Awards

Orchid Growers Show and Competition Rules

PURPOSE

The purpose of the Orchid Growers Show and Competition is to bring together the orchid cultural accomplishments of each of the Society members for all to see and enjoy.  All members are invited and encouraged to show their blooming plants.  In this way all members get to see and become familiar with the many beautiful, rare and unusual specimens of orchids grown in Orange County. Novice members can gain much knowledge and experience through this effort and older, more experienced members realize the exhilaration and gratification for their efforts.

ELIGIBILITY

1.         The person entering the plant for judging must be a member in good standing of
             the Orange County Orchid Society, Inc.

2.         The owner must have acquired the plant at least 6 months prior to the competition
            and current blooms must be the result of the owner's cultural efforts.

3.         Any plant that has won an award in the Orchid Growers Show and Competition
            cannot be entered into subsequent competitions if the same blooms from the
            previous competitions are still blooming on the plant. Once the flowers fade and
            new growth replaces them and blooming occurs, then it can be entered once again
             for the competition. (Note – Panicle itself can be the same as long as the flower or
             flowers are new.) 

4.         Plants must be placed in the proper competition groups.  Plants in the wrong
            competition group may be disqualified or moved; however, it is not  the
            responsibility of the judges to move them. 

5.         Any plant or owner found not to meet one or all of these qualifications before,
            during, or after the competition will be disqualified.  Any prizes given or points
            awarded will be revoked and the error reported.  Prizes awarded to qualified
            participants will not change due to a disqualification i.e. if the first place winner is
            disqualified, the second place winner does not move to first place. 

COMPETITION GROUPS

The extensive breeding of and between the many species, genera, and hybrids has led to the development of groups for show purposes.  The boundaries between these groups, however, can be quite obscure.  For example: there is an artificial genus of Vandaenopsis, which is a cross between Phalaenopsis and Vanda.  Where should this plant be placed ?  In the Phalaenopsis group or in the Vanda group ?  In these cases, the plant should be placed in the group which it characteristically resembles.  In order to make it simpler to categorize which group an orchid should be placed in, we have divided the group into two sections, the Primary Groups and the Generalized Groups. 

Primary Groups 

This group consists of 8 orchid groups comprising mostly hybrids of similar genre that are the most popular types of orchids being grown today. 

1.         Cymbidium Group :
This group is made up of those species and/or hybrids whose background is primarily Cymbidium, Ansellia and/or Grammatophyllum. 

2.         Dendrobium Group :
This group is made up of those species and/or hybrids whose background is primarily Dendrobium. 

3.         Small Laelia Group :
This group is made up of those species and/or hybrids whose background is primarily Barkeria, Brassavola, Broughtonia, Cattleya, Cattleyopsis, Diacrium, Epidendrum, Laelia, Myrmecophila (Schromburkia) and/or Sophronitis.  Plants being 12” or less total plant height define this group. 

4.         Large Laelia Group :
This group is made up of those species and/or hybrids whose background is primarily Barkeria, Brassavola, Broughtonia, Cattleya, Cattleyopsis, Diacrium, Epidendrum, Laelia, Myrmecophila (Schromburkia) and/or Sophronitis.  Plants being more than 12” total plant height define this group. 

5.         Oncidium Group :
This group is made up of those species and/or hybrids whose background is primarily Aspasia, Brassia, Cochlioda, Miltonia, Odontoglossum, Oncidium, Rodriguezia and/or Trichosentrum. 

6.         Paphiopedilum Group :
This group is made up of those species and/or hybrids whose background is primarily Paphiopedilum, Phramipedium, Cypripedium and/or Selenipedium. 

7.         Phalaenopsis Group :
This group is made up of those species and/or hybrids whose background is primarily Doritis and/or Phalaenopsis. 

8.         Vanda Group :
This group is made up of those species and/or hybrids whose background is primarily Ascocentrum, Aerides, Rhynchostylis, Vanda and/or Vandaposis.

 Generalized Groups 

These are groups that do not cover any specific plant category but should be separated from the primary groups for reasons concerned with fairness in judging. 

1.         Species Group :
This group is made up exclusively of species belonging to one of the Primary Groups (not the Botanicals).  Orchid species are plants originally found in nature.  They may be collected or greenhouse grown.  Orchids crossed with the same species are also included. The reason for this category is that species orchids are often less showy than their hybrid cousins.  This group offers them a better chance to win where they will not have to compete with the hybrids.  It is the grower’s choice whether to place his species plant here or in its Primary Group.  Hybrids are NOT permitted.

