Scholarships & stipends & prizes for compositional work:
Finnish Cultural Foundation 1997, Sibelius-foudation 97, Wihuri Foundation 98, Sibelius-foundation 99, Florida chapter finnish american foundation 99, an award for studies by the University of Miami 1999, ( it was not possible for him to stay at the University the whole season because he had to compose the Osiris-opera at the same time with time-line.)a private american research foundation Florida- New York 00, Arts Council of Finland 01, Wihuri Foundation 01, Wihuri Foundation 02, Finnish Cultural Foundation 04, Arts Council of Finland 11.

From the very start of his professional studies and compositional work as a result, he has had a strong tendency to find more personal expression with changing the musical form in his compositions from the traditional western types. (like e.g. Rondo, and other such form- types.)
For doing so, he received a special, historical one time composition-stipend or prize in 1998, based to Pekka Hako's initiative to Aina Swan Cutler with the following donation from her and Finnish Cultural Foundation. Jean Sibelius gave this type of honour to Einojuhani Rautavaara in his 70-years birthday, who donated the honour to Jani Kääriä in the form of Einojuhani Rautavaara stipend, or prize likewise in his 70-years birthday.

Rautavaara's valuation for doing so was that Kääriä's music to him is poetic, narrative and especially because he escapes the trite clichés of western classical musical form.