Organizers of the Helsinki Digital Humanities Hackathon, Mikko Tolonen, Eetu Mäkelä, Jukka Suomela and Jouni Tuominen received the 2024 Steven Krauwer award for CLARIN Achievements.
Mikko Tolonen is a Professor in Digital Humanities at the University of Helsinki, Eetu Mäkelä is a Professor in Digital Humanities at the University of Helsinki and Datafication Research Program Director at HSSH, Jukka Suomela is an Associate Professor in computer science at Aalto University, and Jouni Tuominen is a University Researcher at HSSH.
The Helsinki Digital Humanities Hackathon (DHH24) was nominated for its role in bridging computer science, data science, social sciences, and humanities, and offering researchers and students a platform to address complex, real-world issues through interdisciplinary collaboration. Earlier this year, over a ten-day event, participants worked on projects such as measuring Eurovision success, analyzing Enlightenment-era illustrations, examining democracy through parliamentary speeches, and exploring online civil discourse. DHH24 highlighted the power of cross-disciplinary teamwork, guiding participants through a complete research process and showcasing the innovative potential of combining diverse academic skills.
According to Tolonen, organising the hackathon over the years has been "central to digital humanities; it has transformed our foundation, driving us to become more international and interdisciplinary. In many ways, digital humanities and the DHH hackathon have come of age together! It has also been fun. Especially since we introduced the karaoke room."
The award ceremony took place during the 2024 CLARIN Annual Conference, a hybrid event held in Barcelona from 15 to 17 of October. HSSH’s Jouni Tuominen was present at the conference accepting the award on behalf of the Hackathon team.