2.         Botanical Group :
Technically this group means any orchid that would only be of interest to a botanist, however, for our purposes, it means any orchid species or hybrid not included in one of the Primary Groups above.

 3.        Commercial Size Grower Group :
This group is for an orchid grower either in the business of selling orchids for profit, or a member who has more than 2,000 orchids.  The reason for this separate group is that growers with such a large base of orchids to choose from would almost always win the competition.

4.         Novice Group :
This group is for the new orchid grower who has been growing orchids for less than one year.  Available only to members the first year they begin to enter plants for judging.

JUDGING

 a.         The Orchid Growers Show and Competition and its judging are under the direction of the Awards Chair Person.  The President will appoint a designated substitute if needed.

 b.         The Awards Chair Person or their designate will ask six people (each judge will usually judge two groups) from the people present at the meeting to preside as judges.  The guest speaker, if appropriate should be invited to act as a judge.  No one can judge a category of orchids where they have submitted a plant for judging.  If necessary, the Award Chair Person may act as a judge themselves as long as they do not judge a group in which they have an orchid entered.

 c.         The Awards Chair Person or designate shall record the judge’s names and the person’s names for each of the awarded plants by group and award place.  First place and cultural winners will be announced at the general meeting each month.  A form or list of all winners will be kept as a record of this event and a copy will go to the Newsletter editor for publication in the next month’s issue.   Pictures will be taken of first place and cultural winners and posted on the Society’s website along with all the competition information.

 d.         The judging will be intuitive/subjective in nature; that is, what the judges like best and agree to be awarded.  There is no attempt to implement A.O.S. (American Orchid Society) type point score judging and imply that the judges are A.O.S. qualified.

e.         The judging team should judge each of the groups and if awards are not made, indicate that they judged the group and did not make any awards.  This being said, however, it is the objective of the Orange County Orchid Society, Inc. to encourage it’s members to enter plants in the Competition and awards should be made where possible.

f.          The judging team should be mindful that they have the ability to make cultural awards regarding exceptional cultural practices.  More than one cultural award can be awarded in any group.

 g.         Only a single 1^st, 2^nd or 3^rd place award may be given in any group for that month.  Multiple awards would only apply if the second award is a cultural award.

 h.         An entry form must be filled out with each plant being submitted for judging that clearly states the name of the plant and who it’s owner is.  Forms are usually folded at the bottom so as not to display the owner’s name.  If the owner does not know the name of the plant then it may simply be identified by its genera.

 i.          Once the judging of the individual groups is completed, the judges will meet together to decide on the best orchid on show in this particular competition.  This plant will be awarded the Judges Choice Award. The plants awarded 1^st place and any cultural award winners will be in contention for this award. The decision would need to have the agreement of 4 out of the 6 judges present.  Should there be a tie, the Awards Chair Person will cast the deciding vote on condition that the Awards Chair does not have a plant in contention.  Should this situation arise, the President will cast the deciding vote.

 j.          Judges will be required to bring plants winning the 1^st place and cultural awards to the Awards Chair Person for photographic record.  Once this is complete, they will be required to return the plant to its display position.

 k.         Judging begins promptly one half hour before each meeting begins (unless there are special circumstances that delay or change this time).  Plants may be submitted up until the specified time judging starts (currently 7:00 pm.).

 l.          No Orchid Growers Show and Competition will take place at the January (Auction) or May (Installation Dinner) general meetings.

AWARDS

 There are four awards established for each group in this competition. 

They are as follows :

 a.          White Tag             First Place               Best entry                                   3 points

b.           Red Tag                 Second Place          Meritorious entry                      2 points

c.           Yellow Tag             Third Place              Commentary entry                  1 point

d.           Green Tag             Cultural                    Exceptional Cultural Merit       4 points

The winner of the Judges Choice Award will be handed a certificate and have their photograph taken with their winning plant for publication in the next Newsletter and Society website.

Each year at the May General Meeting, annual awards shall be given to those persons who have accumulated the most points in each group (12 awards) during the year.  These results will be published in the Newsletter in June and on the Society’s website.

The points that each person has accumulated during that year shall be added by plant category.  The highest total point by category will receive the award.

In the event of a tie, both persons shall receive an award.

The type of award to be given to each person shall be specified and agreed upon by the Board of Directors.