Orchid Show Judging

When one attends an orchid show, its easy to be dazzled by the blooms and confused by the many ribbons and awards that festoon the displays. This article will try to shed some light on the subject.

The standard American Orchid Society sanctioned show (as seen throughout the US and Canada - I've been to shows in Coban, Guatemala which follow similar procedures) consists of 3 levels of judging: Ribbon, Trophy (including Best-In-Show) and AOS awards.

Ribbons are the first level of awards and are given to plants based on the class they were registered into. Most show have a large number of classes (usually around 100) and each plant is entered into one of them. This way similar plants are grouped together so they can be reasonably compared. This prevents the proverbial "comparing apples to oranges". There might be a class for red hybrid Phaleonopsis and another one for red species Phals. Or perhaps a class for Cattleya hybrids with pink lips and another for green. Within each class the judges will award a first, second and third place. Sometimes multiple ribbons can be given if the judges feel that it's too hard to determine which plant is better.

Trophy judging comes next. This groups sections of classes together. Frequently this is by genera like "Best Pleruothalid". These awards are usually larger ribbons (sometimes called "horse ribbons") and may also have a prize attached like a bottle of wine or a decorative plate. This is also where "Best-in-Show" is decided. That prize is usually more extravagant. At the major shows (Tokyo Dome Show, Chelsea Garden Show) these can be significant cash prizes. At the local level, it usually a nice trophy.

The Third Level is AOS judging. After the other judging is done, the senior (accredited) judges will nominate plants from the show that they think may be worthy of an AOS award. The criteria by which they judge at this level is beyond the scope of this article. It can be arcane and mired in research to determine if the plant before them is better in some way than anything seen before.

In summary, Ribbon judging compares similar plants to each other. Trophy judging compares the best of these. AOS judging compares the present plant to everything that has been seen before - anywhere. It is a complex process, but it assures that quality growers are rewarded for their efforts and encourages an every improving quality of orchid show.

Max Wilson has been growing orchids for 15 years. He is webmaster for Ravenvision Photographic and the Southern Ontario Orchid Society. More details on orchid judging, information on orchid care and orchid photography can be found on his website http://www.ravenvision.ca