Competition with a Legacy

For nearly 200 years, the plant and exhibit competition at the Philadelphia Flower Show has been a key part to the excitement and prestige of the event. Professional and amateur gardeners compete for horticultural and design excellence to see who will take home the trophy for Best in Show or the Blue Ribbon. Explore how this competition is judged and awarded every year. 

Major Exhibits 

The Major Exhibits include three judged categories: Landscape, Floral, and Educational pieces. The major exhibits consist of professionals within their fields such as Landscape Designers, Landscape Architects, Florists, and professional horticulture and floral programs in high schools and universities. Each category is judged by specialty panels of judges renowned in their fields of study.

Competitive Classes  

Exhibitors in Competitive Classes are non-professionals. They can be individuals as well as groups such as garden clubs or schools. Within the divisions are many categories or “classes” in which entries are displayed. The Competitive Classes divisions are:

• Artistic, which includes Arrangements, Botanical Arts, Photography, and Pressed Plants.
• Design, which includes larger exhibits such as Gardens, Entryways, Store Windows, and Miniature Settings.
• Horticulture, which includes individual plant submissions in the PHS Hamilton Horticourt.  

Judging  

Judges evaluate entries and award ribbons based on established criteria. For example, in Horticulture, judges consider cultural perfection, rarity, difficulty to grow, maturity, and bloom. Philadelphia Flower Show judges come from across the country, and sometimes even from abroad. They work in panels of three, accompanied by clerks who record the results. As one of the oldest Flower Shows in the world, PHS is proud to host one of the most prestigious events for judges and exhibitors alike. 

There are four types of awards that can be achieved at the Philadelphia Flower Show:

Trophies
Trophies are the most coveted accomplishment within the Major Exhibitor category, with the competition fierce for the PHS Philadelphia Flower Show Cup – the Best in Show award given out within the Landscape and Floral categories. Many other trophies are awarded throughout the Show for a variety of successes. Be sure to check out our new Awards Wall that will feature our winners at the Show this year! 

Medals
Gold, silver, and bronze medals are awarded in the Major Exhibit categories based on three criteria elements: Design, Horti/Flora-culture, and Educational value.  

Ribbons
In the Competitive Classes, ribbons are awarded for first place (blue), second place (red), third place (yellow), and honorable mention (white). For most classes, only one Blue Ribbon is awarded, but there may be more than one red, yellow, or white. In the Grand Old Plants classes in the Horticourt, entries are judged on a “par” basis—that is, against “perfection” for each plant rather than in comparison to other entries. In 2024, there were 883 blue ribbons, 1,511 red ribbons, 1,268 yellow ribbons, and 932 white ribbons. 

Rosettes
Rosettes are awarded by special panels of judges - for instance, from plant societies or garden club associations. Rosettes go to exceptional entries in Competitive Classes and some Major Exhibtors.