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American Orchid Society (AOS) Awards from the Central Valley of California and Northern Nevada via the California Sierra Nevada Judging Center

INTERESTED IN HAVING YOUR BLOOMING ORCHID JUDGED (in order to potentially win an award or awards?)

How are orchids judged? What do those letters after their names mean?

The American Orchid Society (and other national groups) have established a series of criteria of excellence by which orchid plants are evaluated.

Individual orchid plants ("cultivars" or "clones") may receive flower quality awards such as the First Class Certificate (FCC/AOS, 90+ points), Award of Merit (AM/AOS, 80 - 89 points), or Highly Commended Certificate (HCC/AOS, 75 - 79 points).

Other awards may be given for achievement in culture, Certificate of Cultural Merit (CCM/AOS), or for botanical novelty, the Certificate of Botanical Recognition (CBR/AOS) and the Certificate of Horticultural Merit (CHM/AOS).

While there are other flower awards that may be encountered, these will be the most commonly seen. Such awards are the purchaser’s assurance of a high level of flower quality, whether in the plant itself or of its parents.

Plants are judged at monthly judgings held at Centers around the country, including here in Sacramento, or at AOS-sanctioned orchid shows, of which there are over 250 annually around the world.

Visit our judging center's website:  http://www.csnjc.org/

 

The California Sierra Nevada Judging Center meets concurrent with the Sacramento Orchid Society on the first Wednesday of the month.  Plant entry is from 6:30 to 7:00 and we have student judges to help you with plant entry and any flowering orchid may be entered. 

In 2003 the Sacramento Orchid Society hosted the fall AOS Members Meeting where we made over $14,000 - a tribute to our hard working membership.  What to do with this windfall was discussed and by a unanimous vote, the membership decided to support a regional judging center in Sacramento.  Many said that we couldn't get an independent site, but through hard work and dedication to the task we were awarded the site. 

Our primary goal is the award process, but as a group we are there to promote orchids and educate, educate,  educate.  Our August Speakers Day is one way we can give back to the membership and provide excellent information on our passion, orchids.

 If you have an exceptional plant bring it into the judging room and we will show you how to enter the  plant.  Stick around and watch the process as your plant will be researched and compared to previously awarded plants and then sent to a team of judges to evaluate the plant for award potential and either award or pass on it. 

We encourage visitors to the judging process as it is very educational.  If you think you might be interested in becoming a judge come and talk to us.