"The bid is very strong across the six criteria (Contribution to the long term strategy, Cultural and artistic content, European dimension, Outreach, Management, Capacity to deliver), and the evolution of the proposal was significant from pre-selection, demonstrating a welcomed capacity for improvement and a high level of maturity and development. The panel found that the bid was based on an extensive consultative process in the city and region, including relevant cultural actors and infrastructures. The cultural strategies of the city and the region have strong elements of sustainability, with transversal plans for strengthening the cultural and creative sectors’ capacity and there is a strong connection between the ECoC mission and objectives and those strategies”.

This is only part of the reasons that led the jury to choose Oulu as the European Capital of Culture for 2026.

The expert panel’s report about the selection of the European Capital of Culture in 2026 in Finland has been published.

Read the full report “Selection of the European Capital of Culture (ECoC) in 2026 in Finland. The Expert Panel’s report. Selection Stage. Virtual Meeting. June 2021 here.