Why are the Masters de Feu shows presented anonymously?
Why are the teams no longer introduced before their show? This rule, now emblematic of Masters de Feu, was born from discussions held after the 2018 edition to ensure complete fairness among all competitors.
For many years, the competition followed a very classic ritual. Before each display, the country was announced, the company introduced and the national anthem played. A solemn, almost sporting staging that established each team’s identity before the first launch.
Then came the 2018 edition.
That year, France took part in the competition for the first time. The three displays were particularly successful, and the ranking was decided by the narrowest of margins. At the end of the evening, the French team won the Silver Master.
The quality of the performance was beyond doubt. Yet a few voices quickly raised a question: would the result have been the same if the country and the company had not been known in advance?
It was, of course, impossible to rewrite the competition. No one will ever know whether the outcome would have been different. But that question was enough to change the way Masters de Feu operates.
Judge the show, nothing but the show
From the following editions onward, teams stopped being introduced before they performed. Today, both the audience and the jury discover a show, not a nationality or a company name.
The running order is determined by a draw held behind closed doors. Identities are revealed only once the performances are over and the scores have been recorded.
This rule does not call into question the integrity of the 2018 jury. It reflects a broader principle: in an international competition, it is not enough for the judgment to be impartial; it must also be impossible to suspect otherwise.
Erase reputations and flags
Some pyrotechnic houses arrive at Masters with an impressive track record. Others are taking part for the first time. Some countries are immediately associated with a great firework tradition, while others are less familiar to the public.
All of this can create expectations, even unconsciously.
Anonymity helps neutralize them. The jury no longer rewards a reputation, a place of origin or a flag, but an artistic signature: the soundtrack, the synchronization, the originality of the effects, the construction of the show and the emotion it creates.
It is also what makes the final reveal more powerful. The audience then discovers who was behind each creation, after having enjoyed it without preconceptions.
A decision born of doubt, now a guarantee
The 2018 edition did not trigger any challenge to the results. It simply highlighted a possible weakness in how the competition might be perceived.
From that reflection came one of the most important rules of Masters de Feu: each team must be judged under the same conditions, solely on what it presents in the sky.
Since then, the flags wait until the end of the show. Art comes first.