Aleksis Salusjärvi (b. 1980) is a Finnish literary and visual-arts critic, cultural journalist, and literacy educator. He edited the criticism journal Kritiikin Uutiset (from 2010) and the Lukukeskus literary review Kiiltomato, chaired the 2017 Finlandia Prize jury, and has been a central figure in the Sanat haltuun project, which uses rap lyrics to build reading skills among disengaged young people in vocational schools and beyond.
Salusjärvi was awarded the 25,000-euro Tanner Prize on 12 March 2025 for his sustained work in building young people's literacy, self-esteem, and social participation through literature.
Salusjärvi gave a keynote presentation on inspiring reluctant young readers and uncovering hidden skills at the national 'Yhteispeliä!' webinar on 14 May 2025.
Salusjärvi spoke at Sanoma Pro's Balanssi event in September 2024, framing literacy as a survival skill and discussing Finland's best-performing PISA schools.
Suomen PEN awarded Salusjärvi its freedom-of-expression prize in 2023 for his work promoting reading and literacy.
New editions of the Otava Särmä Finnish-language textbook series co-authored by Salusjärvi were published for the 2025-2026 school year, with further updated volumes due in 2026.
