Jenna Naylor Temple, owner of Bloom with Jenna in Grayson, Georgia, won the 52nd annual Sylvia Cup Design Competition at the Society of American Florists’ annual convention last week.
“I’m shocked and surprised,” Temple, AIFD, said Thursday after the awards ceremony announcing her as the winner. The grand prize included the trophy, $3,000 and free registration for the SAF convention next year.
Alejandro Figueira Fernandes, AIFD, president and design instructor at Alejandro Figueira Floral Artistry, Inc. in Davie, Florida, was first runner-up and received $500; Patience Pickner AIFD, PFCI, SDCF owner of The Picket Fence in Chamberlain, South Dakota, was second runner-up and received $250.
The event was sponsored by Certified American Grown, which supplied the flowers and foliage, and Smithers-Oasis, which provided the cash prizes and design supplies.
The 12 competing designers were challenged to create three designs in the theme of “Artistry through Mythology”.
The first piece was a floral piece appropriate for the mother of a bride or groom in a style that would impress the wife of Zeus and queen of the Ancient Greek gods, Hera.
The second piece was an all-foliage arrangement, in which the contestants used the Oasis Floral Media Terra Brick to create a floral design for Persephone, the Greek goddess of Vegetation.
Lastly, the designers created a sympathy piece for Helios, the Greek god of Sun. The arrangement also paid tribute to Orlando – the “Land of the Gold” – by including gold in their arrangements.
This was Temple’s fourth time competing for the Sylvia Cup. She said she believes it was her minimalist style that helped her win this year.
“My style is ‘less is more,’” she said. “I keep my style simple and as clean as I possibly can. The less that’s in there, the less they have to judge you on.”
The judges said Temple’s designs displayed her depth of understanding of the elements of space in floral design.
“Her designs were both aesthetically pleasing and technically very accurate,” said judge Tim Farrell, AAF, AIFD, PFCI. “The all-foliage tribute to Persephone was such an interesting combination of foliage techniques and texture. The body flower piece that she created showed exceptional skill and was beautifully balanced both physically and visually. The stunning design created as an easel piece had very fluid lines of midollino.”
Another judge, Deborah De La Flor, AIFD, PFCI, described the designs as clean with great detail.
“Her sympathy design was excellent with incredible depth,” De La Flor said. “Her product choices were wonderful together.”
Judge Renee Tucci, AIFD, PFCI, described Temple’s designs as artistic and purposeful.
“The way that she grouped her materials in the Persephone composition allowed the textures of the botanicals and the monochromatic green color harmony to sing,” Tucci said. “Proportion and balance were completely compatible, specifically in Hera’s necklace.”
The judges were appointed by the PFCI board of trustees. They scored each piece based on design elements, design principles, mechanics and execution and creative application. The highest combined score determined the winner.
Amanda Jedlinsky is managing editor of SAF Now.
