2017 Award Winners Announced

The prestigious MIFGS Design Awards have recognised the incredible talent at the 2017 Melbourne International Flower & Garden Show this morning.

Representatives of the landscape, gardening and floristry industries today gathered to attend the breakfast announcement of the largest and most significant gardening award ceremony in the Southern Hemisphere.

The Awards mark the launch of the Show, which will run for five days at the World Heritage listed Royal Exhibition Building and Carlton Gardens.

Lord Mayor Robert Doyle bestowed the title of most outstanding exhibit with the City of Melbourne Award of Excellence for Best in Show to ‘I See Wild’, designed by Phillip Withers Landscape Design.

‘I See Wild’ by Phillip Withers Landscape Design

Presented by the Honourable Minister Luke Donnellan, the first place for the Landscaping Victoria Boutique Gardens Award went to ‘Wild at Heart’ designed by Emmaline Bowman, STEM Landscape Architecture & Design, while RMIT’s emerging fashion designers were recognised for their floral couture ingenuity with the RMIT Student Floral Fashion Design Competition awarded to Grace Cooper.

‘Wild at Heart’ designed by Emmaline Bowman, STEM Landscape Architecture & Design

Presented by MIFGS Chairman Glenn Fenton, the Gold Show Garden Award went to ‘I See Wild’ designed by Phillip Withers Landscape Design.

Melbourne Flower School, Matthew Landers Academy and Victoria Whitelaw Beautiful Flowers each received a Gold Floral Design Award for their stunning installations.

‘Metropolis’ presented by Pavers Plus and designed by Candeo Design with construction by Block Constructions and landscape construction by Semken Landscaping was recognised for the best use of plant life in a garden with the Horticultural Media Association (HMA) Award. The Mark Bence Construction Award, which recognises excellence in construction, was awarded to ‘Back to Babylon’ by PTA, Eco Outdoor & Tract Landscape Architecture.

The Award of Excellence for the Avenue of Achievable Gardens was ‘Awash with Nature’ by Ross Peck, Liz Beale and Dale Johnson for Swinburne University of Technology

The Baptcare Shop Window Floral Design Competition, which asked entrants to focus on flora that deserves the best of care, presented first place to Gina Bednarski for Kiki Floral.

Marcus Gale, IMG Event Director, said “We are always amazed by the incredible talent showcased at MIFGS, but 2017 has truly set new standards. The Design Awards across all categories have set the bar for an incredible five days to come, and we look forward to welcoming many local, regional, interstate and international visitors”.

The Melbourne International Flower & Garden Show runs from Wednesday 29^th March until Sunday 2^nd April from 9am – 5pm daily. Additionally, visitors hoping to have an exclusive glimpse of the Show in a different light can attend the Gardens by Twilight on Friday night when the Show remains open until 9:30pm where guests can soak in the dusky surrounds with a glass of champagne and gourmet eats to help usher in a floral weekend.