the completion of a thesis, that is, stipends are not intended to reward completed work.
- The thesis is connected to the Turku 800 anniversary year or its themes. The thesis may address issues such as:
- the city’s history, urban culture and community in Turku
- anniversary year implementation, event production, event or project communications
- anniversary year theme or themes, such as strengthening urbanism, local democracy or urban resilience, or another aspect related to an anniversary year theme (see more details on the themes)
- The thesis may also be artistic.
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Based on a plan, the thesis will be completed 1 January 2027–30 March 2030
Selection process
During the initial stage, the correspondence of theses with the themes and aims of the anniversary year will be evaluated within the Turku 800 anniversary year project. Subsequent to this, a representative of a higher education institution within the relevant area will evaluate the application. Finally, a project manager will select the students who will be awarded the stipend.
Study performance and graduation on schedule are taken into account in the assessment.
Autumn call for applications 1 October–30 October 2026 at 4 pm
Spring call for applications 15 March–15 April 2027 at 4 pm
A link to the application system can be found here. The application form for the thesis stipends and the link to the application system will become available on 1 October 2026.
More information
Salla Mistola
Turku 800 Programme Manager
salla.mistola@turku.fi
tel. 044 7586040
For more information about the anniversary year, see the anniversary year website.