Finland is to erect a memorial to President Mauno Koivisto near parliament after a design competition saw 110 entries.
Kirsi Kaulanen's winning design, named 'Välittäjä' or 'The Mediator', will be a flowing construction of steel designed to evoke the role Finland played during Koivisto's presidency as an intermediary between east and west.
It was unveiled at a ceremony on Wednesday held at the Oodi library in central Helsinki, and Kaulanen now receives a 20,000 euro prize for her effort.
Five other entries were recognised by the judges and given a cash prize.
The winning design will be placed next to the Little Parliament building in Helsinki. Judges said that it was an excellent fit for Koivisto.
"It's material, polished stainless steel, reflects passers-by and the monument's surroundings as part of the work," read the prize committee's comments.
"The work puts observers between two worldviews. That reflects Finland's geographical position between east and west and president Mauno Koivisto's role as a facilitator of co-operation."
Koivisto was president between 1982 and 1994, a period after Urho Kekkonen's presidency that saw Finland's economy boom and bust alongside Glasnost, perestroika and the collapse of the Soviet Union.
