The Mother's Day Medal is a First Class medal with a gold cross of the Order of the White Rose of Finland, which the orders award to mothers who have distinguished themselves for exemplary work in raising children and young people and in promoting family life and parenthood. The President of the Republic will present the medals on Mother's Day 2026 at a national celebration, the arrangements for which are being carried out by the Mannerheim League for Child Welfare.
Proposals for the recipient of the Mother's Day Medal must be submitted by November 3.11rd to the regional administrative agency in whose area the proposed mother lives. The proposal must be made using the Order of the Knights' nomination form and the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health's appendix:
- Order of Merit nomination form (ritarikunnat.fi)
- Mandatory supplement form from the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health (stm.fi, loads when clicked)
We review the proposals we receive and make recommendations to the Ministries of Social Affairs and Health on recipients of the Order of Merit, in accordance with the regional quotas given to us. Based on the proposals from the regional state administrative agencies, the ministry makes recommendations for the orders of merit.
The orders will publish the names of the mothers who have received the medal on their website in late April: Decorations awarded annually (ritarikunnat.fi)
Who can receive the Mother's Day Medal of Honor?
In our proposals to the ministry, we noted that the candidates for the award represent a diverse range of mothers. The number of children is not a determining factor for the award. The minimum age for mothers to be awarded is 40 years.
In addition to exemplary educational work and the promotion of family life and parenting, the justification for the badge can be the implementation of a broader shared responsibility educational task in, for example, child protection and family organizations, youth and sports organizations or other social organizations. However, a badge of honor is not awarded to a breeder.
Who can propose a recipient of the Mother's Day Medal of Honor?
Municipalities, parishes, associations and other communities, as well as biological and non-biological children, can propose a recipient of the Mother's Day Medal of Honor.
In certain cases, supporting statements are required as an attachment to the proposal. They must state that the support has been given for the Mother's Day Medal proposal. In addition, the support must include a description of the candidate's educational work.
Statements of support are required in the following cases:
- If the proposer is a biological child, the proposal must include at least two reliable, independent supporting statements from organizations or other entities that are well acquainted with the family in question.
- If the proposer is a non-biological child, the proposal has the advantage if, in addition to the two statements of support mentioned above, it includes a statement of support from, for example, another child who has lived in an adopted, foster or foster family.
Other relatives, acquaintances, and neighbors can also take the initiative in proposing a medal, but in this case they must contact the party that can make the proposal.
Applying for the Mother's Day badge and the medals awarded to mothers are free of charge.
Where should the award nomination form and attachments be sent?
On the form of the religious orders made and with the ministry's annex Completed proposals for medals and statements of support must be signed. The Ministry of Social Affairs and Health also requires that the proposal be accompanied by copies of the original documents.
The original proposal form, the ministry's annex and letters of support, as well as copies of these, must be submitted by letter to the registry of the regional state administrative agency in whose jurisdiction the candidate resides by 3 November 2025:
- Kanta-Häme, Päijät-Häme, Uusimaa, Kymenlaakso and South Karelia:
Regional State Administrative Agency of Southern Finland, Registry Office, P.O. Box 1, 13035 AVI
Further information: Leena Tulokas, Development Manager
The email address of all those providing additional information is: firstname.lastname@avi.fi. They can be reached by phone via the switchboard: 0295 016 000.
The operations of the Regional State Administrative Agencies will end at the end of 2025. Most of our tasks will be transferred to the new national Licensing and Supervision Agency. From the beginning of 2026, you can verify our contact information by calling the Licensing and Supervision Agency switchboard.
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