About the RMJC

The Rocky Mountain Judging Center was established by the American Orchid Society (AOS) in 1990. The Denver Botanic Gardens hosts each monthly meeting of the RMJC. The RMJC covers the largest geographical area of any AOS Judging Center. The region includes Colorado, Montana, New Mexico and Utah. Judges from the region travel to the Colorado judging center each month and to AOS sanctioned orchid shows in Montana, Utah, and New Mexico. Judges are typically required to judge outside their region every year.

The American Orchid Society is the authority for orchid judging in the United States. The AOS Judging Committee is responsible for maintaining standards of awards for flower quality and awards for plants of botanical merit. The committee governs and certifies approximately 500 judges, and has established 27 Regional Judging Centers. Judging Centers provide a forum for orchids to be judged when a blooming plant cannot be entered in an AOS sanctioned orchid show. The centers also train student judges and conduct seminars to educate their members on a variety of topics. The AOS which establishes rules and regulations for orchid judging, publishes them in the current edition of the American Orchid Society Handbook of Judging and Exhibition.