Judging Rules

South Florida Orchid Society Regulations for Exhibiting and Judging
(Amended – June 2022)

1. All growers are invited to exhibit their orchids at the regular monthly meetings, shows or events sponsored by the South Florida Orchid Society (SFOS), and all growers are eligible to receive SFOS ribbons and medal awards. SFOS members in good standing in May of the fiscal year are eligible to receive the Society’s Perpetual Awards for that year. Non-members are not eligible to receive the Society’s Perpetual Awards.

2. American Orchid Society (AOS) point scales are used for SFOS scoring. No award is made for exhibits scoring fewer than 75 points.

3. All orchids submitted for SFOS judging must be properly identified with genus, grex name, including parentage if a hybrid and cultivar name if the plant is awarded or a meristem propagation.

4. All orchids submitted for SFOS judging must be free of pests and disease.

5. By entering a plant for SFOS judging – the exhibitor agrees to pay the awards fee set by the Society from time to time to cover the cost of awards processing. Any plant awarded by the SFOS must have varietal name before the award fee is billed. No award is final until the fee is paid and the award is published by the SFOS.

6. All CBE awards and other medal/certificate awards made to species are provisional pending identification by the Orchid Identification Center at Marie Selby Botanical Gardens or other taxonomic authority acceptable to the AOS. Identification confirmation must be submitted in writing to the Chairman of Judges within one year of the date the award was granted. At the discretion of the judges present, the identification requirements may be waived. This waiver shall be in writing and shall include a statement from the judges indicating their confidence in the identity of the species.

7. Any plant awarded by the SFOS must be available for a photographic record of the awarded flower(s). The awards photograph is normally taken before the end of the event at which the award is granted.

8. Any plant considered for a cultural award must have been in the possession of the exhibitor for at least one year prior to the date on which it is submitted for judging.

9. Any plant considered for a cultural award must be mature and in flower or in bud and flowers, except for those orchids grown primarily for their foliage.

10. SFOS members may request through the President of the Society or the Chairman of Judges, at any regular meeting or show sponsored by the SFOS, consideration of one or more plants on the member’s premises which cannot normally be transported. Judging will be done within four days after receipt of the request, at a time determined by the members of the judging team appointed by the Chairman.

11. A plant bearing a cultural award maybe rejudged at a subsequent flowering if the judges determine it shows sufficient improvement over the previous exhibition to be considered for a higher award.

12. “Made up” plants are ineligible for cultural awards.

13. Any plant entered for SFOS judging which has been previously awarded by the SFOS or other recognized award-granting entity must carry it’s correct varietal name and full award designation.

14. Awards to unregistered hybrids are provisional pending registration of the hybrid. Proof of registration must be submitted to the Chairman of Judges within six months of the event at which the SFOS award was granted.

15. Provisional awards (pending species identification or hybrid registration) must be cleared before the award fee is billed and the award is published.

16. The SFOS will not judge an inflorescence that has been previously screened or judged by the AOS.