Ned Roberts Spider / Unusual Form Award

Established in 2007 and first presented in 2008, the Ned Roberts Spider / Unusual Form Award honors the memory of hybridizer Ned Roberts, who devoted countless hours to promoting spider and unusual form daylilies. As an educator and mentor, he inspired both collectors and hybridizers and played a significant role in advancing these distinctive forms within the daylily community.

The award is presented annually to the most outstanding spider or unusual form cultivar blooming in a clump within an AHS National Convention tour garden, as selected by attending AHS members. The hybridizer of the winning cultivar receives a certificate and a perpetual trophy—an engraved Nambe tray donated by the family of Ned Roberts.

AHS Region 9 administers the award, including ballot tabulation, presentation of the award, and coordination of the perpetual trophy.