A 27-year-old art student from Germany has won a year-long guardianship of an uninhabited Swedish island, but must vacate by June 2027. Miriam Wiskemann, who is studying illustration at Burg Giebichenstein University of Art and Design, will become the sole occupant of Marsten, a tiny island measuring 180 metres by 50 metres off Sweden's west coast.
The prize, awarded by Visit Sweden as part of its 'Your Swedish Island' campaign, includes a right-of-use agreement and a travel voucher worth 20,000 Swedish krona (approximately £1,590). However, there are no structures on the island, and the award does not grant permanent residency. The competition attracted nearly 2,500 applications from 100 countries, with four other winners from Canada, the US, the Netherlands and Switzerland each receiving their own remote island for a year.
Wiskemann, who previously lived in Sweden for a year, plans to visit Marsten in September to gather inspiration for her final degree project. She told German news agency dpa: 'Sweden just has a more relaxed pace of life that I've often found myself missing in Germany. This trip is all I'm going to be thinking about for the rest of this term.' She added: 'The Swedish nature and the stark differences of the seasons have always really inspired me and my art.'
Visit Sweden stated that the initiative aimed to demonstrate that 'true luxury isn't about excess, but rather about time, space and balance'. The island, which attracts kayakers and paddle boarders in summer, is otherwise home to a colony of cormorants. Wiskemann, originally from Dusseldorf, hopes to eventually pursue a master's degree in Stockholm.
