2025 Texas Designer of the Year Rules
Read the following information carefully to ensure you are aware of the qualifications and requirements for the 2025 Texas Designer of the Year Competition. All rules will be strictly enforced.
To register for the Texas Designer of the Year Competition, simply check the box at the end of your 2025 Texas Floral Expo registration. All required qualifications will be verified.
Entry Qualifications
- Competitor must be at least 18 years of age.
- Competitor must be a member of the Texas State Florists’ Association (TSFA).
- Competitor must reside in the state of Texas.
- Only one competitor per company may compete in any given year.
- Competitor must hold the designation of TMF, CFD or AIFD or must have competed in a professional floral design competition.
- Previous Texas Designers of the Year or Texas Cup winners may compete after a period of five years.
Entry Fee
The 2025 entry fee is $549. This covers the competition fee and Texas Floral Expo registration.
Produced by the Texas State Florists' Association
Entry Deadline
June 10, 2025
Maximum Number of Competitors
TSFA will accept a maximum of 12 competitors.
Entry Deadline
Competitors must complete and file the official entry form by June 10, 2025, at 11:59 p.m. CT. The deadline will be strictly enforced.
Entry Receipt and Acceptance
- TSFA will accept the official entry form on a first-received basis.
- Upon receipt, TSFA will date, time stamp and approve the completed official entry form.
- To qualify the official entry form, TSFA will confirm the stated entry qualifications have been met and the entry fee has been paid.
- Once the entry is qualified, TSFA will notify the competitor.
- Prior to the competition, the competitor will receive complete instructions.
Three Competitive Categories of Design
The Texas Designer of the Year Competition centers around three competitive categories. These categories include:
- Interpretive Design.
- Floral Design.
- Surprise Situation.
Sole Effort
The competitor’s activities will constitute a sole effort with no assistance from anyone in any manner.
Materials Provided by TSFA for Floral Design and Surprise Situation Categories
Each competitor will be furnished identical materials to complete the Floral Design and the Surprise Situation Categories. The materials used exclusively for these categories may include fresh flowers, foliages, plants, dried botanicals, containers, accessories and supplies.
Materials Provided by TSFA for the Interpretive Category
The competitor is required to provide a prop for the Interpretive Design Category.
- TSFA will provide flowers, foliages, floral foam and supplies for the Interpretive Design Category.
- TSFA will not provide a container or materials to create a container or prop for the Interpretive Design Category.
Interpretive Design Prop Guidelines
- The competitor is required to provide a prop for the Interpretive Design Category.
- The cost of materials to construct the prop must be no more than $125 wholesale.
- Items found or procured, without actual cost, should be given a fair-market value.
- Invoices to support these expenses must be presented to the Texas Designer of the Year Competition Chair during the mandatory meeting.
- The prop will be reviewed and qualified by the Texas Designer of the Year Competition Chair during the mandatory meeting.
- No advance design work may be done toward the completion of the Interpretive Design except to assemble the prop.
- No basing, wiring, taping or gluing fresh, dried or permanent botanical floral products or foam products will be allowed until time is called to begin the Interpretive Design Category.
- Simply stated, all floral, botanical and wet or dry foam placements must be done within the designated time limit.
- The overall base of the prop may be no more than 30” in width by no more than 30” in depth.
- The height of the prop may be no more than 48”.
- The overall height and width of the finished design must fit in a cargo van. The cargo area is typically 56" interior height, 55" interior width with 84" from the rear door to the driver's seat, on average.
- The finished design must be able to be carried by the designer without assistance.
- These size restrictions and the ability to carry will be strictly enforced.
- Once time is called, no adjustments or repairs may be made to the design.
- No additional printed information is permitted.
Tools and Supplies
- Each competitor will bring tools to include knife, scissors, wire cutters, clippers and needle nose pliers.
- TSFA will supply anchor tape, floral tape, floral adhesive, assorted gauges of green wire as well as any other supplies that may be needed to complete the designs.
- Simply stated, the competitor may not supply anything other than the prop for the Interpretive Design Category, adhering to the restrictions noted above regarding the Interpretive Design Category Prop and the tools noted in this paragraph.
Qualifying the Interpretive Design Prop
- Upon arrival at the mandatory meeting, each competitor will display the Interpretive Design Prop for the Texas Designer of the Year Competition Chair to review and qualify the prop.
- If one or more details need to be addressed in order to qualify the prop, the adjustments must be completed prior to the start of the competition.
- Once adjustments are completed, the corrections will be reviewed by the Competition Chair and the prop will be approved or disqualified.
- In the event that the prop is disqualified, the competitor may proceed with the competition knowing that the designs will not be judged.
Mandatory Meeting
- A mandatory meeting of all competitors, monitors, time keeper and tally committee will be held on Friday, June 27, at 1 p.m. in the Board Room.
- The meeting is under the direction of the Texas Designer of the Year Competition Chair.
- Each competitor must report at the specific time without exception.
- If a competitor is late arriving or unable to attend the mandatory meeting, they will be disqualified from the Texas Designer of the Year Competition.
- In the event a competitor is disqualified, for the reason of being late or missing the mandatory meeting, they will be encouraged to participate in the competition; however, the designs will not be judged.
- During the mandatory meeting, the rules will be read, and each competitor and each monitor will sign an agreement to abide by the rules of competition.
- Simply stated, it is a mandatory meeting. There are no exceptions to the stated rules.
Monitors
One TSFA-appointed monitor for every five designers will enforce the stated rules.
Adherence to Competition Rules
If rules are not adhered to for a particular segment, the design for that segment will be disqualified. The Texas Designer of the Year Chair determines disqualification after the situation is reviewed by the TSFA President and TSFA Executive Director.
No talking will be allowed during specified times.
Scale of Points
Theme Interpretation
Creativity
Visual Balance
Physical Balance
Dominance
Rhythm
Proportion
Contrast
Harmony
Unity
Line
Color
Form
Space
Pattern
Fragrance
Size
Texture
Focal Emphasis
Mechanics
Judging
Judging will be based on a 100-point scoring system with each consideration scored on a five-point scale, with one point to designate poor and five points to designate excellent. The scores will be totaled for each category.
In the event of a tie, the judges will re-evaluate the Interpretive Design of the tied competitors for the consideration of artistic execution.
Score Sheets
Score sheets with the judges’ comments and critiques will be emailed to each competitor following the competition.