SYKE has received many prizes and acknowledges of the work the institute and its experts and researchers have accomplished. These prizes have been addressed either to SYKE and its´ services, to a research group or to a single researcher. These prizes are important feedback showing the social meaning and usefulness of our work.
SYKE also arranges regularly and occasionally competitions to motivate companies, municipalities and citizens to act in a sustainable way. For instance, there are yearly competitions with different categories to the Carbon neutral municipalities´ network. These prizes gain public visibility and give the possibility to share best practices with larger audiences.
Examples of prizes addressed to SYKE
“Promoters for Openness” -award 2019 (Avoimuuden edistäjät -palkinto)
© Jari Loisa.
The Finnish Environment Institute SYKE was awarded the “Promoters for Openness” Award in November 2019. The national award was presented for the first time and aims to highlight those who, through their work, enable the implementation of open scientific practices in Finland and who have set an example and supported others. The award, given by the delegation The Federation of Finnish Learned Societies (TSV), was received by SYKE’s research director Eeva Primmer and a group of colleagues.
“We are really pleased that our work for open data and open science is being recognized. SYKE was one of the first government organizations to start sharing its materials describing the state of the environment as early as 2008. Today, our entire organization is committed to the principles of open knowledge and science and they have been raised to the core of strategic operation”, Eeva Primmer said.
"Diamont Act 2018 Award" – Working group of the national climate change adaption plan for 2022
The Finnish Security Committee granted its 2018 Diamond Act (Timanttiteko) award to the group in charge of implementing the National Climate Change Adaptation Plan for 2022. The objective of the National Climate Change Adaption Plan is to ensure the country’s capacity to manage the weather and climate risks associated with climate change and adapt to changes in the climate. SYKE´s researchers were in a key role in this working group.
"Nature Book of the Year 2016" and "State Award for Disclosure of Information 2017 "- Non-Fiction Book Secret Life of the Forest
SYKE´s researchers were part of the group who wrote this major non-fiction book on forests called “The Secret Life of the Forest” that won two remarkable prizes in 2016 and in 2017.
The State Awards for Disclosure are awarded for significant work in the field of scientific, artistic and technological communication, which has increased citizens' knowledge and stimulated public debate. The Secret Life of the Forest is a collection of surprising and funny stories about the lives of people in the forest who are quiet and study them. One of its messages is that even the most insignificant creatures are important for the balance of the forest ecosystem and part of biodiversity. The wonderful world of small and hidden organisms opens up in the work, and parasites, mucilages, mosquitoes, bats and multicolored decayers become familiar.
The Nature Book of the Year prize is given yearly by the Finnish WWF. "Nature Book of the Year 2017" – Non-fiction book the Treasures of the Seas
In 2017 the Finnish WWF gave the 40th time the Yearly Nature Book prize to the book Merten aarteet (The Treasures of the Seas) written by a research group. The Editor-of-Chief of the book was SYKE´s Research Professor Markku Viitasalo. The Mayor of Helsinki selected this non-fiction book as one of the five finalists. Marine treasures are based on the results of the Underwater Marine Biodiversity Inventory Program (VELMU). The program, coordinated by the Ministry of the Environment and the Finnish Environment Institute, has been mapping underwater nature for more than ten years, and tremendous new information about underwater marine nature has been revealed.
Personal awards for SYKE´s researchers
SYKE has numerous leading researchers in their field, whose knowledge is utilized more widely in society. Such researchers are often asked to lecture on their own topic to different audiences. They have a large number of social media followers and they engage in active social dialogue with various parties. The media often utilizes their knowledge in news coverage. Researchers are also available to decision-makers and, upon request, visit studies from representatives of different parties.
In recent years, Sampo Soimakallio, a researcher in carbon sinks, and Seppo Knuuttila, a marine researcher, have received awards for their activity. In 2018, Sampo Soimakallio received the "Science Pen of the Year Award" from the Kone Foundation and Seppo Knuuttila received a Recognition Award from the Finnish Association for Nature Conservation for his courageous work on behalf of the Baltic Sea.