Anniina Hietamäki wins bronze in Baltic Sea Master painting contest in Tartu

Tampere Vocational College Tredu said Anniina Hietamäki, a student at the college, placed third in the Baltic Sea Master 2026 painting competition held in Tartu, Estonia on 7–8 October 2026.

The inaugural painting category drew nine competitors from Finland, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania and was organised by Tartu's vocational school. Estonian entrants took the top two spots, with Hietamäki taking bronze.

She prepared during the autumn term by practising hand-mixing paint tints, wallpapering and stencil painting, drawing on experience from the spring 2026 Taitaja semifinal. The college noted that careful workflow planning under a tight schedule and readiness to adapt to surprises were key lessons from prior contests.

Competitors and coaches used breaks to compare techniques and stages of work, giving participants a chance to learn from other countries' approaches, while teachers from the Finnish delegation discussed curriculum content and possible future collaboration with their Baltic counterparts.

Students from the college also won multiple awards at the national SAKUstars finals in April 2026 the national SAKUstars finals in April 2026.

Hietamäki will continue her competition programme with the aim of reaching the Taitaja finals in spring 2027, the college said.