- The winner of the 2025 Economic Guru competition is Lauri Nyhä from the Tampere Classical Upper Secondary School.
- The second place went to Unna Eteläinen from the Ounasvaara Upper Secondary School.
- The third place went to Aatos Caesar from Helsingin suomalainen yhteiskoulu.
- The award for best debater went to Economic Guru winner Lauri Nyhä.
The Economic Guru is a Finnish economics competition for general upper secondary school students, in which the main draw is the chance to win a direct student place in one of eight Finnish universities. The competition has two parts: a preliminary competition that all general upper secondary schools can organise for their students and a final for the 14 finalists selected by the competition jury. The preliminary competition is a written test held simultaneously in early January at all participating schools similarly to the matriculation exams. This year, the competition was hosted at 125 general upper secondary schools, drawing about 1,300 students in total.
The Economic Guru competition that tests Finnish general upper secondary school students’ economics skills was held for the 27th time this year. The winner Lauri Nyhä was crowned with the iconic doctoral hat that is passed on from one winner to the next. The hat will take a pride of place at the Tampere Classical Upper Secondary School.
The winner was chosen based on both a written exam and a debate from among the 14 finalists selected by the competition jury. The preliminary competition was held on 8 January.
“I’m surprised and absolutely thrilled to have won. It’s a wonderful feeling”, says Lauri Nyhä right after winning the competition.
Nyhä says that he has been considering different fields of study in Finnish and European universities, but winning the competition is now tipping the scales heavily in favour of economics.
At the Economic Guru final, participants take part in both a written exam and a debate. In the written exam, finalists were asked to analyse the pros and cons of joint debt in the EU.
The debates were held in pairs, with each participant arguing either for or against a given motion. The participants were assigned their position at random. The debate measures both economic and argumentation skills. This year’s winner had to defend a motion stating that if taxes must be increased, it is better to increase income tax than value added tax.
Student places in eight universities
Economic Guru finalists have the chance to win a direct student place in one of eight Finnish universities – Aalto University, Hanken School of Economics, Tampere University, the University of Eastern Finland, the University of Helsinki, the University of Jyväskylä, the University of Turku and the University of Vaasa – and skip the usual admissions process in which admission is based either on prior academic record or entrance examination. The universities can offer student places to all or some of the finalists depending on their success in the competition.
Economic Guru is organised by Finance Finland (FFI), the Association for Teachers of History and Social Studies (HYOL) and the Finnish Financial Ombudsman Bureau (FINE). The competition is sponsored by the Kauppalehti business newspaper, Junior Achievement (JA) Finland, the Union of Finnish Upper Secondary School Students and the Taloustoimittajat association for economic journalists.
Further information:
Elina Antila, Head of Communications, Finnish Financial Ombudsman Bureau FINE, tel. +358 40 548 3838
Kirsi Ruhanen, Executive Director, Association for Teachers of History and Social Studies HYOL, tel. +358 44 303 1789
Lauri Nyhä, Economic Guru of 2025, tel. +358 44 975 1771.
Economic Guru finalists in 2025
- Aatos Caesar, Helsingin suomalainen yhteiskoulu, Helsinki
- Elmo Eskelinen, Kuopio Classical Upper Secondary School, Kuopio
- Unna Eteläinen, Ounasvaara Upper Secondary School, Rovaniemi
- Karri Hakkarainen, Tuusula Upper Secondary School, Tuusula
- Ilmari Laine, Ressu Upper Secondary School, Helsinki
- Elias Laukkanen, Tikkurila Upper Secondary School, Vantaa
- Vihtori Nuortimo, Säkylä Upper Secondary School, Säkylä
- Lauri Nyhä, Tampere Classical Upper Secondary School, Tampere
- Paavo Pippola, Tampere University Teacher Training School, Tampere
- Pessi Päivärinne, Kallio Upper Secondary School of Performing Arts, Helsinki
- Kasperi Reunanen, Otaniemi Upper Secondary School, Espoo
- Aslan Sandelin, Lahden yhteiskoulu, Lahti
- Arttu Takkinen, Etelä-Tapiola General Upper Secondary School, Espoo
- Jesse Touko, Oulunkylä Secondary School, Helsinki
Debate motions in the final
- Rent regulation is a good thing / Rent regulation is a bad thing
- If taxes must be increased, it is better to increase value added tax than income tax / If taxes must be increased, it is better to increase income tax than value added tax
- Tax credit for household expenses should be removed / Tax credit for household expenses should not be removed
- Inheritance tax should be removed / Inheritance tax should not be removed
- Household indebtedness should be curbed / Household indebtedness should not be curbed
- Tariffs on electric cars made in China are a good thing / Tariffs on electric cars made in China are not a good thing
- Companies should be supported to promote the green transition / Companies should not be supported to promote the green transition
Written test in the final
During the COVID-19 pandemic, the EU launched a large stimulus package that made joint debt in the EU a reality. It has been proposed that more joint debt should be issued in the future. Analyse the pros and cons of joint debt.
As background material, finalists were provided a chart presenting EU countries’ government debt-to-GDP ratio.
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