Earlier this month many of the best floral designers in the world convened in Grand Rapids to participate in the prestigious GLFA floral design competition.
(PRUnderground) March 20th, 2024
Earlier this month many of the best floral designers in the world convened at DeVos Place in Grand Rapids MI to participate in the prestigious Great Lakes Floral Association floral design competition. Winners were announced publicly today.
High School Division
Open to high school students who have not worked professionally as a floral designer.
1st: Jade Kirkland, The Velvet Touch, Detroit
2nd: Annabella DeBoe, Genesee Career Institute, Flint
3rd: Allison McConnell, Genesee Career Institute, Flint
College/Professional Novice Division
Open to college students or individuals with less than three years’ experience at a floral entity.
1st: Thomas Brewer Brown, Genesee Career Institute, Flint
2nd: Kylee Mumford, Huntington University, Huntington
3rd: Abby Thumm, Joliet Junior College, Joliet
Professional Division
Open to any floral professional with three years or more experience in the industry.
Theme One: Tribal Flora Spirit
A floral African mask to be worn as an entertaining theatrical device for a tribal dance performance.
1st: Amber Kirkland, The Velvet Touch, Detroit
2nd: Jennifer Butcher, What’s Blooming, Peru
3rd: Kate Holden, Kennedy’s Flowers, Grand Rapids
Theme Two: The Cultural Gateway
A botanical piece for a Midwest front entrance/door using permanent and/or dried floral that includes at least one flower that is native to the region chosen and acts as the focal point of the design.
1st: Amber Kirkland, The Velvet Touch, Detroit
2nd: Kate Holden, Kennedy’s Flowers, Grand Rapids
3rd: Jennifer Butcher, What’s Blooming, Peru
Theme Three: A Holiday Down Under
An authentic floral centerpiece celebrating Christmas in Australia including fresh flowers and foliage that are native to Australia.
1st: Amber Kirkland CF CFD, The Velvet Touch, Detroit
2nd: Madi Brooks, Gaudreau The Florist, Saginaw
3rd: Kate Holden, Kennedy’s Flowers, Grand Rapids
Theme Four: Surprise Package!
All competitors convened at 5:00 pm on Friday night, were supplied with all materials, and given 30 minutes to prepare an arrangement.
1st: Kate Holden, Kennedy’s Flowers, Grand Rapids
2nd: Jennifer Butcher, What’s Blooming, Peru
3rd: Amber Kirkland, The Velvet Touch, Detroit
Designer Of The Year
The five designers in the Professional division that had the most points after the previous four themes were invited to a special live run-off event.
The winner was Amber Kirkland who received a cash prize, recognition plaque and the coveted title of “GLFA Designer of the Year.” She will also be the featured designer in an upcoming issue of The Professional Florist Magazine.
Academy Division
This represents the highest level of competition and is only open to those who have been recognized as Academy Designers by consistently achieving high ratings and placements at the event over the years.
1st: Edward Smith, Country Lane Flowers, Howell
2nd: Brenda Hankis, Eastern Floral, Grand Rapids
3rd: Jerold Baker, Blossoms, Royal Oak
The competitions were hosted by the Great Lakes Floral Association as part of their 2024 annual convention, the Great Lakes Floral and Event Expo. Scoring was provided by FloristWare and results and photographs can be found at:
https://www.floristware.com/2024-glfee-floral-designer-of-the-year_result
About FloristWare
FloristWare serves retail florists by providing them with a powerful, affordable and easy-to-use POS/shop management system that helps them save time and money while increasing sales a profits. They are also active in the floral industry and support many related events and associations.
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