The Runeberg Prize board announced Friday that Kari Hotakainen's novel Ihmisen osa had been chosen as the winner of this year's award.

First awarded in 1986, the prize is an initiative of Uusimaa, a newspaper, Porvoo city council and the Finnish- and Swedish-language authors' unions.

The award was named after Johan Ludvig Runeberg (1804-77), Finland's national poet.

STT