IFUSCO XXIV

The Finno-Ugric people's youth union Mafun's fifth congress in Joshkar-Ola in November 2003 decided to organise a writing contest for young writers about popular novels written in Finno-Ugrian minority languages. The competition was started in late 2004 as a cooperation between active Mafun member associations and local papers in Mari, Udmurt and Komi. In 2005 also competitions in Võro, Karelian, Veps, Erzja and Mokša started. The competition includes three themes: 1. Love and erotica, 2. Science fiction and fantasy and 3. City and countryside. The themes were modified slightly to cater to the different language groups' situation and needs.

Each language group organised it's own contest. The common rule was that participation was anonymous with a under fifty page work of prose written in a minority language and an attempt to have primarily young readers select the winning works. The contests ended on the 31st of December, 2006.

The purpose of the writing contest was to publish qualitatively good and entertaining works in minority languages which would be read by the young and the old alike, and thus to increase interest of the youth from these minorities in their own mother tongue and to create new literary genres in these minority languages. Also, the competition would get creators of culture noticed. The best works have been published in papers writing in the respective languages. There are plans to translate the winning works into different languages, at least Finnish, and to publish them as a compilation.

As a prize, the winners participate in the International Finno-Ugristic Students' Conference (Ifusco) in Helsinki in May 2008. An important element of the prize is the opportunity to meet young writers of other Finno-Ugric peoples. Sukukansojen ystävät ry ("Kindred people's friends" organisation) organises a literature workshop on the 15th of May 2008 during Ifusco, in which everyone interested can meet the winners of the literary contest and can discuss views on minority literature and possible ideas for cooperation. During the workshop also ideas about the future of the literary contest will be discussed.

Winners and the winning texts.

Mokša
Marina Agejeva: Пингти аф сатован
Marina Anikina: Мекольце кенярдемась

Erzja
Ljudmila Rjabova (love and erotica): Ашо повне
Marija Jerjomina: Лирической миниатюрат

Mari
Marina Tele

Komi
Ljubov Anufrijeva: Őтка олöм абу

Udmurt
Svetlana Knjazeva (fantasy): Куатетћ кизили
Natalja Obraztsova (city and countryside): Кырсь
Tatjana Bykova (love and erotica): Мынам шудэ