Entering Your Orchids in a Show
By Stephen Benjamin
The shows in this area of the country typically use the Mid-America Orchid Congress (MAOC) orchid show schedule. This schedule is quite complete, and repeatedly using it allows exhibitors and the show registration personnel to become accustomed to it, so that the process becomes simpler and more accurate. One should always check the local show schedule for each show however, as the host society may add, delete, or alter classes to suit their local needs. The following guide for hobbyist exhibitors is based on the MAOC schedule.
If you are entering an exhibit or a plant for the first time, you should read the instructions contained in the MAOC Show Schedule, which is available in it’s entirety at the MAOC website, under Show Rules and Regulations, pages 3 through 7. These rules are not always reprinted in the local rule booklet.
Exhibits- When you ask for exhibit space, you will normally request a specific amount of floor or table space, i.e. 25, 50, or maybe 100 square feet. The hosting society will usually mark these areas out on the floor or table. If your exhibit falls within their outline, your exhibit will properly be entered in that category. If your exhibit expands outside the given outline, you should probably move to the next larger class.
Plant Entry- Each group/alliance of orchids has its own set of classes. Each set has several options, one of which will best fit your orchid. The first things you will need to know are the name and parentage of your plant. The name tag which came with your plant should provide the plant name for you, and it will often list the parentage as well.
To understand that name tag, please note that the first part of the name will be the Genus; it will always start with a capital letter and is often abbreviated. The second part of the name will start with a small letter if your plant is a naturally-occurring species, or a capital letter if it is a hybrid. As an example, consider the hybrid Lc. Mini Purple- The genus is Lc,, which is the abbreviation for Laeliocattleya. The rest of the name starts with a capital letter, so you know that the plant is a hybrid. If you are unsure what the genus abbreviation means, you should look it up in the MAOC Orchid Classification and/or the MAOC Intergeneric Cross Reference guides, both of which are available on the MAOC website. These are often available at the desk of the Show Registrar, as well. If your tag also lists the parentage of a cross such as: L. pumila x C. walkeriana, then you have the information needed to complete your entry. If the parentage is not on the tag, you should look it up in “Sanders” or in a computer database such as Wildcatt,
AQ-Plus, or Orchidwiz. If your tag only lists a hybrid cross, then you should also check to see if it has been named since the time that your tag was printed. Again “Sanders” or one of the computer data bases should help. If the cross has not yet been named, then leave the space on the entry tag for “Name” blank, and enter the parentage in the “Cross” area.
The process of choosing the class into which your plant should be entered starts with the Genus. In the case of Lc. Mini Purple, Lc. (Laeliocattleya), L. (Laelia), and C. (Cattleya), all are in the Cattleya alliance, classes 10-26. In general, you should always choose the first class that the plant fits into. The first class that it might seem to fit is Class 14, which is for “Laelia and Sophronitis species, hybrids and intergenerics, other than above, but excluding Cattleyas”. In this case, our hybrid example plant does contain Cattleya, so Class 14 would be an incorrect choice. This plant would correctly fall into the group of classes 17-26, because it contains Cattleya in its heritage. This group of classes is then broken down by color and size of flower. The flowers of Lc. Mini Purple could be: lavender, pink, white, or possibly blue. Lavender flowers easily fit into class 17 or 18- Lavender depending on the size of the flower. Pink and Blue would fit into class 24 - other colors. White-flowered plants would go into class 19- white. You should also note that within the Cattleya alliance, there is a class for miniatures, class 28. You could elect to enter your plant in this class as long as it satisfies the criteria listed in the schedule. The MAOC does not allow for “double entering” a plant in two categories, but some local schedules allow you to “double enter”, so read the local schedule.
This same decision-making process described above applies to all the Orchid alliances, plus the Miscellaneous groups.
Entering your plants- Whether the show has the paper entry tags or electronic entry, take some time to review the form/tag. The information is generally all the same, but the format may vary. You will get an Exhibit number from the registrar, which is where you will exhibit your plants/entries. You will also get an Exhibitor number/letter for each person who has plants in that exhibit. You will fill out the entry form/tag with this information for each entry. If the entry is a plant, the name and cross must be filled in. If the entry is an Exhibit, Art, orchids in use, etc. write in the appropriate type in the name section. Each entry must have the show classification number entered for the appropriate plant/exhibit. The completed form/tag will be turned into the registrar who will assign “tag numbers” and return your entry form/tag or computerized entry to you. The returned entry tag should be placed in the exhibit with the plant so the judges can readily find it.
Some good points to keep in mind-
Color- Colors may be perceived differently according to the light, so check under show conditions if possible. In general, blush colors and two-toned flowers should be entered in the "Other Colors"classifications, with the exception of Phalaenopsis, which has a dedicated blush class. Color in Paphiopedilum and most other alliances is based on the dominant flower color: ask yourself what color is the most prominent of the several colors that may be present in your flower, and choose that class as your entry class. If you cannot make up your mind, put it into the first of the classes where it could go.
Equitant/Tolumnia Oncidium hybrid classification is based on the lip color and its markings.
For purposes of the MAOC schedule, the word "hybrid" means a cross made within the genus listed (such as Cattleya aclandiae x Cattleya walkeriana = Cattleya Measuresiana), unless preceded by the word "intergeneric", in which case, two or more different genera are used in the cross (such as LC Mini Purple).
“Primary hybrid”- This is a first-generation cross, i.e., it was made from two naturally-occurring species (such as Paph. rothschildianum x Paph. primulinum = Paph. Prime Child). “Complex hybrids” have at least one parent which is a hybrid ( Paph. Susan Booth x Paph primulinum = Paph. Prime Susan). If you enter a plant in a Primary Hybrid class and one of the parents was not a species, your plant will be disqualified.
Equitant/Tolumnia Oncidiums are separated out within the Oncidium group. If you have questions, ask the Registrar or another knowledgeable person.
Dendrobiums are separated out by types, and again, if you have questions, ask the Registrar or another knowledgeable person.
Class 98 & 99, cover any Orchid that does not fit anywhere else.
Review classes 100 through 102, miniatures, specimen plants, and seedlings blooming for the first time, as these are also options for orchids that may have other appropriate classifications but may be optionally placed here. The MAOC does not, but some local schedules do allow you to double-enter a plant in 100, 101 or 102 plus one other class.
Most important, if you have questions or any doubt about your entry, ask the registrar or another knowledgeable person. It’s always discouraging to find out that your plant could not be considered by the judges because it was entered in the wrong class. The judges will generally transfer a plant into the correct class, but often they cannot do this because the class your plant belongs in has already been judged when the error is discovered. So, if in doubt, enter the plant in the first class that it would appear to fit.
I want to thank Tom Ott (Chairman of the MAOC Show Schedule Committee) for reviewing and adding some great insight to this document.