Creators of Habbo Hotel receive the "Finland Prize" from the Ministry of Education
Helsinki, Finland, 8th of December, 2005 - Ms. Tanja Karpela, Minister of Culture, awarded Mr. Sampo Karjalainen and Mr. Aapo Kyrölä the Finland Prize (Suomi-palkinto) for pictural art today. The prize is awarded as recognition by the Minister of Culture and State authorities, as well as a token of gratitude for a promising breakthrough. Sampo Karjalainen and Aapo Kyrölä are the creators of the Habbo Hotel, an online community and game for teenagers.
The prize merits state that with their work Karjalainen and Kyrölä have laid a foundation for one of the greatest success stories of the first decade of new media. The best manifestation of the value of their work is the fact that Habbo Hotel offers a safe, controlled and free-to-utilize space for a large group of teenagers to interact, communicate, exploit their creativity and play.
According to the Minister of Culture, this prize should also be seen as recognition of Karjalainen's and Kyrölä's creative pioneering work in the new dimension of global culture, as well as their ongoing efforts in promoting Finnish design and social resourcefulness.
"Receiving this prize is a great honor for us. We are particularly happy to receive recognition, not only for creativity but also for the cultural significance of Habbo Hotel," Sampo Karjalainen and Aapo Kyrölä state.
In the Habbo Hotel world users create a customized character in the hotel and then play and communicate with other users through these characters. The attraction of Habbo Hotel is based on the camaraderie of community and the opportunity for self-expression and creativity. At the moment, Habbo Hotel functions in 16 countries with nearly 4.5 million visitors monthly. The Finnish Habbo Hotel site attracts over 280,000 single users each month. The Habbo Hotel service is owned and operated by Sulake Corporation Oy, a company established by Sampo Karjalainen and Aapo Kyrölä in 2000.
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