Floral Windows to the World Championship was held during the Singapore Garden Festival at the beginning of this month. For floristry, a stage like this contest is the place where creativity is pushed beyond familiar boundaries, where craftsmanship is tested under pressure, and where designers from different cultures meet through their shared passion for flowers.
This prestigious international competition has grown into one of the floral industry’s most respected championships. Every edition attracts designers who have already proven themselves nationally and internationally, yet once they arrive in Singapore, everyone starts from the same place. New assignments, strict timelines, unfamiliar materials, and an audience watching every decision make this a true test of both technical skill and artistic vision.
To me, it reminds us that floristry is a language we share with the universe, and we should share it always.
Singapore Continues to Raise the Bar
The Singapore Garden Festival has become much more than a horticultural exhibition. It has established itself as one of the world’s leading platforms for floral artistry, bringing together designers, growers, educators, judges, students, and flower enthusiasts from every corner of the globe.
Seventeen competitors representing seventeen countries arrived in Singapore, each bringing their own cultural influences, personal style, and years of experience. While every designer speaks a different language at home, they all communicate through flowers.
Walking through the competition space, visitors could experience seventeen completely different interpretations of the same assignment. Some designs leaned toward minimalism, others celebrated abundance. Some explored architecture and mechanics, while others focused on movement, texture, or storytelling. Together, they demonstrated the incredible diversity that exists within contemporary floral design.
One of the forces of Singapore Floriculture is Harijanto Setiawan. I joined him in Lithuania, where he designed at the Rose Festival at Paezeriae Manor, and after that he gave a masterclass at Kristina Rimiene's International Floral School in Kaunas.
Harijanto Setiawan:
"What's so interesting is to see how designers handle prepared work versus a surprise package. It's important to know who your client is and what the design purpose is. Designers who can cope with the pressure of not having their favorite materials and working under time pressure, I find that amazing."
And the Winner Is?
Anja Ersing (Germany) became the Grand Champion of the Floral Windows to the World Championship (FWWC) 2026, receiving the trophy from Dr Syed Harun, Senior Parliamentary Secretary for National Development and Education. At the Finals Dinner this evening, the five finalists transformed a structure of the number 10, a nod to the milestone 10th edition of the Singapore Garden Festival, into breathtaking floral works of art. Anja’s design captivated the judges, and she secured the top title after a spectacular showdown at the Singapore Garden Festival.
The panel of judges- Alison Bradley (Scotland), Harijanto Setiawan (Singapore), Toru Kawai (Japan), Petra Konrad (Germany), Bart Hassam (Australia), and Max van de Sluis (Netherlands), brought their expertise, discernment, and dedication to select the Grand Champion from such an exceptional field of talent.
- Grand Champion 🇩🇪 Anja Ersing – Germany
- First Runner-Up 🇦🇺 Matthew Landers – Australia
- Second Runner-Up 🇪🇪 Marek Jakobi – Estonia
Anja Ersing talks about her Dream Portal:
"A floral gateway between reality and fantasy. The design symbolizes the transition from waking to dreaming and unfolds like a kaleidoscope of flowers. Three amorphous planes playfully interlock with each other and are guided step by step into the light through flowing color transitions from dark to light flowers. The interplay of different flower shapes, textures, and color gradients creates a dream-like depth in which colors, structures, and floral details merge. This creates a lively, fairytale-like scenery that stimulates the imagination and invites you to immerse yourself in the world of dreams."
Designing Under Pressure
Competitions ask a lot from designers. Every assignment begins with a brief, a limited time window, and the expectation that every competitor will solve the challenge in their own way. Technical knowledge becomes just as important as creativity. Mechanics need to work. Botanical materials need to perform. Every flower has to contribute to the final composition.
This year’s championship included themes such as Dream Portal, Floral Magic, and Carousel of Patterns, followed by increasingly demanding surprise assignments that challenged competitors to think quickly while maintaining their own distinctive style.
For spectators, this is perhaps the greatest part of the event. Instead of only seeing the finished design, they witness the creative process itself. Every wire, branch, stem, and carefully considered decision becomes part of the story.
Five Designers Reached the Final
After several demanding rounds, only five designers remained. Germany’s Anja Ersing, Australia’s Matthew Landers, Estonia’s Marek Jakobi, Poland’s Joanna Kiedacz, and the Netherlands’ Geertje Stienstra earned their place in the championship final.
Each finalist represented a completely different design philosophy.
- Anja Ersing combined artistic storytelling with remarkable technical precision to ultimately claim the championship title.
- Matthew Landers once again demonstrated his bold sculptural approach, creating designs that balanced strength with elegance.
- Marek Jakobi continued to surprise with contemporary concepts and refined craftsmanship that have made him one of Europe’s most respected designers.
- Joanna Kiedacz impressed with sophisticated details and beautifully balanced compositions.
- For many Dutch followers, Geertje Stienstra’s journey to the final was especially exciting. Already internationally respected as a floral designer, educator, and judge, she once again demonstrated consistency, creativity, and calm under pressure while competing against some of the strongest designers in the world.
Simply reaching the final five in a championship of this caliber is an achievement worthy of recognition.
More Than a Competition
It is easy to focus on the medals. But to me, perhaps the greatest value of Floral Windows to the World lies somewhere else.
International competitions accelerate creativity. Designers observe each other’s mechanics, discover unfamiliar botanical materials, exchange ideas, and challenge one another to think differently. Many of the techniques first seen during competitions later find their way into retail floristry, weddings, installations, educational programs, and floral events around the world.
For younger florists, competitions also provide something equally valuable: inspiration. Watching experienced designers solve complex creative problems under pressure demonstrates that excellence is never accidental. Behind every finished design are years of practice, experimentation, failure, and continuous learning. That is a lesson every florist can take home.
Flowers Connect People
One of the most beautiful aspects of the championship is something that never appears on the score sheet. Behind the competition tables, designers encourage one another. Friendships that began years ago are renewed. New connections are formed across continents. Different cultures exchange ideas while working with the same flowers.
The atmosphere reflects what makes the floral industry so unique. Although everyone wants to perform at their very best, there is also genuine respect for one another’s work and a willingness to share knowledge. In many ways, the championship becomes as much about community as it is about competition.
Looking Beyond the Winners
Congratulations to Anja Ersing on becoming the Floral Windows to the World Champion 2026, and to finalists Matthew Landers, Marek Jakobi, Joanna Kiedacz, and Geertje Stienstra for showing us what floristry is all about, for inspiring us, for challenging us...
That is why competitions like Floral Windows to the World inspire an entire industry to keep creating, learning, and looking at flowers through new eyes.
