This award was established in 1950 to focus attention on new cultivars that appear to have outstanding qualities and distinction. It should be understood that this award does not necessarily imply good performance in various climates and soil types. In order to win, a cultivar may not have been registered prior to September 1 of the voting year. Garden Judges must cast their votes only for cultivars personally observed growing in a garden. Votes are cast using a seedling number. It must receive a minimum of 10 votes. Once a Junior Citation has been voted, the hybridizer has one of two options: 1) to take the award for the current year, in which case the cultivar must be registered by November 1st of the current year, or to 2) defer the award for one year in which case registration must take place by September 1st of the following year.