General Rules

 

1. Judging as appropriate shall be in accordance with the Royal Horticultural Society's rules. Exhibitors in doubt should contact the Show Secretary before the day of the Show for any clarification required.

2. Entries for the Shows should be received by the Show Secretary not later than 10 am on Friday prior to the Shows. Exceptionally, at the discretion of the Show Secretary, late entries may be accepted up to, but not later than, 9.30am on the day of the Shows.

3. On Show days the Hall will be open at 8.30am for the collection of entry cards and staging exhibits. Staging must be completed by 10.30am and exhibitors must be out of the Hall by 10.35am.

4. Preparation of ANY exhibit on Show Tables other than flower arrangements is NOT ALLOWED, but it is permissible to add water to exhibits in situ.

5. Horticultural exhibits must have been grown by the exhibitor in a private garden or allotment and have been in his or her possession for at least two months prior to the Show, and shall be open to inspection by the Committee, in a growing state, at any time after the date of entry.

6. All pot plants must have been grown in the pots in which they are exhibited. Where pot size is given, the measurement is taken across the top inner edges.

7. Domestic exhibits must be the exhibitor's unaided work and must, with the exception of chutney, have been completed within 12 months of the Show.

8. A Member is a person who has paid his or her subscription for the current year prior to the date of the Show.

9. A Child is defined as one who is 12 years of age or under on 1st April.

10. Commercial Growers shall not exhibit at the Association's Shows.

11. There will be no entry fees and, consequently, no prize money.

12. No exhibitor may show more than one entry in any Class, except Photography, where 2 entries may be made in each Class.

13. An exhibit that has won First Prize in any Show of the Association shall not be entered in any subsequent Show.

14. Exhibitors must provide their own plates and containers except for cut flower classes marked with an asterisk(*). These must be exhibited in the Association's Show Vases provided, which must remain on the Tables at the end of the Shows.

15. Points shall be awarded in all Classes except where otherwise stated, on the basis: 1st Prize - 3 points, 2nd Prize - 2 points, 3rd Prize - 1 point.

16. There will be no cash prizes (see rule 11).

17. The judges may withhold one or more prizes in any class in which they consider that the required standards have not been reached.

18. Arrangements in Flower Arranging Classes that exceed any measurements of space allowed in the Schedule including accessories, unless expressly permitted, will be disqualified. Natural plant material to be used in all classes. "Exhibit" means accessories may be used unless otherwise stated.

19. All cookery exhibits must be cold at the time of judging and placed on a plate or board and covered lightly with cling film.

20. There must be no brand names on the jars or lids of preserves.

21. The photographic competition is comprised of 3 classes each on a separate subject. A competitor may enter all or any of the 3 classes and may submit 2 entries per class. Prints must be no larger than 18cm by 13cm (7" x 5") and un-mounted. You may give your print a title or description. Competition will be judged by "Visitors' Choice"; the print receiving the most votes will be judged the winner. Entrants may vote in the competition. The competition is open to all age groups. Children (as defined in rule 9) should mark their entry form accordingly.

22. Any protest must be in writing accompanied by a deposit of £1.00 and be delivered, not later than 3pm on the day of the Show, to the Show Secretary, who will inform the Chairman and their decision shall be final.

23. Exhibits shall not be removed from the Show Tables before the presentation of Trophies is completed.

24. The Committee will take all reasonable care of exhibits and exhibitors' property but cannot undertake to be held responsible for any loss or damage which may occur.

25. All Trophies are the property of the Association and, except Children's Trophies, will be awarded to Members of the Association only. Nonmembers receive only monetary awards. Members are responsible for returning Trophies to the Show Secretary 7 days prior to the respective Shows.

26. In the event of entries being received in excess of those that can be accommodated, the Committee reserves the right to refuse additional entries, and in this the Show Secretary, or, in his/her absence, the Chairwoman and General Secretary, shall make a decision which shall be final. Members are assured, however, that every effort will be made to accept all entries.

 

RHS Notes on Vegetable Judging

 

The RHS handbook contains advice on exhibiting and explains how exhibits are judged.

Collections of vegetables are judged by awarding points for each variety, according to the difficulty of producing the perfect “dish”.