Ahti Lyra from Estonia, wins Gold at the Floral Windows at the World Championship. This beautiful World Cup took place during the Singapore Garden Festival. This year’s FWWC featured 16 competitors from around the world competing against each other in a series of six live tasks in front of judges and visitors. Five of them battled in the finals on stage. Hung Mo Joo, Momo (Republic of Korea), Hiroto Inoue (Japan), Stefan van Berlo (Belgium), Tamás Mezöffy (Hungary), and Ahti Lyra (Estonia). This last one received the Grand Champion Award from Ms Chang Hwee Nee, CEO of the National Heritage Board.
Golden Award for Ahti Lyra at Floral Windows to the World in Singapore
Estonian floral designer Ahti Lyra has clinched the top award of Grand Champion at the Floral Windows to the World Championship (FWWC) as part of the Singapore Garden Festival (SGF) 2024. This is the first time a designer from Estonia has participated in SGF. Also receiving their accolades from Guest of Honor, Ms Chang Hwee Nee, CEO of National Heritage Board, at the award ceremony earlier today are Hung Mo Joo, Momo from the Republic of Korea, and Hiroto Inoue from Japan, who won the first and second runner-ups respectively.
Competition in Singapore Back After a Six-Year Break
The competition returned in a refreshed live format for the first time after a six-year hiatus and took place from August 3-5, 2024, at Suntec Singapore Convention & Exhibition Center. This year’s FWWC featured 16 competitors from around the world competing against each other in a series of six live tasks in front of judges and visitors. Each competitor has a minimum of five years of experience in the floral industry or various international floral competitions.
The Judging Committee for Floral Windows to the World at the Singapore Garden Festival
Renowned international floral designers judged the refreshed FWWC:
● Mrs Alison Bradley (Head Judge), Director and Co-Founder of Floral Fundamentals, Scotland
● Mr Takumi Nakaya, President of Floral School “Madka”, Japan
● Mr Harijanto Setiawan, International Master Florist, Singapore
● Ms Petra Konrad, Master Designer and CEO of FlowerArt Academy, Germany
● Mr Bart Hassam, International Floral Designer and 2019 Floral World Cup Champion, Australia
● Mr Max van de Sluis, Flower Designer of Life 2, The Netherlands
Mrs Alison Bradley, Head Judge for FWWC and Director and Co-Founder of Floral Fundamentals, commented on the quality of the participants this year:
“The refreshed format takes on a different challenge and creates excitement for both designers and visitors. The quality of the displays created under time pressure has been superb. The surprise tasks for this competition are world-class and have broken new boundaries.”
An award-winning creative floral designer herself, Mrs. Bradley was also a judge at the Floral Windows to the World editions in 2010, 2012, 2014, 2016, and 2018. The themes of the tasks ranged from “Designer’s Choice” and “Bridal Bouquet” to “Table for Two”, challenging the designers on their versatility and adaptability. The final three tasks were surprise packages, “Unexpected Host”, “A Gift for Singapore” and “Blossoming Finale”.
.jpg?1723044317876 "Hung Mo Joo Momo Republic of Korea working on his display during the finals of the Floral Windows to the World Championship")
The Winning Design from Ahti Lyra, Grand Champion of FWWC 2024
The Grand Champion in the competition, Ahti Lyra from Estonia, shared:
“For the competition, I thought hard about how to share my culture, representing my country of 1.3 million people, and what would be interesting for Singaporeans to see. My inspiration ranged from nature to Estonian smoke saunas and black bread.”
She then shared this as advice for floral designers:
“Work hard and compete not for the judges, but for yourself.”
Congratulations to the 5 finalists of the competition Floral Windows to the World:
Grand Champion Ahti Lyra, Estonia
First Runner-Up Hung Mo Joo, Momo, Republic of Korea
Second Runner-Up Hiroto Inoue, Japan
Finalist Stefan Van Berlo, Belgium
Finalist Tamás Mezöffy, Hungary
For more information about SGF, please visit the Singapore Garden Festival Website or Facebook page.
