Heads up: All inventions, applications, and technologies used in the jäynäs were entirely imagined by the teams. Jäynä is a harmless practical joke that intends to amuse the creators as well as the general public.
The National Jäynä Competition, organized by the Academic Engineers and Architects in Finland TEK, was won by Otaniemi’s team Imatran Paras Tanssiryhmä (‘Imatra’s Best Dance Group’). In their winning jäynä, “third-year teacher students from the University of Imatra” investigated how changes in a learning environment affect concentration. For example, would desk dividers really help you concentrate if dancers were performing the cicapo around you? A video of the jäynä can be viewed here.
The team aimed to create a prank that addressed a current issue. They had previously invented the fictional University of Imatra for a local jäynä.
“That’s how the idea was born: a thesis project by teacher students at the University of Imatra, exploring how environmental changes influence concentration,” explains team captain Adelina Mogoutova.
“Everything went even better than expected. The reactions were fantastic, and the teachers on autumn break were especially eager to take part in our study. Transporting props, like hauling a school desk from Kouvola, was a bit of a challenge, but both we and the participants had a great time. The jäynä left everyone in high spirits!”
The finals of the 33rd edition of the competition were held this year between October 13 and 14 in Kokkola. Alongside the Otaniemi team, participants came from Oulu, Vaasa, Turku, and Tampere, each having previously won their own regional jäynä contests.
During the 24-hour challenge, the teams were tasked with executing a jäynä within Kokkola’s city limits, documenting it through video or some other means, and submitting it to the jury.
The esteemed panel of judges included jäynä experts from various Finnish cities. Serving as chief judge was Avaneep Kamal, chair of TEK’s Youth Committee, from LUT University’s Lahti campus.
The jäynä gala, where the teams’ jäynä videos were screened and the winners announced, was held the following day at the University of Oulu. In addition to the title Vuoden teekkarijäynääjät (‘Pranksters of the Year’), three other awards were handed out: Most Technical Jäynä, Fastest Route Solver, and Best Regional Jäynä.
The award for Most Technical Jäynä went to Oulu’s team BTM Oyj. Posing as researchers from the “Hailuoto Psychological Research Center,” these pranksters explored the concept of ‘psychological height’ — the taller, the better — by asking people along Finland’s west coast various questions. These included, for example, whether a presented piece of music sounded happy or sad, and what a certain inkblot reminded them of.
In the technical part, the Oulu pranksters spun a wheel of fortune built by the team, which, to everyone’s amazement, wouldn’t stop spinning and could even reverse directions. The video of the jäynä can be viewed here.
The location of the competition was kept secret. To uncover it, the teams had to solve a set of route instructions created by the previous year’s winning team. The team that uncovered the location the fastest received the award. This year, the honor went to the Otaniemi team, who cracked it without needing a single hint.
Additionally, the esteemed panel of judges reviewed the winning jäynäs from each campus-level competition and selected the jäynä executed by Tampere’s team Bion Timantit (‘Bio’s Diamonds’, pictured) as the overall best. The video of the Best Regional Jäynä can be viewed here.
A Microwave, a Lighthouse, and an AI Friend
The Turku team Kirjolohi (‘Rainbow trout’) brought along a “Bluetooth-powered” microwave — stating that it operated without a power cord — and demonstrated it in front of a local Prisma store in Kokkola. They presented the oven’s functionality by making popcorn, though the sound was actually generated by a pre-recorded audio track playing from inside the appliance. The video of the jäynä can be viewed here.
In the jäynä performed by Bion Timantit, who came to Oulu from Tampere, “urban planning students” asked Kokkola locals for their opinions on rebranding the local Tankar lighthouse. Suggestions included projecting an image of actor Tom Cruise onto the lighthouse or painting it with red-and-white stripes. The video of the jäynä can be viewed here.
Vaasa’s team Kälinä Girls encouraged Kokkola residents to reduce screen time with the help of an “AI friend” — a toy powered by artificial intelligence that responded to simple questions, sprinkled with little quirky sounds. The video of the jäynä can be viewed here.
Finalists 2025
Otaniemi – Imatran Paras Tanssiryhmä
Adelina Mogoutova, Anni Okka, Aino Asikainen, Milla Lauerma, Alexandra Turkia, Niilo Mämmelä, Paula Sipilä, Lasse Keijonen
Oulu – BTM Oyj
Benjam Miettinen, Toivo Pirttimäki, Markus Koberg
Tampere – Bion Timantit
Erik Kohl, Siiri Hokka, Inka Sairiala, Maria Meripaasi, Daniel Prokki
Turku – Kirjolohi
Otto Rissa, Henni Liimatta, Amanda Laakso, Aava Tani, Julius Järvenpää, Verneri Venetpalo, Marius Ranta
Vaasa – Kälinä girls
Wilhelmiina Myllykoski, Ulpu Ojutkangas, Selma Keho, Markus Jaskari