IWGS Waterlily Competition

[Timgod]

This year's winners for the IWGS Waterlily Competition will probably be announced in the next day or so.
As soon as the judges get their votes in I will be updating the winners on the IWGS site.
Stay tuned for the results.



If you want to see more pictures of theplants go to the IWGS website.

Tim

[Timgod]

The results are in.
Follow the link below to see the winners.
http://www.iwgs.org/site-structure/



Congratulations to all of the winners as well as all of the entrants for an exciting glimpse into the future of hybrids.

[Timgod]

For those who are not aware, our own Louis entered and did well for himself in the competition.
Like I told you some time ago Lou, I like your hybrid a lot.
If you follow the link, Lou's hybrid is Nymphaea 'Silver Moon'.

Tim

[louis]

Hi all, i read the report on the contest this morning and lo and behold they omitted my name and instead give plant credit to florida aquatics.

i have been in contact with them and they are going to correct the mistake.

it was fun.

louis

[Timgod]

Lou,
I am so sorry.
There was a problem with the site.
It kept locking in formatting and links to items of text.
It was putting a hyperlink to a picture below (the wrong picture).
I repeatedly had to delete the text and reinput it to try and correct it.
In the final input I typo'd.
I just fixed it.
Please forgive me... as you had seen in the above post I knew it was you and had tried to give you credit.

Tim

[louis]

Lou,
I am so sorry.
There was a problem with the site.
It kept locking in formatting and links to items of text.
It was putting a hyperlink to a picture below (the wrong picture).
I repeatedly had to delete the text and reinput it to try and correct it.
In the final input I typo'd.
I just fixed it.
Please forgive me... as you had seen in the above post I knew it was you and had tried to give you credit.

Tim

hi tim, as i said in your email, no problem.

thanks for alll your great work.

louis

[Joyce]

Louis, I can't believe you didn't win.
Silver Moon is my favorite! 

[sooks]

I have to agree with Joyce. 

Silver Moon should have won!!

[landey1230]

Silver Moon is by far more unique and lovely.  You were recognized.  Didn't Louis post his hybrid here last year? 

[PondmaninAL]

Timgod, was it you that announced it on the VA mailing list? Nothing bad, just wondering.

[Timgod]

No , I am not on that list.
What was said if you don't mind divulging?

Tim

[Craig]

I suspect  Pondman might be alluding to my observation that the iwgs web site had a serious error in mis-attributing Lou's entry to FAN.  My comment and a couple complaints about using pdf instead of a jpg gallery were about it.

And I stand by what I say....for years I had been the one to make mention of the competition on the various forum so that Lou, Sean and any others would be aware of the dates.  This year I decided that if the iwgs didn't care enough to get the word out, or even make mention of it on their web site, why should I bother.  Lou went through the trouble to try and find the non-existent info and finally contacted me and was able to enter.  Consider that if he hadn't entered, the tropical competition would have not been a competition, though just two participants has to be a new low.  So in essence, Lou bucked the system to enter, gave at least the patina of legitimacy to the tropical competition and then the iwgs couldn't even properly acknowledge his entry?

I remember seeing my first competition in Nashville and it was exciting as hell!  Many of the icons of the industry were there Slocum, Strawn, Stetson, Sacher; it was great for a newbie to get to meet them and the lilies....even an Aussie was entered.  It was my understanding that the competition was a high point for the symposium attendees and the awards a highlight of the banquet dinner.  To see if has now become little more than an afterthought with no publication of a notice of intent to participate, voting done 'whenever' by a secret panel of judges...well it has all become rather sad.

You are on the board of directors...do you think anything will be done to restore what had once been an important function of the iwgs?

[Joyce]

I agree Craig.
I was totally shocked when Tim posted this, after the fact.
I was thinking, 'How the hell did I miss the topic with the link to the competition?'
Then I realized it never existed. Then I thought, "I guess we're not important enough to be informed.'
These and many other similar thoughts went through my head.
I did not dare to post them here because I'd get burned at the stake again, any offense is good enough for that. 
But now that you've had your say, I know I am not the only one who feels the same.
And Craig,  I did not notice any of your lilies in the list. Did you not compete this year?

