Competition info

About the NouHätä! competition

Every year, around 10,000 eighth graders across Finland take part in the NouHätä! competition. The competition is open to all students participating in the campaign. Participating in the competition is an optional part of the campaign. In the competition, students get to compete for prizes and improve their skills.

NouHätä! competition in brief

Eighth graders who have participated in the campaign are eligible to take part in the NouHätä! competition in teams of three students. Students must have attended at least one lesson covering the campaign materials before taking part in the competition.
The call for entering the competition will be sent out in January to teachers who signed up for the campaign. An info webinar on the competition will be hosted for teachers on 19 January 2026 at 10.30-11.15. The webinar will be held in Finnish.
The first stage of the competition is a digital qualifying round, which takes place in schools under the supervision of a teacher. The qualifying round will be from 20 January to 10 February 2026.
The best teams in the qualifying round are invited to regional semi-finals by rescue department, where students’ knowledge and rescue skills are tested. Regional semi-finals will take place on 18 March 2026.
The best teams of the regional semi-finals are invited to the grand final hosted at the Emergency Services Academy Finland in Kuopio. The grand final will be held on 23 April 2026.
The winner of the final receives a grand prize of €2,000. Other top teams will also receive awards.

Entering the competition

All schools that have sign up for the campaign within the time limit will be invited to participate in the competition. We will announce the digital qualifying round directly to schools that have signed up for the campaign. We recommend saving the dates of the semi-final and final rounds to avoid scheduling conflicts.

All eighth graders who participated in the campaign can enter the competition. Please note that at least one lesson covering the NouHätä! campaign materials must be completed before participating in the digital qualifying round.

Students can participate in the competition in teams of three. All students participating in the semi-finals and grand final are insured against accidents by the campaign.

Detailed competition instructions will be sent to schools along with the invitation to enter the competition.

What are students expected to know in the competition?

The digital qualifying round is an online multiple-choice quiz. The regional semi-finals and grand final both practical tasks as well as a quiz. Success in the competition requires knowledge, skills and teamwork. Practical skills, quick thinking and common sense will help teams get far.

The tasks are mainly based on the teaching materials found on the NouHätä! campaign website. In addition to NouHätä! materials, the questions in the quiz section test other knowledge related to everyday safety. In addition to NouHätä! materials, sources used in the questions include first aid instructions by the Finnish Red Cross and the Nuorten Varautumissivusto website on preparedness skills for young people. Other possible sources include the website of the Finnish Road Safety Council, for example. In the grand final, students tackle tasks that measure their knowledge and skills beyond the campaign materials.

Campaign and competition schedule during the 2025 - 2026 school year

Sign-up between September and January

The sign-up period is from 1 September 2025 to 14 January 2026
Teaching materials are available at all times. Also outside of the sign-up period

NouHätä! competition schedules

Digital qualifying round 20 January 2026 to 10 February 2026
Regional semi-finals on Wednesday, 18 March 2026
Grand final on Thursday, 23 April 2026

NouHätä! competition awards 2026

The winning team will receive a grand prize of €2,000 grand prize and the NouHätä! challenge cup, a golden helmet. Other top teams will also receive awards.