Lennart Meri Waterfowl Fund Scholarship Competition open for applications

The scholarship is open to young people up to 35 years of age who have distinguished themselves through their creativity and community service for the benefit of the Finno-Ugric peoples.

The amount of the Waterfowl People’s Scholarship has been set at €1,000 by decision of the Governing Board as of 9 July this year. The scholarship will be awarded to one or more young people by the Fund’s five-member Board on the basis of the applicant’s professional achievements and community service. The recipient of the scholarship will be announced in October at the time of the Kindred Peoples’ Day.

To be eligible for the scholarship, applicants must submit a free-form application with a summary of their professional and community activities and at least one recommendation. Scholarship applications with supporting materials should be sent digitally signed to juhatus@fennougria.ee by 15 September at the latest.

The aim of the fund, created by Estonian linguist Tõnu Seilenthal, is to perpetuate the memory of Lennart Meri, an outstanding statesman and researcher of Finno-Ugric peoples, and to support the creative activities and civic initiatives of young people for the benefit of Finno-Ugric peoples.

The first scholarship was awarded in 2009 to a young Komi linguist, Nikolai Kuznetsov. In 2012, the scholarship was awarded to Leanne Barbo, a folk musician, music and dance teacher who has repeatedly visited the Votic land to teach Votic folklore at a summer camp on the Votic language and culture, as well as initiated other creative projects. In 2013, the scholarship was awarded to Aleksei Tsykarev, a Karelian civic activist. In 2014, the grant was awarded to Julia Nikitina, the organiser of the Finno-Ugric Capital of Culture Bygy. In 2016, the scholarship was awarded in recognition of the creative work of folk musician Karoliina Kreintaal. In 2018, the award went to the Udmurt folklorist, member of the band AR-GOD and researcher at the Estonian Literary Museum Nikolai Anisimov, and in 2020 to Raisija Sungurova, leader of the Yugra Mari community.

Application terms and conditions

Statute of the Lennart Meri Waterfowl Fund