I also had trouble with the pdf formats. I have access to over a dozen computers, 5 within this household now,
ranging from ancient to brand new. Had trouble accessing the pdfs on every computer. Finally just gave up completely.
Figured maybe there was a reason for it, so only certain people could access it, you know, more important people than all of us here. 
I know there is a Facebook Website for iwgs but I'm not into Facebook that much, just don't have the time to sit on my butt all day on the computer.

And as for the winners? Nothing special there, nothing I would look at twice, let alone purchase. (even though I am biased towards Pairat  )
They look too much like lilies already on the market. Maybe Cyprus Pink Star I would glance at again...but I wouldn't buy it.

Now look at Silver Moon...NOTHING like it out there. I want it! Will contact Louis and see if he has any for the mud pond next year.

And if I were Louis, I'd feel hurt, angry, betrayed by my peers. Lou may have said 'no problem' but I bet he's just being a nice guy despite his true feelings.
Always the gentleman.

[PondmaninAL]

Actually Craig, it just sounded so much like what was posted on the list that I had to ask. I don't get into competitions, whether it's koi shows or water lily contest. I love my collection of plants and enjoy them. I'm not into competing with other ponders so that I can say that,"My water lily looks better than yours." That's not relaxing. If I want to watch competition, I'll watch college football. There's less fights than at koi shows or water lily competitions. Peace.

[Craig]

Well Scott, I can only imagine why you are implying there was some mystery over the origin of the letter on v-a critical of the iwgs error.  I certainly made no attempt to be anonymous, as it can from my email address and was 'signed' in my name.

And I would be interested in learning just which waterlily competition you attended that led you to conclude there are any fights at all?  The ones I have attended have all been amicable to say the least.  Despite your rather misguided opinion, I have always found a sense of camaraderie surrounding the events.  In fact, last year when the iwgs neglected to provide me with information on the competition, it was Brad McLane of Florida Aquatic Nursery that called me to ask if I was planning to enter.  So again.....just where is it that you have witnessed these contentious competitions of which you speak?

Lou ran into a almost insurmountable bias with 'Silver Moon'....and I think I warned him<g>.  If you want to win the competition enter a vibrant blue, a pastel has little if any chance of winning.  Look at the list of past winners and blues predominate.

After years of arguing to no avail about some aspects of the competition I had problems with....largely to do with my fear that as things are now, the best picture is more likely to win than the best lily...I gave up and decided it was best if I just walked away from the competition.  For instance, a not so special blue one a competition that is designed to promote new forms and colors among other things.  Hardly a new color, but the autumn colored one that was an 'also ran'...well, that is actually a viviparous lily and in my mind quite an accomplishment, but other than the three photos, the judges get no info. 

Then there was the egregious mishandling of some of the past entries. Anyway.....me and the competition have gone our separate ways. I'll be visiting Kit in a few days.....might run the idea of a WGI competition by her.<g>

[Joyce]

WGI Competition???! ...AWESOME news Craig! 

And I agree with you about what Scott said. Never in all my ponding years have I seen or heard of any contentious behavior at a water lily competition.
(but at Koi Comps, yes, a lot of nastiness, but there is still the voting participation and oogling that is fun)
And it's not ALL about entering your own plants, it's about participation in the voting, and just drooling over pretty lilies.
Seems to me, the negative comments are very misguided, if not just made up for arguments sake.  Which Scott seems to like to do with you. 

[Timgod]

Yes Craig, I am on the board of directors but have only been so for a month. One of the things the new board wants to accomplish is to revitalize the flow of information.
Half of the board is new. We have a new President and a new Executive Director.
We want to do whatever we can to spread information however we can.

I had seen your original post about the competition here. I was not aware of the timeline at that point either.
I knew the autumn lily was a vivip and in my own personal thought process, I believe that would have been relevant to a proper decision.
Maybe we can work on the process as it is. Any suggestions you have for making the contest better, please pass them to me and I will get them to the proper people.

