We’re incredibly proud and excited to celebrate that among the ten brilliant nominees for the Rudolf Koivu Award, granted by Grafia, there are no less than three amazing illustrators from Napa Agency!
Jussi Kaakinen – Maailman pahimmat paikat (Into Kustannus, 2024)
Ilja Karsikas – Sateenkaarikiitäjä (Kustantamo S&S, 2024)
Mikko Saarainen – Barbaari-Ari (Otava, 2025)
Woop Woop ja Hooray!
Written by Jani Kaaro and illustrated by Jussi Kaakinen, Maailman pahimmat paikat (The worst places in the world) is an adventurous non-fiction book that takes the reader to the edges of the world to explore the most extreme and fascinating places excisting. Whoa!
Sateenkaarikiitäjä (The rainbow hawkmoth) by the acclaimed and multi-talented author-illustrator Ilja Karsikas is a story about friendship, courage, and discovering one’s own colors. Aaww!
Mikko Saarainen’s Barbaari-Ari (Ari the Barbarian) is a fun, detail-rich picture book in which a small but determined hero proves that true strength lies in imagination. Boom!
Three different books, three distinct illustration styles, and three unique artists – we’re proud of each one of them and keeping our fingers crossed that the prize will be taken home by Napa’s talent.
The Rudolf Koivu Award, granted by Grafia (Association of Visual Communication Designers in Finland) is one of Finland’s most prestigious recognitions for illustration in children’s and young people’s literature. The winner will be announced on November 13th 2025.
Finnish books published between July 1, 2023 and June 30, 2025 were eligible for the Rudolf Koivu competition. Out of 139 submitted works, the jury selected ten nominees — you can see them all here: grafia.fi/ajankohtaista (only in Finnish)