The third annual competition had 780 submissions, 60 of which were chosen for the exhibition, and nine of which received different awards.

Pählapuu's winning competition piece deals with the symbolism of flies, inspired by many creators: as a symbol of feud and bloodlust or nuisance and disgust, as a sympathetic interlocutor, or as an all-seeing eye on the wall. Pählapuu celebrates the riot of flies against everything and everyone, but also a call for mutual understanding.

Contemporary glass art roots originate from the new art movement in the 1950s-1960s in former Czechoslovakia and the U.S. when they began to use glass as a means of artistic expression. Over the decades, the modern glass art world has become more active and attractive and enrichened its modes of expression. The triennial organizers expected the artists to demonstrate the flows of perspective and endless possibilities in their work.

This year, the jury panel consisted of the New York resident and director of the studio at The Corning Museum of Glass, Amy Schwartz, Editor-in-chief at the magazine "NEUES GLAS – NEW GLASS: Art & architecture" Uta Klotz, Founder, the director and executive CEO of Shanghai Museum of Glass Zhang Lin, the director of The National Museum of Art, Osaka Shima Atsuhiko, and the director of Toyama Glass Art Museum Tsuchida Ruriko.

Birgit Pählapuu (1981) holds both a master's (2016) and a bachelor's (2010) from the Estonian Academy of Arts in glass art. In addition, she studied at the Prague Academy of Arts, Architecture, and Design (2008) and obtained a bachelor's (2002) from the Estonian Business School in international business management.

She has participated in home and foreign exhibitions since 2008 and has created her own exhibitions since 2017. She is one of the founders and leaders of Okapi Gallery.

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