Certainly the photos were not the best because I was the one who got the originals.
I did the best I could with what I recieved. The pdf format is universal and I was only trying to make it easy access for everyone.
If there is a major complaint to this, no problem I will not use it in the future.

Joyce, Craig did post this early in the year. Now for you to be offended and want to cast something against the IWGS seems uncalled for.
I was given the information by phone on the results of the competition. I posted it to the IWGS website first. Within minutes of doing that, I put it on here and then on Facebook.
Everthing was correct at the time but when I refreshed the browser, I saw that some portions of the text had hyperlinks underlined that should not have been there.
The text portions actually pointed to a different waterlily pdf.
The site is Joomla based and it can be frustrating to deal with. I spent the next hour deleting information and reentering it only to have it put links where they did not belong again.
In the process of deleting, reformatting the text, manually editing the html to make the links go away and reentering it five or six times, I screwed up when I typo'd.
My fault and I accept the blame. I screwed up in a public venue and I felt it necessary to apologise in public as well. I hope Lou really accepted my apology from his heart because I meant it that way from mine.
If you want to pick some sort of fight well that serves no purpose.

I just wanted to share some information with those on a forum that I enjoy coming to. I did so in the timeliest fashion that was possibly, literally moments after I had posted it officially.

Tim

[Joyce]

Tim, you got me all wrong, I wasn't casting something against the IWGS, or starting a fight. 
I was simply expressing my feelings just like everyone else not trying to start a fight, not asking for one.
And certainly nothing I said was anything stronger than what Craig has said, so why are you singling me out?
If that's what you call 'uncalled for'...well, then there must be that double standard just for me...again. 

Instead of getting all defensive and making false accusations against me, reread what I said, from my point of view.
I never said I was offended and I didn't cast ANYthing against the IWGS.
I didn't say 'This year I decided that if the iwgs didn't care enough to get the word out, or even make mention of it on their web site, why should I bother.'
nor did I say, 'To see if has now become little more than an afterthought with no publication of a notice of intent to participate, voting done 'whenever' by a secret panel of judges...well it has all become rather sad.'
Craig said those, yet he doesn't get slapped with accusations of casting something against the iwgs, but I do.
So I get a double standard slap once again.

You asked for suggestions to make the competition better, so I will give you one, once again,
I am not casting something against the IWGS, not asking for a fight, not offended.
Here is my suggestion, plain and simple:
There should be a emailing list for links to the competition and specifically the voting page.

I like to participate as a voter and 'oogler'.
I'm not a famous water lily grower, just a backyard collector.
Just little old me, my funky likes and dislikes...no fame or fortune.
I don't count for much.
Is that why I get the double standard?
Easier to pick on? 

This years competition seemed VERY secretive.
I assumed, before you made this topic,
that it either hadn't happened yet or didn't happen at all this year.
I never saw Craigs post about it. (I'll do a search for it after I post this.)
Maybe that's when I was having surgery and missed it for the few days I was out, but still...
there should have been a LOT more publicity. 

This is all I could find in a search...from 2 and a half years ago...
http://www.americanponders.com/forum/index.php?topic=1469.0

[Craig]

LOL...a WGI competition is not news, it is highly unlikely it will happen.  When the WGI was established a questionnaire was made available to the members on what they would like to see and there was absolutely zero support for a competition.

Personally, I would prefer to see the iwgs revive it, for many years it was done extremely well.  So while perhaps I should not have lamented its decline out loud, I certainly had no intention of starting a brouhaha.  I had mentioned problems and made until I was blue in the face Tim....from Tish on down to Tamara...and they were always to be referred to the 'proper people.'<g>  In all honesty, I decided it was me with the problem and the logical thing was to stop my whining and bow out, which obviously I did.

From recent conversations with other participants past and future, it seems I am not alone in seeing room for improvement, but I just can't care anymore.  I'll leave it to some of them to speak up, but I think it is becoming obvious the competition cannot as a prestigious event if problems aren't addressed.

