NOTICE: Regarding the "CAN YOU DESIGN?" vote

Helsinki, February 18, 2026

The voting process for the RÄNDÖM® Sauna Fresh can design competition is being updated. We have observed unusual voting behavior that suggests some votes may have been manipulated. To ensure fairness, we have begun verifying the votes in accordance with the contest rules and will remove the real-time vote counts from view starting February 18, 2026.

The competition exceeded our expectations: we received a total of 137 design entries. Thank you to all participants and voters for your interest and feedback.

WHAT WILL CHANGE IMMEDIATELY

  • Real-time vote counts will be hidden starting on February 18, 2026.
  • Vote verification is currently underway and will continue until voting closes. Votes that violate the rules or appear to be fraudulent will be removed before the Top 10 finalists are announced.

WHAT WON'T CHANGE

  • The basic concept of the competition and the prizes will remain the same.
  • Voting continues to play a key role: the public's votes determine the Top 10, and in the final, the public selects the Top 5.
  • Final voting for the Top 10: Between February 26, 2026, and February 28, 2026
  • The Top 5 will be released on March 3, 2026
  • The expert panel's* decision and announcement of the winner: RÄNDÖM, so stay tuned!

Since the number of participants exceeded our expectations and the integrity of the voting process is of the utmost importance to us, the competition will now proceed in two stages:

Step 1: Vote Count and Top 10 Finalists

We will remove votes that clearly violate the rules or appear to be fraudulent after the voting period ends on February 24, 2026. We will then announce the Top 10 finalists on February 26, 2026.

Step 2: Final vote on the Top 10

A separate final vote will be held for the Top 10 finalists from February 26 to February 28, 2026. Based on the results of the final vote, the Top 5 will be selected from among those who received the most votes, and a panel of experts* will then choose the winner. In addition to the winner, we will enter into commercial partnerships with the four runners-up during 2026 and 2027. 

Votes in the Top 10 final round will be reset, and here's why

The first round (still ongoing until February 24, 2026) took place at a time when there was an exceptionally large number of entries and vote counts were displayed in real time. In such cases, the votes cast may be skewed due to both unusual traffic and the bandwagon effect. Therefore, we use the verified first-round votes only to determine the Top 10 finalists, and the Top 10 final starts from a 0–0 score. This ensures that the final result is based solely on the voting in the final and the works themselves, and does not carry over any potential inauthentic votes or distortions from the previous round. 

Schedule

  • Real-time vote counts will be hidden: February 18, 2026
  • The Top 10 finalists will be announced: February 26, 2026
  • Final vote for the Top 10: February 26–28, 2026 
  • The Top 5 will be released on March 3, 2026
  • The expert panel's* decision and announcement of the winner: RÄNDÖM, so stay tuned!

Final can design and Audience Favorite

Since the winning entry will go into production and become part of the Sauna Fresh brand, the jury* will select the final production design from the Top 5. The selection will emphasize the design’s functionality on the can (standout on the shelf, scalability to different sizes and campaigns, and timelessness) as well as brand recognition.
 In addition, based on the final vote, we will announce the “Audience Favorite” award.

From the very beginning, we wanted to give all entries a fair chance and keep the voting process transparent and open. At the same time, we have seen—as has been observed in many large public votes internationally—that open voting can invite unfair practices. That is why we are now moving forward with a model that safeguards the fairness of the competition and gives the public’s vote genuine weight. 

You can find the full schedule and FAQs here. On Discord you can also join the discussion. Thank you for participating and keeping the competition fair. 

EXPERT PANEL*

Johanna Muhonen– M.A., Lecturer in Cultural Production (Humak) and producer. Her core areas of expertise are arts production and creative content. Her teaching responsibilities in the cultural production program include visual communication, service design, and product development.

Veli Toppinen – cultural influencer and event producer. Creator of the Art Goes Kapakka series and producer of the Choir Tour. Organizer of the first Iisalmi Pride event (2025). Active member of the Sakset seis! citizens’ movement.

Kasper Strömman – graphic designer and illustrator, Graphic Designer of the Year 2013. He is also known as a media personality, for his concept-driven visual style, and for the Piparkassu book series.

Sanna Airaksinen – Secretary General of the Finnish Youth Clubs / Nuori Kulttuuri. Responsible for the nationwide development of youth cultural activities and participation.

Ile Mäentakanen– (Smile Company Oy / RÄNDÖM) – CEO. Overall responsibility for RÄNDÖM Sauna Fresh production and general creative director.


No Stress, Sauna Fresh,
TEAM RÄNDÖM

For further information:

Ile Mäentakanen and Konsta Ikäläinen
[email protected]