National Jäynä Competition

Winners 

2024: Jäynäfuksiryhmä 11. from Otaniemi

2023: Tampereen Teekkarijaosto from Tampere

About the competition

Every Autumn, the best Teekkari Jäynä entrants from around the country compete for the title of having the official Kingdom’s Best Jäynä. This is part of the cooperative Teekkari work (teekkariyhteistyö), with the support of TEK. The competition features Teekkari students from all over Finland, together with the TEK Membership Officer.

The aim of the competition is to cherish Jäynä traditions, promote Teekkari culture, raise the spirits of Teekkari people everywhere, and bring together the Teekkari community from all over the country, hopefully in doing so generating goodwill throughout.

The jury for the competition is appointed by the TEK Youth Committee, with the honour usually going to those responsible for the Teekkari culture in every area, together with the winner of the previous year. The president of the Youth Committee is the chairperson of the committee, and therefore the chief judge. A TEK lawyer will also always be present – just in case.

The entrants to the competition are usually the winners of the local Jäynä competitions in each Teekkari city. The location of the competition should be kept secret, with the way to reach it being to correctly decipher the cryptic driving instructions given. Traditionally, the location has not been in any Teekkari city.

During the National Jäynä Competition, teams are required to complete several Jäynäs, one of which must be completed in the Teekkari city from which they are coming. In addition, the jury selects a theme which one of the Jäynäs must fulfil, if the team is to be crowned winners. The competition awards prizes in several categories, which are dependent on the year.

Read more about the winners of the Jäynä Competition throughout the years here (only in Finnish).

Local Jäynä Competitions

In Teekkari communities, there is a great deal of Jäynä activity, usually involving a yearly jäynä competition, in which everyone can take part. There are however some differences between how the communities run these competitions, and Jäynä in general.

Otaniemi

The Jäynä tradition in Otaniemi is a long standing one, with the 35th anniversary of the Jäynä Competition celebrated in Spring 2022. For example, in 2016 it was reported in media that the long-awaited western expansion of the Helsinki metro (länsimetro) was cancelled due to flying squirrels. www.jayna.fi/en

Tampere

Jäynä culture in Tampere is organised and maintained by the Teekkari Union of Tampere’s Traditions Sector (perinneseura) PerSe. This sector organised an annual Jäynä Competition, which also features a guild series in addition to the general competition. Fuksi take part in their own jäynä prior to Wappu. www.tampereenteekkarit.fi/en/home

Lappeenranta

At around Wappu time, in Lappeenranta is organised the local Jäynä competition. An example of a famous Jäynä in Lappeenranta is the sale of trawled Saimaa Ringed Seal, with labels swapped on cans of tuna to instead advertise the tasty meat of the endangered species. www.powi.fi/jayna/

Oulu

In Oulu, the Jäynä culture is performed by the elves of OTY. They organise local and Fuksi Jäynä competitions, in which all the Teekkari guilds take part. Competitions begin with preliminary tasks or themes to perform.

Vaasa

Tutti ry take responsibility for the Jäynä culture and happenings in Vaasa. One of the most memorable Jäynäs occurred in 2004, when Tutti ry wished to order their own overalls, instead of the general overalls of VYY, with business students wanting to do the same. Tutti ry took charge of the orders, and printed the advertisement “Tutti ry - own overalls since 2004” on their own overalls. As a Jäynä however, they also printed this advert on the overalls of the business students and VYY, resulting in, as legend goes, the business student chairperson to curse so loudly upon seeing the advertisement, that the lesson in the adjacent lecture hall had to be suspended. In general however the Jäynä was well received.

Turku

The Teekkari Commision are responsible for the Jäynä culture in Turku. The annual Jäynä competition lasts throughout the Spring, with a culmination event at Wappu time. There are general, guild, and Fuksi Jäynä competitions in Turku.