Lenina Gruis from Bremen wins the German Championship of Vehicle Painters

The German Championship of Vehicle Painters was filled with many highlights.

For the first time in the history of the event - formerly known as the Federal Performance Competition - participants were registered from all 16 federal states. "It's really great to see how many young people have made their way to Münster," says Steven Didssun, President of the Federal Association of Vehicle Painters in the Federal Association of Color Design Building Protection. "They are all highly motivated and want to prove their skills. There can be no better advertisement for our beautiful craft."

Excitement and enthusiasm were palpable throughout the German Championship. After all, the participants had quite a program to follow. In just about 14 working hours, the young talents had to provide a miniature car model, a vehicle door and a billboard with their own design in three-layer coating. The motto for this: Live your dream. Under ideal competition conditions in the Refinish Competence Center of Glasurit, impressive unique pieces were created.

"It was an honor for us to hold this competition," says Michael Uhlenbrock, Technical Customer Support Germany at Glasurit. "There are great young people involved who simply enjoy doing something crafty. This is of inestimable value for the entire industry. All the more I am looking forward to inviting all participants to an exclusive painting course next year and to seeing them again."

Tobias Brefeld, Regional Business Manager DACH and Central Europe at Glasurit, was also impressed by the young talents: "All of you can already be proud of your performance as national winners. You are the future of the vehicle painting trade."

The decision of the jury was close. The three-member team of experts praised the high performance level of the German Championship. "As long as there are young and motivated people like here who represent our craft with so much passion, I have no worries about our profession," explains Kay Dähn, Vice President of the BFL and member of the jury.

The competition was ultimately won by Lenina Gruis from Bremen. She is now the first "German Champion of Vehicle Painters" - an outstanding performance and award. "It was a really cool experience and a lot of fun," says the young vehicle painter. "I went into the competition positively from the start and it paid off."

A very special surprise at the German Championship was provided by Torsten Schmidt, Head of the Vehicle Painting Division in the Federal Association of Color Design Building Protection. He announced the formation of a separate National Vehicle Painter Team. Under the direction of coach Mariusz Dechnig, three of the young talents present are expected to be included in the squad from next year. They can look forward to a variety of training sessions and seminars at home and abroad to prepare for international competitions, such as the WorldSkills 2024 in Lyon.

The German Championship of Vehicle Painters was made possible by the support of the main sponsor Glasurit as well as 3M, SATA, Mirka and CWS Workwear. "We would like to thank our industry partners," concludes Steven Didssun. "This successful championship has impressively shown what we can achieve together - namely inspiring young people for our vehicle painting trade!"