(Baltimore, MD) - Masako Sakurai, a student with the College of San Mateo (CSM), won top honors in the Student Design Competition held in conjunction with the American Institute of Floral Designers' (AIFD) 2003 National Symposium in St. Louis (July 3-8).

Ms. Sakurai also garnered first place in the "Spontaneous" category and third place in the "Flowers to Carry" category.

Hae Jung Song of the City College of San Francisco (CCSF) finished second overall, while fellow CCSF student Katherine O'Connor received the third place award. Ms. Song was also honored in the "Knud Nielson Special Dried Materials" and "Theme Design" categories, placing first and third respectively.

Other winners in the special dried materials category sponsored by the Knud Nielsen Company included Rie Imai of CCSF (second place) and Sarah Shwark of Juliet Junior College (third place).

In addition to Sakurai, CSM students also took home honors in the "Theme Design" category, with Yoko Ano and Liane Benedict finishing first and second respectively, and the "Flowers to Carry" category in which Victoria Redman placed first.

Rounding out the students receiving top design competition recognition were Mississippi State's Katherine Johnston who finished second in the "Flowers to Carry" category, Texas A&M's Erin Michael who placed second in the "Spontaneous" category, and Donna Currie of Harper College who finished third in the "Spontaneous" competition.

AIFD was established in 1965 and is dedicated to recognizing and promoting the art of floral design as a professional career. It is the floral industry's leading non-profit organization committed to establishing and maintaining higher standards in professional floral design. With nearly 1,300 members worldwide AIFD and its members are in the forefront of the industry in presenting educational and design programs.

Student AIFD (SAIFD) maintains chapters from 14 colleges and universities throughout the U.S. SAIFD Chapters not only compete in the Annual Student Design Competition during AIFD's National Symposium but also host Artist in Residence Programs throughout the year, and their students also receive sponsorships to attend the National Symposium from AIFD Members and Industry Partners through the AIFD Foundation.

Open to all florists, the 2004 National Symposium, "Fusion," will be held in New York City, July 3-7.

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