The Interflora World Cup may be featuring 20 of the best floral artists from around the world, but it will also be shining a light on our florists of the future with a new Student Team Competition.
Taking place on Saturday 9th September, the Student Team Competition will showcase the creative talent and technical skills of floristry students from five training colleges from across the UK, all of whom are aiming to be crowned Interflora’s Student Team of the Year.
The five college teams competing in Manchester are:
Reaseheath College from Nantwich, Cheshire
Bishop Burton College from Bishop Burton, East Yorkshire.
Coleg Cambria from Wrexham, North Wales.
Moreton Morrell College from Moreton Morrell, Warwickshire.
CAFRE (College of Agriculture, Food & Rural Enterprise) from Antrim, Northern Ireland.
Each team will be made up of between three and five students. Their task is to create a huge worker bee – the symbol of Manchester – in flowers and foliage, in just 50 minutes (although they will be bringing their structure pre-made). Truly a competition designed to test skills, push boundaries, and encourage creativity and innovation to bloom.
Judging for the student team competition aims to balance serious and genuine competition with accessibility and fun for students who may never have competed before. So, Interflora have simplified the international 100-Points System (established by Florint) to enable the judges to still be objective but without the detailed technicality of high-level competition.
The four judges for the Student Team Competition are:
Karen Barnes
Karen is one of the UK’s leading consultants to the floristry industry and an expert in product development, trends, colours and floral design. She’s an interior floral designer, high profile wedding and event floral planner, and prominent international competition judge as a member of the UK Floristry Judges Guild.
Per Benjamin
Swedish-born Per is a former Interflora World Champion as well as a world-renowned floral artist, teacher, demonstrator and author. His unstoppable curiosity for flowers, design and people make him the perfect choice to judge our Student Team Competition.
Zara Taylor
Zara is the Head of Wholesale & Supply at Interflora British Unit. She has worked in the floristry industry since 2010 and recently completed Cambridge University’s CISL course on Sustainable Business Management.
Gill Perkins, CEO of the Bumblebee Conservation Trust
The aim of the Trust is to create a world where bumblebees are thriving and valued, working with partners and volunteers to increase the number and distribution of bumblebees in the UK. Sustainability and the protection of our natural world are at the heart of the Interflora World Cup and we’re delighted to be able to champion the work of the Bumblebee Conservation Trust at the event.
The Student Team Competition takes place on day three of the Interflora World Cup event, being held in the UK for the first time since its inception in 1972. With the eyes of the floral world on Manchester, it is hoped that the Interflora World Cup and Student Team Competition will truly inspire our next generation of florists.
We're wishing the very best of luck to all the student teams and can't wait to see them in action.
Student Team Competition sponsored by:
