FTD World Cup contest announced that Australia’s Bart Hassam was named the 2019 World Cup Champion at the conclusion of one of the world’s most prestigious floral design competitions. The three-day competition was held at the Philadelphia Flower Show, bringing 23 top floral designers from around the globe under one roof.
Australia won The Interflora World Cup 2019, Russia second and Hungary third. Italy is positioned eighth and enters for the first time in history in the TOP 10.
FTD World Cup 2019 is the most prestigious event in the world for the floral industry. It is a floral design competition that showcases the most talented floral designers from around the world. It takes place every four years and each time it’s hosted in a different location.
Bart Hassam, a resident of Brisbane, Australia, is a professional floral designer and active floristry competitor. He has won the Interflora Australia Florist of the Year Competition five times and the 2011 Intercontinental Asia Cup. He exhibits, demonstrates and teaches floral design all around the world.
FTD World Cup is held approximately every four to six years. This is the first time the three-day floral design competition was held in the United States since 1985. The floral designers completed four preliminary design tasks followed by a semi-finals round featuring ten competitors. The five finalists created their final design task live on stage at a gala event with 650 guests.
Hassam was named champion at the conclusion of the evening alongside first runner-up Natalia Zhizhko from Russia and second runner-up Tamás Mezöffy from Hungary.
Hungarian florist Tamás Mezőffy from Dunakeszi came in third place in the Interflora World Cup 2019, making him the first Hungarian to place third in an adult international competition.
“Three years ago, Mezőffy came in first place in the European Florist Championship,” wrote hungarytoday.hu. “Junior Hungarian florists, including Mezőffy, have won several international competitions. But, this was an even more impressive accomplishment given that it was the first time a Hungarian had triumphed in an adult cup.”
Vincenzo Antonuccio and Marilena Calbini enter the TOP 10 in 2019, bringing for the first time Italy in eighth place in the general classification. It is the first great milestone that marks a new era for Italy.
