Rocky Mountain Judging Center

Photo Courtesy of John E. Erickson, Award winning Bulbophyllum dearei 'Longs Peak' HCC/AOS

Judging Sessions

Judging sessions, open to all orchid growers, are held on the second Saturday of each month.
For the months of June and July the sessions will be held at FANTASY ORCHIDS, 830 W Cherry St., Louisville, CO 80027 Phone 303-666-5432. Training begins at 6 pm then plant registration at 6:30 with judging beginning at 7 pm.

If there are any changes to the RMJC schedule or location, due to Denver Botanic Gardens renovation projects, we will post those changes and details as soon as possible.

Registration normally begins at 6:30 p.m.
Judging starts at 7:00 p.m. except for our annual Spring and Fall shows which start at 10am.

Everyone is welcome to these sessions, so try to attend at least one. Bring your best plants and stay a while. It is a great educational experience.

2008 Judging Center Schedule

The August 9th RMJC session

The RMJC Speakers Day will be August 9th from
1 pm to 5 pm in Mitchell Hall in the Denver Botanic Gardens. There will be three speakers. More details to follow. We are trying to arrange a plant sale from 10 - 12 the same day. The RMJC judging session will be 6 - 9 pm the same day, in the Morrison Center (immediately south of the Botanic Gardens).

About the RMJC

The Rocky Mountain Judging Center was established by the American Orchid Society (AOS) in 1990.  The Denver Botanic Gardens hosts each monthly meeting of the  RMJC. The RMJC covers the largest geographical area of any AOS Judging Center: The region includes Colorado, Montana, New Mexico and Utah. Judges from the region travel to the Colorado judging center each month and to AOS sanctioned orchid shows in Montana, Utah, and New Mexico.

The American Orchid Society (AOS) is the authority for orchid judging in the United States. The AOS Judging Committee is responsible for maintaining standards of awards for flower quality and awards for plants of botanical merit. The committee governs and certifies approximately 500 judges, and has established 27 Regional Judging Centers. Judging Centers provide a forum for orchids to be judged when a blooming plant cannot be entered in an AOS sanctioned orchid show. The centers also train student judges and conduct seminars to educate themselves on a variety of topics.

The American Orchid Society (AOS) also establishes rules and regulations for orchid judging, published in the current edition of the American Orchid Society Handbook of Judging and Exhibition.

Judges are also required to judge outside their region during each year.

Judging Center Members

Accredited Judges:
Judging Center Chair is Sue Eloe

Marion Allen, Jim Coyner, Lois Dauelsberg, Karen Miles, Shawn Quealy, Ian Rich, Ken Slump, Marilyn Stark, Mark Van Der Woerde, Richard Zeman

Senior Judges:
Dr. Hal Hargreaves, C. William Hayward

Probationary Judges:
Nick Snakenberg

Student Judges:
Clinton Lewis