The Gold Medal for Innovation in Daffodil Breeding

The Gold Medal for “Innovation” in daffodil breeding was presented by Brian and Betty Duncan of Northern Ireland to the American Daffodil Society on the occasion of the 50th Anniversary Convention in Washington D.C. April 2004.

The Innovation Gold Medal is to be awarded for the most innovative new daffodil exhibited at the American Daffodil Society’s National Show. The winning variety should demonstrate significant novelty, advance or break-through qualities which could be expected to influence future development of the genus for commercial or exhibition purposes.

The Innovation Gold Medal will be available for award at the annual National Show at the discretion and unanimous vote of the President’s selected panel of expert judges. Here is the criteria used to judge daffodils for the Innovation Award: Judging Criteria for Innovation Medal.

Here is the list of Innovation Medal Awardees in a 8 ½” x 11″ printable format:  Innovation Medal Awardees.

Suggestions for Judging Panel

• The Panel is selected by the President.
• The Panel should consist of not less than three and not more than five members.
• For Award of the Medal, the voting of the Panel should be unanimous.
• Panel members should be chosen from established and experienced daffodil breeders, growers or exhibitors who are well versed in current daffodil developments throughout the world and who happen to e present at the Convention.
• Panel members must not feel obliged or allow themselves to be pressured to vote for the Award of the Gold Medal if in their opinion, candidate flowers do not meet the stated criteria.
• If a flower raised by a panel member has been selected as a candidate for the Award he/she must immediately  declare an interest and stand aside.  Likewise a close relation, employee or very close associate should volunteer to stand aside.

Criteria:

The Gold Medal will be awarded to the hybridizer and raiser (or, if deceased to the principal stockholder or exhibitor) of the winning daffodil provided it fulfills the following conditions:

1. It must be exhibited at an ADS National Show and Convention, either in competitive classes or in Bulb Nursery or private displays.
2. It must be “new” in that its name has not been registered more than 5 years previously.
3. If an unregistered seedling is chosen for the award the breeder/stockholder must undertake to register it as a cultivar with The Royal Horticultural Society as soon as possible after the judges announce their decision. Ideally, a name would be chosen before the end of the Convention, perhaps from a suggestions box placed in front of the Award winning bloom on the honors table.

Awardees:

This award was first offered in 2004 and the following daffodils (Narcissus) have received the Innovation Medal:

2004 — Leone Low for #MR-OO, 7 Y-GYO (‘Milan’ x ‘Rikki’)
2005 — Gerard Knehans for ‘Saint Louie Louie‘ 6 W-O (v)
2006 — Nial Watson for #529, 11 O-O, (‘Tiritomba’ x ‘Rio Rondo’)
2007 — Murray Evans/Jan Pennings for ‘Little Bell‘ 5 Y-Y
2008 — Colin Crotty for #1-14-94, 6 W-W
2009 — not awarded
2010 — Harold Koopowitz for ‘Itsy Bitsy Splitsy‘ 11a Y-O
2011 — Harold Koopowitz for #02-139-1, 8 W-P, (‘Little Ruby’ x N. torifolius)
later named ‘Little Pinkie‘
2012 — not awarded
2013 — Harold Koopowitz & Marilynn Howe for #08-005-8, 4 W-W, (Kidson x N. dubius)
2014 — Larry Force for #10-59, 7 G-G, [(‘Brooke Ager’ x ‘Swagger’) x Koopowitz 04-56]
2015 — not awarded
2016 — not awarded
2017 — Robert Spotts for #1-158-17, 12G-GGY
2018 — Harold Koopowitz for #2003-029-1, 4Y-YYO
2019 — not awarded
2020 — not awarded
2021 — not awarded
2022 — Brian Duncan for ‘Whispering Pink’, 2P-P
2023 — Dave Hardy for #EF-50, 5Y-O