2018 Convention – Flower Show Awards

Gesneriads POP in New England!
July 3 to July 7, 2018

WE ARE NOW ACCEPTING AWARD SPONSORSHIPS for the 2018 Flower Show in Framingham and are encouraging sponsorships in increments of $15, with the minimum sponsorship set at $15. The list of special awards has been expanded to include all the major show genera and also awards in honor of a number of hybridizers. However, in order to keep some control on the number of awards distributed, there will be only one award per genus (e.g., “Best Achimenes”) and not one for best species and another one for best hybrid. I encourage you to visit the Show Award Sponsorship page for a list of all the awards available for sponsorship and urge you to pick an award and make it yours! The list will be updated as awards are sponsored and sponsored awards will be posted, with the sponsor’s name, as they are received so that everyone knows which awards have been sponsored and which are still available.

Requests for awards will be filled on a first-come basis. If more awards are sponsored than are required for any category, I will contact the donor before moving the award to another category. Awards that are sponsored with specific criteria (e.g., Best Gesneriad Species Native to Colombia) often pose challenges to the judges. Individuals sponsoring such awards will be required to provide a list of all genera, species, or hybrids eligible for the award.

You will be able to sponsor an award in one of three ways: when you register for convention (either by mail or online), in the Shop, or by postal mail (using this downloadable form). You may use your award sponsorship to recognize a friend or honor a person’s memory. Sponsorship requests must be received by June 15, 2018. Requests received after that date will be held until next year’s convention, as will any unused award monies. Remember that all award sponsorships are tax-deductible for donors in the United States.

After convention, a list of all award sponsorships will appear in the fourth quarter issue of Gesneriads and also on the Show Award Sponsorship page.

Paul Susi, 2 Rushmore Street, South Huntington, NY 11746