Estonian Contest Crowdsources 1,500 New Food Words in Creative Showcase

This year’s Sõnaus word-creation contest invited the public to invent new food-related terms. The competition attracted a wide range of participants, from a 3-year-old to an 84-year-old. Over 1,500 submissions were received, with many coming from school students. The contest drew 380 individuals and 11 educational institutions. Together, they submitted 1,500 new words, including 1,371 unique entries. About one-third of these came from school students.

The top winners were Rahke for al dente, Taksisai for hot dog, and Veede for brunch. The public’s favourite word was varulauk, meaning herbs bought as a backup and rarely used. The most popular category was food made from leftovers, with 151 entries submitted.

One participant stood out by submitting 151 words alone. The average age of contributors was 40. Marja Vaba, a Sõnaus committee member, noted that only a small fraction of these words usually enter widespread use. The contest highlighted creativity across all age groups. The winning words and public favourite will now be considered for official recognition. Most submissions, however, are unlikely to become part of everyday language.