After a very exhilarating Thursday, Friday, and Saturday at the Interflora World Cup, a winner was crowned. Nicolaus Peters who represented Germany during this grand event has been named the Champion of the 2023 World Cup and he is absolutely thrilled to take the title home. Learn more about the highlights of the last day of the competition and how Nicolas came to win.
Nicolaus Peters Wins the Interflora World Cup 2023
Glory for Germany as the three-day extravaganza at Manchester Central came to a thrilling close on Saturday, September 9th. Nicolaus Peters has been crowned Interflora World Cup Champion 2023 following a glittering gala final. As said by Interflora, the three-day knockout event staged in the UK for the first time in its history, brought the global elite of floristry together to compete for the ultimate accolade and a £15,000 prize.
Competitors from twenty nations from as far afield as Japan, the USA, Peru, and Vietnam, among many other countries were set a series of creative tasks under strict time conditions — some known about in advance and others given as a surprise to test their speed of thought and design skills.
Competitors Who Were Part of the Grand Finale
As the excitement during the competition grew without limits, attendees were able to see representatives from countries such as Norway, the United Kingdom, Spain, the Republic of Korea, and Germany represented by Nicolaus go head to head in the Grand Final.
Nicolaus said:
"I can’t believe I’ve won. It’s still sinking in. It’s an incredible achievement and I’m so proud and overwhelmed."
Elisabeth Pålsson took second place for Norway, while the UK and Ireland's contestant Elizabeth Newcombe, 26, from Guildford, took third place. The final task saw competitors create an arrangement celebrating 100 years of connecting with nature — to an audience of over 600 — including seven previous World Cup Champions, one of them being the second-ever winner Alan Nunn who won the event in 1974.
Skilled International Jurys Made Part of the Interflora World Cup 2023
Throughout the event, the competitors’ incredible creations were evaluated by a team of 14 international judges and adjudicators managed by the International Florist Organization, Florint. Judge Team President Thomas Ratschker, Dini Holtrop, Alex Segura, Owen Lynda, Pirjo Koppi and Deborah de la Flor. They were assessed on four key aspects of good floristry design: idea, color, composition, and technique alongside how sustainable their efforts were. During this World Cup, the four criteria are ‘weighted’ separately by the jury’s Technical Committee. For example, the aspect of ‘composition’ may allow you to earn more points than that of ‘color use’. In that case, the jury has decided that composition is more important for this particular task. Such a weighting method allows for the most precise and fair assessment.
Florint’s International 100-Points System
Florint has established a standardized scoring system, that professionalizes judging. This system is known as the “International 100-Points System” for scoring floristry design. It is easy to use and transparent, yet sophisticated. The system is being used in floristry competitions worldwide, including at Florint’s famous EUROPA CUP and the Interflora World Cup!
The flagship event in competitive floristry happens every four years, but this year was the first time it has been open to the public. Held at Manchester Central Convention Centre, alongside the competition, visitors also enjoyed live music, entertainment, and floristry.
Interflora’s director of florist services, Nick Priest, said:
"Over the past three days, Manchester has been a wonderful home for The Interflora World Cup. We’ve been delighted to welcome thousands of visitors from across the world who have enjoyed the incredible creativity from the elite of global floristry who are indisputably at the top of their game. We’re so delighted to crown Nicolaus as the winner of the Interflora World Cup and wish him every future success."
Following the competition, flowers from the contestants’ elaborate displays were donated to Manchester’s St Ann’s Hospice as part of the event's commitment to sustainability.
Photos courtesy of Interflora UK.
