What is All-America Selections?
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All-America Selections (AAS) is a non-profit organization founded in 1932 that promotes new garden varieties through impartial trials across North America. [AAS] evaluates entries in categories like vegetables, flowers, and ornamentals at over 80 trial sites with volunteer judges. Entries are scored on a scale and top performers that meet introduction criteria become AAS Winners, which are announced three times per year. [AAS] implements a robust publicity program distribute information to retailers, writers, and consumers to promote Winners' availability.
What is All-America Selections?
- 2. ¡°A non-profit organization, founded in 1932 by Mr. Ray Hastings, that promotes new garden varieties judged to have superior garden performance in impartial trials throughout North America.¡±
- 3. AAS continues as the oldest, most established international testing organization in North America.
- 4. Entries Breeders enter new, never-before-sold cultivars to be judged in one of three categories: 1. Seed Ornamentals 2. Vegetative Ornamentals 3. Edible/Vegetables from Seed
- 5. AAS Trials Sites in U.S. and Canada 1. Seed Ornamentals ¨C 47 sites 2. Edible/Vegetable ¨C 28 sites 3. Vegetative Ornamentals ¨C 18 sites Total of 80 AAS Trial Judges!
- 6. ? Horticulture professionals ? Seasoned trialing experts ? Unpaid ¨C they volunteer their time ? Unbiased - cannot judge entries from their own company ? The basis of our trialing program AAS Trial Judges
- 7. AAS Scoring Judges score each entry from 0 to 5 All entries have 2-4 comparisons 0 to 1 = same or inferior to comparison 2 = better than comparison 3 to 4 = superior to comparison 5 = breakthrough breeding, Gold Medal Winner Final scores based on averages and percent of judges who score it a 2 or higher.
- 8. Introduction Criteria Breeder gives the variety a marketing name Breeder submits publicity photos Has seed-in-the-bag Gone through germination testing Product is priced and ready to ship By now, it can be declared an ¡°AAS Winner¡±
- 9. Introduction Dates AAS Winners are announced three times a year January July November
- 10. Publicity Program Information distributed to: ? Seed Companies ? Distribution chain ? Growers ? Retailers ? Garden Writers ? Bloggers ?Consumers
- 12. Publicity Program Implementing Social Media: ? Pinterest ? Facebook ? Twitter ? ºÝºÝߣ Share ? Etc.
- 13. Publicity Program Display Gardens Almost 200 public gardens grow and display the past five years of AAS Winners.
- 14. Publicity Program Preview Gardens Select garden writers/bloggers grow and evaluate the past five years of AAS Winners in their own gardens then are able to write about garden performance first hand.
- 15. AAS Winner availability AAS Winners (National and Regional) are available in local garden retailers, online and in seed packets. Just look for the AAS Winner logos: