The 2025 AIS National Convention, Convention Awards

During a national convention attendees vote in a number of popularity polls. Voting Ballots for the President's Cup, the Franklin Cook Memorial Cup, the Ben Hager Cup, the Lloyd Zurbrigg-Clarence Mahan Award, and the Gerald Richardson Award are provided in the Convention Booklets. The ballots are turned in after the last garden tour, tabulated, and winners are announced at the convention Awards event. A ballot for the Favorite Guest Irises, which is a recognition and not an award, is also provided but is tabulated after the convention by the convention host and reported in the next AIS Bulletin.

Go to the 2025 Awards Page.

Go to the 2025 Convention Page.

The American Iris Society hopes you enjoy scrolling through the Convention Awards galleries. To provide you with additional information, each Iris is linked to its cultivar page in the Encyclopedia, just click on the caption or photo.

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The President's Cup Winner and Runners Up

Best In-Region Iris

The President’s Cup is awarded annually during the American Iris Society’s national meeting. Eligibility is restricted to introduced iris that originated within the host region for that year’s national meeting or originated by a hybridizer whose garden is included on the meeting’s official convention tour, regardless of its location. Iris must have been seen growing and in bloom in the meeting’s official tour gardens but need not be official guest iris.
Each convention registrant may vote for one variety and The President’s Cup is awarded to the iris with the most votes. In case of a tie, there can be multiple winners.

'Mama Quel', TB
Winner: 30 Votes
Michael Sutton

'Cowboy Coffee', BB
1st Runner Up: 17 Votes
Michael Sutton

'Singularity', TB
2nd Runner Up: 16 Votes
Michael Sutton

The President's Cup

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The Franklin Cook Memorial Cup Winner and Runners Up

Best Out-Of-Region Iris

The Franklin Cook Memorial Cup is awarded annually during the American Iris Society’s national meeting. All introduced iris seen growing and in bloom in the official tour gardens of the meeting are eligible for the Franklin Cook Memorial Cup, except for iris that originated within the host region for that year’s national meeting or originated by a hybridizer whose garden is included on the official garden tour, regardless of its location. Iris considered for this award may or may not be official guest iris. For the convention ballots, introduced iris will include all iris properly registered and offered for sale prior to or in the spring issue of IRISES, the Bulletin of the American Iris Society of the year of that national meeting.
Each convention registrant may vote for only one variety and the Franklin Cook Memorial Cup is awarded to the iris receiving the most votes. In case of a tie, there can be multiple winners.

'Ignite The Light', TB
Winner: 17 Votes
Thomas Johnson

'Gotham', TB
1st Runner Up: 12 Votes
Schreiner

'Oh So Different', TB
2nd Runner Up: 11 Votes
Paul Black

The Franklin Cook Memorial Cup

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The Ben R. Hager Cup Winner and Runners Up

Best Median

The Ben R. Hager Cup is awarded annually during the American Iris Society’s national convention. Eligibility is restricted to introduced median iris (e.g. SDB, IB, BB, MTB) seen growing and in bloom in the meeting’s official tour gardens but need not be official guest iris.
Each convention registrant may vote for one variety, and the Ben R. Hager Cup is awarded to the iris with the most votes. In case of a tie, there can be multiple winners.

'Crazy Chaos', MTB
Winner: 29 Votes
Lynda Millers

'My Gal', BB
1st Runner Up: 23 Votes
Paul Black

'Maniac', MTB
2nd Runner Up: 19 Votes
Lynda Miller

The Ben R. Hager Cup

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The Lloyd Zurbrigg-Clarence Mahan Cup Winner and Runners Up

Best Seedling

This cup is awarded to the seedling at the AIS’ national convention that receives the most votes by convention registrants. The seedling may be of any type and registered but not introduced. The Cup is presented by AIS Region 4 in honor of two of its distinguished members, Lloyd Zurbrigg, a noted hybridizer of reblooming iris and Clarence Mahan, a hybridizer and past president of AIS. The Zurbrigg-Mahan Cup was first awarded in 2014 at the AIS national Convention in Dallas, Texas. Notably different from other AIS awards, the recipient retains the award, a new engraved cup, which is donated each year.
Each convention registrant may vote for only one seedling and the Lloyd Zurbrigg-Clarence Mahan Cup is awarded to the iris receiving the most votes.

GDM42, TB
Winner: 33 Votes
Gary Slagle

1717, TB
1st Runner Up: 20 Votes
Mitch Jameson

W-1930.TB, TB
2nd Runner Up: 12 Votes
Jack Worel

The Lloyd Zurbrigg-Clarence Mahan Cup

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The Gerald Richardson Award Winner and Runner Up

Best Integrated Privately Maintained Planting

The Gerald Richardson Award is awarded annually during the American Iris Society’s national meeting, for the best integrated privately maintained planting at an AIS convention garden as designated in the convention booklet. An integrated garden is defined as a garden bed composed of iris and companion plants that displays the iris to their best effect as a landscape plant. Each convention registrant may vote for one garden. The Richardson Award is given to the garden with the most votes. The first Richardson Award was given at the 2019 AIS Convention in San Ramon, CA.
Each convention registrant may vote for only one privately maintained planting and the Gerald Richardson Award is awarded to the planting receiving the most votes.

Winner: Cynthia St. Charles Garden, Billings Montana

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A printable listing of the 2025 Convention Award Winners.

If you find errors in the information presented please contact the AIS Encyclopedia Manager at aisencyclopedia@irises.org