Iittala Cup 2010

International Glassblowing Competition
Iittala glassworks, June 12, 2010

The Iittala Cup, International Glassblowing Competition will be held for the sixteenth time at the Iittala glassworks in June 2010. The event is held every other year and this year we have competitors from Finland, Norway, Hungary and the Netherlands.

This invitation event is aimed at only the very best glassblowers, and has always proved a very exciting – and emotional – competition between participants as to who can blow the largest bowl, cylinder, and ball. Participants have a limited amount of time at their disposal and are given a maximum of two attempts. Skill, strength, and the ability to perform under pressure are all essential for blowing large, heavy pieces; and a little luck never goes amiss either.

The Iittala Cup 2008 was won by Keijo Kopra of the Iittala glassworks, who was the first competitor in the history of the competition to win all three rounds, producing the largest bowl, measuring 612 mm across, the longest cylinder, at 2,818 mm, and the largest ball, with a diameter of 537 mm.

Kopra is also on record as blowing the biggest-ever ball at the event, measuring 593 mm across, in 1987. The largest bowl in the competition’s record books dates from 2000 and measured 666 mm across, while the longest cylinder dates from 1994 and measured 4,271 mm from top to bottom.

Time schedule for Iittala Cup 2010
9.00 opening of the competition
9.15 First round, bowl
11.30 Second round, cylinder
15.00 Final round, ball
16.00 Awards of the competition

Will the Iittala Cup 2010 see anyone break these records? We will have to wait and see!