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 7:00pm.  Any flowering orchid may be entered.  Student judges will help you with plant entry.