Graffiti SM Returned to Helsinki After a Ten-Year Break – Over 1,000 People Gathered in Vallila
Graffiti SM, Finland’s national graffiti championship, was held in Helsinki for the first time in ten years on Saturday 5 September 2026. Organised by FunkOn, the event brought more than 1,000 people to the Konepaja area in Vallila during the day. The turnout was several times higher than expected.
During the six-hour competition, 12 artists transformed an approximately 150-metre-long construction-site fence into a new piece of public art. The fence had previously been covered in tags and layers of graffiti. During the competition, it became a single cohesive artwork that will remain visible in Helsinki’s cityscape after the event.
Graffiti SM was much more than a painting competition. Several DJs representing different generations played throughout the day, including the well-known Finnish rapper and DJ Paleface. A free graffiti workshop for children and young people attracted almost 100 participants.
The event brought together a remarkably diverse crowd, from experienced graffiti artists to young people, families with children and people attending a graffiti event for the first time. Paavo Arhinmäki, Helsinki’s Deputy Mayor for Culture and Leisure, also came to watch the competition. He said that he had last attended Graffiti SM in 1990.
The jury was also selected to represent different generations and points of view. It brought together experienced figures from graffiti and visual culture with professionals from music and media. Its members included an art director from the Finnish newspaper Helsingin Sanomat and NeliKasi, a rapper from Tampere representing a younger generation.
For the first time in Finland, the competition included a separate U29 category alongside the Open category. The aim was to give a new generation of graffiti artists more space and visibility. OCTO from Tampere became the Finnish champion in the Open category, while LUXUR won the U29 category. The results were based on a combination of the jury’s scores and a public vote.
The public vote showed that the event also attracted plenty of interest beyond the venue. More than 400 people voted through FunkOn’s Instagram account in less than two hours. The winners were announced later that evening at the official afterparty at Olarin Panimo, which was filled to capacity.
“The popularity of the event surprised us too. We knew people were interested in the return of Graffiti SM, but the size of the crowd and the range of people it brought together far exceeded our expectations. The event also received widespread media coverage and introduced Finnish graffiti culture to people who were not previously familiar with it. If the day made one thing clear, it is that Finnish graffiti culture is alive and well,” says Aarni Somerharju, CEO of FunkOn Oy.
See photos from Graffiti SM 2026 below and watch the video capturing the atmosphere of the day.