I also recognize it is probably not the stuff of a public forum and apologize for thinking out loud.<g>

[Julles]

I love the Food Network, and also HGTV, but don't enjoy at all, nor watch, the evening shows, which are mostly competitions.  I'd much rather watch people creating something amicably and teaching / learning something useful, than competing to be the best.

Tim, did you enter this competition?

Was it a photo contest, or did people actually bring live, blooming lilies to some physical location?

Congrats to those of you who did enter.  I'm gonna click the link to see the pics. 

[PondmaninAL]

Craig, I've never been to a water lily competition but was just assuming that it would be like the koi shows. I apologize if I was wrong.

Joyce, why do you want to say such things? If you had taken me off ignore, you would have noticed that I said nice things about your Euryale. Are you trying to start trouble?

[Timgod]

The waterlily competition works like this from what I have been told... Hybridizers submit an entry and then a plant to be grown out together and photographed in the same environment.
The judges vote based on the photos provided to them. I think there were 12 judges this year.
There are categories for hardy, for tropical and then for an overall winner.
No information has been given on the plants to try and keep bias out of the voting.
Based on what I have seen and been told, we may need to revise how this works but it will be a group effort.
The last three years the plants have been sent to be grown, cared for and photographed at the Sarah P. Duke Gardens at Duke University in North Carolina.
The hardies do not fare as well sometimes the first year, especially those sent from around the world.
There has been specific discussion about waiting until the second year for voting on those entries and I am told a plant
can be entered more than one year so this might be the best scenario for them. I think this is left up to the entrant.

Julles, it is not a photo contest, it is judging based on the plant itself and we will work as an organization to try and refine the process to make it better.
No ma'am I did not enter anything. Maybe in a couple of years when I get some of my newer material to reproduce.
A single plant does not constitute a new item that is supposed to be named and thus should not normally be entered into the contest.
As a hybridizer, think what it would mean if your only plant was sent and then consequently died in someone else's care.

Now as to others voting on their favorite, that has taken place the last three year's on the Duke website.
We are about ready to announce the winners of the People's Choice but I am awaiting some final approvals.
I hope to be able to post that tomorrow.
Please stay tuned...
Tim

[Timgod]

The third annual People's Choice Awards for the International Waterlily Competition is complete.
The results were compiled by Tamara Kilbane of Duke Gardens.
They had a total of 1,675 votes this year in the public voting.

The winner's are as follows.

Best Tropical Waterlily
Hybrid #4207 - Florida Aquatic Nurseries

Second Best Tropical Waterlily
Nymphaea 'Silver Moon' - Louis Belloisy    Way to go Lou.

Best Hardy Waterlily
Nymphaea 'Rattana Ubol' - Pairat Songpanich

Second Best Hardy Waterlily
Hybrid 2007-1 - Andreas Protopapas

[Joyce]

       Congrats to Louis Belloisy!        

[Timgod]

I just received the official names of the F.A.N. waterlilies.

We finally have the names set for the waterlilies. 
 
Purple (4207) - Tanzanite
 
Pink (4407) - Hot Pink
 
Autumn (5007) - Tropic Sunset

So the overall winner in the IWGS and People's Choice is called Nymphaea 'Tanzanite'

Once again a big thanks to all of those who were involved and participated.
I want to assure all of you that as a group we are committed to bringing the "prestige" back to the contest through any needed changes.
The first will be myself trying to get the information out more timely than was done by my predecessors.
Thanks for your support.
Tim

[Craig]

Hey Tim,

When the powers that be decide what next years incarnation of the competition will look like would you please let me know?

[Timgod]

Be happy to get the info out to all of you as soon as I get it.

Tim

[Julles]

Louis, that's phenomenal!!!  Congratualations!!

Now, please post again a photo of that winning lily!

[matherfish]

Were there just four tropical entries, and three were from Florida Aquatics? I enjoy the new lilies and would hope there will be more.

[Timgod]

Yes, unfortunately there were only 4 tropicals and 8 hardies entered this year.
I think turtlemike ought to enter a few of his babies next year.

Tim