Digital Creativity Contest “Estonian Book 500”
The Estonian National Museum marked the jubilee of Estonian-language written culture by organising the digital creativity contest “Estonian Book 500.” For nearly half a millennium, the Estonian-language book has been a bearer of Estonian culture – from catechisms to today’s e-publications. The jubilee offered a fitting moment to celebrate this enduring transformation into a creative, playful, and digital-age spirit. From April to September 2025, anyone interested was invited to submit digital works inspired by digital heritage.
To participate, entrants selected visual or textual material from a digital heritage database and created a digital work on the theme “Estonian Book 500.” While examples of digital creations (such as memes or poems) were provided, participants were encouraged to think outside the box and produce surprising works. A variety of tools could be used, including AI, which was judged in a separate category. Submissions had to remain under 100 MB and include a link to the source material along with a description of how the work was created. (www.erm.ee/raamat500)
The jury recognised the most outstanding works with prizes provided by the contest sponsors: an iPhone 16e from iDeal, Traditional Lemonade from A. Le Coq, ice cream from Premia, book vouchers from the Biblioteek bookstore, and monetary awards from the Estonian National Museum. Entries were evaluated based on originality, relevance to the theme, and creativity in the use of digital heritage. Although multiple works could be submitted, the jury assessed only one entry per participant.
The contest was organised within the framework of the Ministry of Culture–funded research project “Digital Cultural Heritage as a Social Resource.”