The Orchid House

AOS ORCHID JUDGING

Orchids and orchid exhibits may be judged in two ways. In one type of judging, orchid plants and cut flowers, either singly or in groups, compete within classes defined by the show schedule for first, second, and third place prize for each class. This is called show judging, also called ribbon judging, since blue, red and white ribbons are commonly used to designate first, second or third place. In the other type of judging, orchid plants or cut flowers, usually singly but occasionally in groups, are evaluated for their intrinsic merit against a hypothetical standard of perfection in the minds of each judge. This is called award or merit judging since worthy plants or exhibits are granted specific awards in recognition of their intrinsic merits.

Awards that may be granted are:

Educational Exhibit Certificates:

Awarded to an educational exhibit that scores at least 90 points.

Certificate of Meritorious Arrangement:

Awarded to an outstanding exhibit in the flower arrangement class of a show in which orchid flowers are dominant.

Artistic Certificate (for Artistic Display of Orchids in Use):

Awarded to an outstanding exhibit of not less than 25 square feet which the judges consider to be exceptionally artistic.

First Class Certificate (FCC):

Awarded to an orchid species or hybrid which scores 90 points or more.

Award of Merit (AM):

Awarded to an orchid species or hybrid which scores between 80 and 89 points.

Highly Commended Certificate (HCC):

Awarded to an orchid species or hybrid which scores between 75 and 79 points.

Judges Commendation (JC):

Awarded to flowers or plants, individually or in goups, which in the opinion of the judges, have specifie values, but they are unable to score.

Award of Distinction (AD):

Awarded once to a cross, exhibited individually or collectively, representing a worthy new direction in breeding.

Award of Quality (AQ):

Awarded once to a cross, exhibited by a single individual as a group of not less than 12 different clones or the inflorescences thereof, of a raised species or hybrid when the result is a sufficient improvement over the former type. One or more cultivars exhibited must receive, or have received, a flower quality award.

Certificate of Cultural Merit (CCM):

Awarded to the exhibitor of a specimen plant of robust health and appearance with an unusually large number of flowers. Must score at least 80 points and must have been in the care of the exhibitor at least six months immediately prior to the award.

Certificate of Horticultural Merit (CHM):

Awarded to a cultivar of a well-grown and well-flowered species or natural hybrid outstanding esthetic appeal that contributes to the horticultural aspects of orchidology. Must score at least 80 points and the entire plant must be exhibited.

Certificate of Botanical Recognition (CBR):

Awarded to a cultivar of a species or natural hybrid deemed worthy of recognition for rarity, novelty, and educational value. The entire plant must be exhibited and no award of any kind may have previously been made to the species as a taxon. No point score is used but the award shall be granted only by the affirmative vote of at least two-thirds of the judging team assigned

Information from the American Orchid Society's Handbook on Judging and Exhibition eighth Edition.

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