Attention all little book gobblers, word wizards and page-flipping champions! It’s time to limber up your eyeballs, flex your imagination, and stretch those reading muscles – because the Estonian Reading Marathon is back, and it’s running until 10 May 2026!
No running involved (unless you’re sprinting to the bookshelf). This is a marathon of the mind, where your mission is to read as much Estonian stuff as humanly possible – and have a wildly good time doing it.
And YES – Estonian Aussie kids can totally join! If you live in Australia and know your “sõna” from your “sokk”, this one’s for you!
🏃♂️🏃♀️ Wait… a marathon? With books?
Exactly. No sweaty socks, no medals made of spaghetti – just you, some good books in Estonian, and a whole year to power through a fun reading challenge.
You can read anything from:
- Storybooks with dragons and wizards
- Comics with talking squarrels
- Magazines, cookbooks, poems, e-books, shopping lists (OK, maybe not shopping lists)…
As long as it’s in Estonian – it counts!
📏 So how long is this “marathon”?
Glad you asked. It’s not about (kilo)metres – it’s about (fun)minutes:
Under 6 years old: 500 minutes (just over 8 hours – that’s like 16 episodes of Peppa Pig, but smarter)
Ages 7–11: 2 x 500 minutes (you’re a big kid now)
Ages 12 and up: 3 x 500 minutes (superhero status with cape wearing rights… unless you don’t think that’s cool anymore??)
You can read on the couch, in a tree, under a blanket, or in the bath (just don’t drop the book and safety first!). And if you finish early? You can do the whole thing again! Because bookworms never sleep. (Well, they do – especially after reading. A lot. Because even bookworms need a good night’s sleep to stay healthy and keep those imaginations buzzing!).
🏆 What do I get if I finish?
Oh ho ho! Glad you asked. Every child who finishes the marathon receives:
- A glorious certificate with your name on it (suitable for bragging to grandparents)
- A FREE ticket to one of Estonia’s coolest museums – think mummies, knights, skeletons, stuffed owls, and mysterious 19th-century teaspoons!
You’ll get it all by email, like a very official Estonian owl delivering wisdom digitally.
📝 How to join
- Ask your parent/guardian/reading butler to email your name and age to Iti Connor – eestikeel@eesti.org.au by 30 June 2025.
- Keep a list of everything you read in Estonian.
- When you’ve finished your “reading distance”, email your reading list back to Iti.
Iti Connor is the lovely teacher behind the Brisbane Estonian Playgroup and the Estonian language coordinator for the Council of Estonian Societies in Australia – so you’re in excellent hands!
🧭 Organised by
Estonian Language Institute, with support from some amazing Estonian museums including: the Health Museum, Nature Museum, History Museum, Toy Museum, and more!
This marathon is part of the worldwide celebration of Eesti Raamatu Aasta – the Year of the Estonian Book, which makes it the perfect time to dive into stories, poems and comics that celebrate the beauty of Estonian language and imagination. It’s basically a year-long excuse to read and call it “cultural participation”. Win-win!
Ready to begin?
That’s a whole year of turning pages, exploring magical worlds and discovering just how fun reading in Estonian can be!
Get those books, choose your favourite bookmarks – and ready, set… read!
🥳 Happy reading, you little legends!
Want to read more about reading…?
More about the Reading Marathon:
https://eki.ee/lugemismaraton/
More on the Year of the Estonian Book:
https://raamatuaasta.ee/et
Acknowledgements
We say thank you to Iti Connor for information about this exciting event!
