Trophies from Květná Adorned the Global Champions Prague Playoffs 2025
The Prague Playoffs are one of the highlights of the equestrian season. The event brings together top-level sport, adrenaline, and modern audiovisual spectacle. For these final competitions, handcrafted trophies were created in Květná, whose elegance and craftsmanship underscore the prestige of the entire event.
This year again, the best show-jumping riders took home exceptional trophies crafted by Czech glassmaking masters. The official partner of the Global Champions Prague Playoffs 2025 was the Květná 1794 Glassworks, which created unique prizes for the winners.
The main trophies, designed by Lukáš Jabůrek, take the form of hand-blown and hand-cut crystal vases in several sizes and colour variations. “For the heaviest vases, we blew from roughly ten kilograms of molten glass. The blowing and shaping process took about fifteen minutes for each piece. Three glassmakers and one mould maker worked on every vase. Designer Lukáš Jabůrek oversaw the entire process, continually checking that each piece had the required wall thickness, which was the most important aspect during shaping. After cooling, the designer also supervised the cutting and finishing in the grinding workshop,” explains Marek Vanko, master glassmaker at the Květná 1794 Glassworks.
The glassworks has a long-term collaboration with acclaimed Czech designer and glass artist Lukáš Jabůrek. “The Květná Glassworks is close to my heart. When I was approached to create trophies for such a prestigious event, I was excited but also felt great respect. I enjoyed looking for a connection between the art of show jumping and the craft of glassmaking,” says Jabůrek.
The designer was present throughout the entire production process and personally carried out the cutting of the vases with his team. “We worked with a massive amount of coloured glass. The base is robust, the walls are thinned, and the contrast between the dark and light tones creates a striking effect. It allows the colours—so characteristic for the glassworks—to truly stand out. For me, every commission is a sensitive process, from the design and execution all the way to handing the piece over to the client. I deeply respect the outstanding masters in Květná, their dedication to the craft and the harmony with which they work. Each piece is an original, like a polished gemstone capturing the precious moment of victory and the atmosphere of the Prague arena,” he adds. Watch the video from the preparation.
In addition to the main trophies, awarded riders also received Desidere vases—another example of meticulous hand craftsmanship by the Květná glassmaking masters. These unique glass artefacts were presented during the Global Champions Prague Playoffs 2025, held from 20 to 23 November at the O2 Arena in Prague.
The Květná Glassworks also had its own show-jumping obstacle at the event—a special “glassmaker’s” obstacle decorated with glasses from the collection designed by Bohuslav Fuchs, symbolically linking the world of top-level equestrian sport with Czech glass design.
The union of elite show jumping and traditional Czech glassmaking gives these awards a truly unique significance: they are not only symbols of victory, but also bearers of Czech craft heritage and contemporary design artistry.