Virtual Event

Virtual Iris Show 2026

Past Virtual Shows

How to Photograph for Virtual Shows

Watch our video guide on photographing your irises for virtual shows

How to Participate

Take high-quality photos of your irises in bloom
Email your photos to [email protected] with your name, iris variety (if known), and location.
Entries must be submitted by August 31, 2026.
All entries will be displayed in our online gallery and eligible for virtual awards.

Show Details

Open to all members and the public
Multiple entries allowed per person. An exhibitor may enter 25 cultivars or seedlings in the single stalk classes, but only one cultivar or seedling in each class, with a total of 100 entries.
Categories: Tall Bearded, Rebloomers, Arilbred, Novelty, and more
For more details, refer to the 7th Annual Virtual Show

Questions?

Email [email protected] for more information.

What is a VIRTUAL IRIS SHOW?

In 2014, Bob Pries organized the first American Iris Society Virtual Iris Show to include iris entries from around the world. In 2020, when the pandemic caused us to cancel in-person iris shows, Mt. Diablo Iris Society developed an MDIS Novel (V)Iris Show, modeled after Bob’s 2014 show. Originally, what became COVID, was called the Novel Virus. We continue to use that name (originated by Lois Rose) but expand it to a Virtual Iris Show, meaning that instead of cut stalks displayed on a bench, iris in situ are photographed and entered electronically for judging.

A Virtual Iris Show is NOT a photo contest. It is an iris exhibition and judging. The American Iris Society (AIS) sanctions the show and includes detailed descriptions in their current Judges’ Handbook which includes the awarding of virtual ribbons and virtual certificates. The requirements are quite simple. The person who grows the iris photographs four views of the plant and bloom and enters those combined views online. We emphasize that the same person is responsible for all three efforts—growing, photographing, and entering. The details are described in our 2026 Virtual Show Schedule.

Some folks do not like cutting their beautiful iris stalks. They enjoy them IN the garden.
In some cases, a garden may have only one stalk of a certain iris and the grower would like to keep it and perhaps use it for hybridizing.
In person iris shows are held on one day and maybe that prize iris is not at perfection on that day.
Iris shows may be held some distance from a grower and too difficult to travel to or tricky to cut the iris early, pack it for transport, and then risk damaging it along the way.
For anyone with mobility or transportation issues, a virtual show offers an opportunity to exhibit.
Virtual Shows provide a great opportunity to teach young people how to groom iris and describe what the judges are looking for. A young person may have only a few iris of their own and the chances are slim that they will bloom exactly on time for the show. This is also a great teaching tool for an adult working with classrooms of children. As each child’s iris blooms, the leader can help them take pictures and enter them.
In person iris shows highlight iris that bloom at a certain time of year. A virtual show includes all types of iris, many seldom seen in shows, the reason that our entry deadline is August 31st.
Along the lines of the 2014 Virtual Iris Show, international growers can enter our show. Our operative dates extend from September 1 through August 31, allowing even those ‘Down Under’ to enter.
One purpose of an iris show is to introduce the beauty of iris to the public. Those in attendance are in awe. Our club produces a video each year to meet this requirement and by making it available online, we can reach a wider audience. Please visit our MDIS YouTube Channel to enjoy entries from the past years.