Updates to the awards and honor table for single blooms include:

• “King,” “Queen,” “Prince,” and “Princess” have been renamed to Best Single Bloom – Large, Best Single Bloom – Small, Best Single Bloom – Open Center, and Best Multiple Bloom.
• Each of these winners receives an award of $100.
• New this year, these 4 will then compete for “Best of Show” which
  will receive an additional $200 award.
• As in prior years, any bloom or multi-bloom entry making it to the Honor Table will be awarded $25.
• As in prior years, any golds that do not make it to the honor table are
  awarded $10.
• The best Challenge Flower entry receives $50.
• Awards are cumulative.

Photo Competition Revisions

• Photo entries have been increased from 1 to 2 entries per person in each class.
• The size is limited to 4” x 6”.
• Awards are $10 for best in each class, plus an additional $40 for best of show.
  

SHOW SECTIONS
Section 1: Youth
Section 2: Novice/New Grower
Section 3: Small Grower
Section 4: Open to All
Section 5: Open to All
Section 6: Open - Multiple Blooms
Section 7: Seedlings/ADS Bench
Section 8: Artistic Designs
Section 9: Photography

• Friday Sep. 12, 2025: Exhibits can be staged, time TBA

• Saturday Sep. 13, 2025: Exhibits must be in place by 9:00 a.m.
  (Arrangements by 10:00 a.m.)
  Judging begins at 10:00 a.m.

• Sunday Sep. 14, 2025: Exhibits will be removed after 4:00 PM.

RULES

1. Entry is open to all. There is no entry fee. However, exhibitor must be a member of the Cincinnati Dahlia Society (“CDS”) for awards.
2. Registration. -- Each exhibitor must register.
3. Entry Tags – Outside of tag – must show Section Number, Class Number and Variety of the dahlia.
   Inside Tag Flap – must record your name, not to be visible during judging.
4. All exhibits must be in place by 9:00 AM on Saturday.
5. All competitive exhibits must have been grown by the exhibitor, except in the Artistic Design, Seedlings and ADS Seedling Bench sections.
6. As many entries of a variety and any number of varieties may be entered in each class by the exhibitor.
7. Containers. – The CDS will furnish containers for all single bloom entries. Exhibitors are to furnish suitable containers for all multiple bloom entries.
8. Youth Section - Open to any youth up to and including the year of high school graduation. Youth must have grown blooms entered. Any number of blooms may be shown in each class. Exhibitors in this section may not enter single blooms in any other section.
9. Novice / New Grower Section – can exhibit up to 3 years in this section, unless engaged as a florist, gardener, semi-professional or commercial grower.
10. Small Growers Section. – This section is limited to exhibitors who grow less than 125 dahlias of sizes AA, A, B and BB. Exhibitors growing in a cloth house must exhibit in Section 4.
11. Commercial growers must exhibit in Section 4.
12. An undisseminated dahlia is a variety which has not been offered for sale, sold, or catalogued. It is one year old throughout its seedling year; it becomes two years old when planted for its second season, etc.
13. An exhibitor may enter a seedling/undisseminated dahlia in regular show competition if grown
    by the exhibitor. The entry must be submitted to the Classification Committee for a class number.
    The entry must have an ID number or name for variety identification.
14. Classification: Exhibitors are responsible for the proper placement of their exhibits. All dahlias must
    be classified. If a variety is classified in an ADS publications (ADS Classification Guide – print or
    online version, or Composite listing) or has a trial garden certificate, that is sufficient. Otherwise they must be classified by the Classification Committee. The exhibitor is esponsible for placing
    these classified dahlias in the proper class. Blooms must be shown as classified by the ADS.
15. Entries misplaced as to color, form, or size may be moved by the Section Assistants, Judging Team,or Classification Committee prior to judging if observed. If not detected, the entry will not be judged and so marked by the Judging team.
16. Blooms will be judged according to ADS rules.
17. There is no penalty for over or undersize dahlias. When judging miniatures/min balls, and poms,
    judges should consider and may reward diminutiveness in a dahlia. Judges should reward those
    exhibitors that use their horticultural skill to grow dahlias within the size range as classified.
18. Each specimen bloom should have sufficient foliage showing above the top of the container to
    permit proper evaluation (two sets of leaves are about right). Each bloom MUST have at least one
    pair of leaves. Each specimen bloom must be disbudded. All blooms including multiple blooms are
    covered by this rule. Exception: Artistic Design Section.
19. The wiring of stems, the artificial support of stems above the container, or the artificial coloring of the foliage is prohibited. Wedges are allowed. Exception: Artistic Design Section.
    [4]
20. All entries are the property of the CDS for the duration of the show and may not be removed until the close of the show, and then only in your own (not CDS) container.
21. The CDS shall not be responsible for loss or damage to exhibits or personal property of exhibitors. The CDS is not responsible for the return of containers which must be removed at the close of the show.
22. The judging teams and the Show Chairpersons shall have the authority to disqualify any one or all entries of any exhibitor showing unsportsmanlike conduct.
23. Judges must not participate in judging of their own entries.
24. Awards can be withheld in any class or section if the blooms are deemed unworthy.
25. The Judge’s decision will be final unless the Show Committee requests a rejudging. Any protest must be lodged with the Show Committee within 30 minutes after the close of judging.
26. Largest/smallest blooms will be chosen from fully double blooms and must be good enough to win a red ribbon. The bloom is measured maximum diameter x average depth.
27. Exhibitors entering single bloom entries of sizes AA, A, B or BB must enter in one section only; either Section 2, 3 or 4.
28. Additional rules, regulations and explanations may be found in each section. Please read carefully.