ALEXANDRIA, VA — Watch out “Iron Chef.” Move aside “Design Star.” This summer, some of the floral industry’s top designers will go head to head, and flower to flower, in a highly anticipated live competition that’s sure to put their best skills to the test.
The California Cut Flower Commission sponsors the Sylvia Cup and provides all flowers and foliage. Smithers-Oasis provides the design supplies and prize money: $3,000 for the grand prize winner, $500 for the first runner-up and $250 for second runner-up. Professional Floral Communicators – International coordinates the event.
Among the 25 floral designers competing in the 47th Annual Sylvia Cup Design Competition are 13 members of the American Institute of Floral Designers, four contestants sponsored by state floral associations for winning recent contests, and eight past Sylvia Cup contestants including 2012 Grand Prize Winner Vincent Petrovsky, AIFD; 2013 First Runner-Up Jacob McCall, AAF, AIFD, FSMD; and 2013 Second Runner-Up BJ Dyer, AAF, AIFD.
“What an awesome, high-caliber panel of competitors,” said Sylvia Cup coordinator D Damon Samuel, AAF, AIFD, PFCI, NAFD, NMF, of the Bill Doran Company in Omaha, Neb. “I’m looking forward to their amazing designs and the unveiling of the theme.” Samuel coordinated the 2013 competition and surprised contestants and the audience with an edgy Steampunk challenge theme. (See photos from Sylvia Cup 2013 on Flickr.)
Samuel and co-coordinator J. Robbin Yelverton, AAF, AIFD, PFCI, of Blumz by … JRDesigns in metro Detroit unveil this year’s challenge theme on Aug. 16 at SAF Marco Island 2014, the Society of American Florists' 130th Annual Convention.
Contestants will then race for two hours to complete the challenge using products from the California Cut Flower Commission and Smithers-Oasis. Lisa Weddel, AAF, AIFD, PFCI, of L. Weddel Design in Highlands Ranch, Colo., and Susan Wilke, AAF, PFCI, of Karthauser & Sons Wholesale Florist in Germantown, Wis., will provide commentary and track the progress of the designs — and the ticking of the clocks.
A panel of three design experts appointed by the PFCI Board of Trustees will evaluate the contestants’ work based on several factors. The highest combined score determines the winner. The top three scores will be honored on stage at the convention’s Stars of the Industry Awards Dinner. The grand prize winner takes home the Sylvia Cup trophy and $3,000; first runner-up receives $500 and Second Runner-Up $250.
The Society of American Florists is the leading organization representing all segments of the floral industry. SAF is proud to provide marketing, business and government services to its members, including growers, wholesalers, retailers, suppliers, importers, educators, designers and allied organizations. The association was chartered by an act of Congress in 1884.
Source: Society of American Florists
