Accredited judges of the AIS vote awards to irises of all types each year, based on their performance in gardens accross the US and Canada. The first such award is the honorable mention (HM). An iris must receive the HM to be eligible for the award of merit (AM). MDBs that have won the AM go on to compete for the Caparne-Welch medal, which is the highest award for MDBs. A complete list of Caparne-Welch winners, from 1950 to the present, is available on the AIS Iris Encyclopedia.
Click on the name of an iris to view its page in the AIS Iris Encyclopedia.
Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, no awards were given in 2020 and two sets of awards were given in 2021.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, no AIS awards were given in 2020.
Beetlejuice (Black, 2013)
photo: Jeanette Graham
