Revised Awards Program, Adopted At Directors' Meeting
November 12, 1967
Purpose
To improve the quality o£ Rhododendron plants available to the general public by discovering superior plants produced by breeding and selection, by publicizing these plants, and by utilizing the facilities and influence of the American Rhododendron Society to insure propagation and distribution.
Administration
The President of the Society shall direct the operation of the Program under rules as approved by the Board of Directors, whose responsibility shall be to maintain in force a functioning plan sufficient to permit all Chapters and geographical areas to achieve the aims set forth in the "Purpose."
The President of each Chapter should appoint an Awards Committee of at least five but not more than eleven members. These committee member appointments shall be confirmed in writing by the President of the Society, and after such confirmation shall serve until relieved.
One member of each Awards Committee shall be designated as Chairman and one other shall be designated as Secretary. The duties of the Chairman shall be to receive requests for Award judgings, to provide bimonthly meetings of committee members during the blooming season for the purpose of selecting plants to be included on the "Eligibility List," to insure that judges are assigned as required for Awards judging, and that such judges file Awards ballots with him within two weeks of inspecting a plant. The duties of the Secretary shall be to insure that description cards, on official forms, shall be prepared and filed in the records of the committee for each plant placed on the "Eligibility List," to transmit copies of these cards to the Registrar of Plant Awards, the Secretary of the Society, the Chairman of the A.R.S. Ratings Committee, and the Editor of the A.R.S. Bulletin. The Chapter Awards Secretary shall also insure that Chapter Awards Committeemen are supplied with necessary forms, and shall, prior to August 15 of each year transmit the results of all Awards judging to the Registrar of Plant Awards.
The Registrar of Plant Awards shall tabulate all awards ballots received by him and shall, prior to October 1 of each year report to the President of the Society the results of his tabulation. Copies of his report shall be forwarded to the Secretary of the A.R.S. and to the Editor of the A.R.S. Bulletin and to the Chairman of the A.R.S. Ratings Committee. The Registrar shall maintain a constantly current list of plants which have received Awards including year when awarded or which have been placed on the "Eligibility List." He shall notify those who have received Awards. He shall also exert all effort to insure that plants on the eligibility list or holding minor awards shall be considered for advancement.
The Secretary of the A.R.S. shall maintain a file of Awards plants and "Eligibility List" plants, in case of loss of the Registrar's records. The Editor of the A.R.S. Bulletin shall in each October Bulletin publish prominently the data concerning plants which in the current year have received awards or have been added to the "Eligibility List." He shall if at all possible incorporate in each Society book as published a list of all Award and Eligibility List plants.
Eligibility List and Awards
l. ELIGIBILITY LIST
Twice each month during the blooming season, the Awards Committee of each Chapter shall meet for the purpose of examining flowering plants or trusses of flowers brought to the meeting place for consideration of inclusion on the "Eligibility List." Three members of the Committee shall constitute a quorum, and a majority of those present and voting shall be basis for inclusion. If a favorable ballot is reached, a description card shall be prepared and distributed as set forth under Chapter Awards Committee Secretary's duties. Candidates for inclusion shall be identified by name, number or parentage, and by sponsor's name. Plants named to this list shall all be clones, and inclusion of one plant of a given cross shall in no way operate to include any other plant of the group. It is stressed that inclusion of a plant on the list in no way constitutes an award.
2. CONDITIONAL. AWARD (C. A.)
Once a plant has been placed on the "Eligibility List," it can in any subsequent year be put up for a "Conditional Award." If any person owning a clone of such a plant requests that it be judged, it shall be the duty of the local Awards Committee Chairman to make necessary arrangements. At least three judges shall inspect the plant, and one negative ballot shall deny the award, unless seven or more judges inspect, in which case two negative ballots are necessary to deny. The "Eligibility List" card prepared originally shall be available to the judges who make the inspection, and careful attention shall be paid to identity and conformity. Only an entire plant shall be judged, and the judges shall reach their decisions without consultation or discussion with the owner. The plant submitted must bear a name registered provisionally with the A.R.S. Registrar of Plant names. The plant need not be in trade or under active propagation, but the sponsor shall indicate his intention to propagate and distribute.
The "Conditional Award" shall take the place of the "Preliminary Award" which after January 1, 1968 shall not be conferred.
3. AWARD OF EXCELLENCE (A. E.)
Any plant which holds a "Conditional Award" conferred in a previous year or a "Preliminary Award" given prior to December 31, 1967, shall be eligible for consideration for an "Award of Excellence." The judging shall be in the same manner as for "Conditional Award." To be eligible, a plant must exist in quantity and proof must be offered that an active program of propagation is under way. It shall be the duty of the local Chapters to make such arrangements as will insure that no grower, particularly an amateur, be forced to make financial outlay in order to meet this propagation program requirement. Chapter Propagators should be selected, who under agreement with the Chapter, will propagate such plants for no other return than ownership of the results of propagation, unless the owner desires to purchase such plants back at a reasonable established price.
4. SUPERIOR PLANT AWARD (S. P. A.)
This is a re-designation of the former "Test Garden Certificate" which is no longer considered correctly descriptive, and which has never been awarded. Any plant which meets the following requirements shall be eligible to be judged for this award:
- A. It shall be the holder of an Award of Excellence conferred in a prior year.
- B. It shall be in the plant trade and distributed by more than one nursery.
- C. It may be nominated for award by any member of the Society, and the judging shall be the responsibility of the Chapter to which the nominating member belongs.
Judging for this Award shall be as follows:
- A. At least five judges shall inspect it.
- B. They must inspect at least three plants growing in gardens separated one from the other by not less than one mile.
- C. More than one negative vote will deny the Award.
- D. An objection voiced by any five members of the Award Committee of another Chapter shall be sufficient to postpone the Award. Such Objection must be in writing directed to the Registrar of Plant Awards, must be factually supported and may not be based simply on adverse environmental conditions existing in the objecting Chapter's area. In case of such objection, the Directors of the A.R.S., after consulting with all parties, shall render a final and binding decision.