Winners 2025

/The World Bodypainting Festival 2025 Special Edition

The Camouflage Bodypainting Transforms Medieval Town Sterzing into a Living Art Gallery

For 27 years, the World Bodypainting Festival (WBF) has been at the heart of the international bodypainting scene. The year 2025 marks a creative turning point: instead of the past festival format, the community could experience the first stop of the WBF's new format.

This past weekend, 12th & 13th of July 2025, was the beginning of the new creative journey – splitting out World Award categories throughout different countries.

The medieval town of Sterzing/Vipiteno became the breathtaking stage for the World Bodypainting Festival 2025 Special Edition in Italy, as participants from around the world competed in the World Award Camouflage, thanks to the fantastic support by the town Sterzing/Vipiteno.

Over the course of two vibrant days, thousands of spectators roamed the charming old town in search of human canvases seamlessly blended into historic walls, towers, and artworks. What appeared to be an illusion was, in fact, the result of hours of thorough artistic precision — the human body blended into various backgrounds.

A limited number of 20 selected international artists were able to compete in the World Championship. The locations picked for the competitors were carefully curated by the world-renowned artist and bodypainting illusionist Johannes Stötter, born and living in Sterzing/Vipiteno. He was part of the jury, together with Bulgarian fine art artist and gallery owner Bella Volen, living in Vienna, as well as former World Champion in Camouflage, Olena Semenets, who traveled especially from Kyiv, Ukraine, escaping one of the biggest Russian terrors and finding peace in art, at least for a few days.

Some location highlights were definitely the top of the town’s landmark, the 46m-high tower “Zwölferturm” – it was already a task to get up there with the artists’ equipment. Another challenge was a man in traditional South Tyrolean costume as part of the scenery for the camouflage. Not only the model but also the person in the background had to stand still for the allowed time of 3 hours to complete the challenge. Another spectacular setting was the historical town hall, where a wooden epitaph from 1597, touched with gold, stood as a timeless tribute to South Tyrolean sacred art.

The competition level was so high that it was a very tight race, especially for the top 5 competitors, with only a few points apart.

World Award presented by Kryolan

World Award: Camouflage Bodypainting

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The Winners

The Camouflage World Champion title 2025 goes to Florine Colledara from France, whose stunning work left the jury in awe — her creation melted imperceptibly into its surroundings. Second place was claimed by Nicola Loda from Italy, followed by Vanessa La Mouche des Marquises from France.

Festival founder Alex Barendregt praised the incredible public turnout and the emotional impact of the artworks. “This festival isn’t just a competition,” he said. “It’s a vision of harmony between the human body and our urban heritage.”

Beyond the contest, the event offered workshops, live music, and a creative jam session on both days — a relaxed format where creativity flowed freely, unbound by the pressure of judgment.

As the colors fade and the streets return to normal, what remains are lasting impressions, captured by photographers and filmmakers — and the memory of a fleeting moment when people and place became one.

Photo Gallery WBF Camouflage 2025