Purpose
The Wihuri Foundation for International Prizes is a non-profit organization founded in 1953 by sea captain and industrialist Antti Wihuri. The purpose of the Foundation is to promote and sustain cultural development of society. The Foundation is based in Helsinki, Finland.
The Foundation fulfils its purpose by awarding prizes at least once every three years in recognition of outstanding work in science and the arts.
The foundation awards the Wihuri Sibelius Prize to composers who have gained international recognition and the Wihuri International prize to scientists. Both individual persons and organizations, regardless of nationality, are eligible to receive the awards.
Throughout its history, the Wihuri Foundation for International Prizes has awarded a total of 43 prizes — 22 Wihuri International Prizes to scientists and 21 Wihuri Sibelius Prizes to composers. In recent years, the prizes have been valued at 150,000 euros.
The 2026 prize recipients, Professor Tapani Vuorinen and composer Rebecca Saunders, were announced at a ceremony held at Finlandia Hall on 9 October 2026.
The Swiss peace researcher Thania Paffenholz received the Wihuri International Prize in 2015. She has specifically studied the importance of broad societal participation for the effectiveness of peace mediation.
The chamber orchestra Avanti! performed Nemo, a composition by Jukka Tiensuu, who was awarded the 2020 Wihuri Sibelius Prize, at an event held on October 9, 2020. The orchestra was conducted by Hannu Lintu.