• Announcing the 2024 Iris Medal Winners! ‘Perry Dyer’ by Paul Black wins the 2024 Dykes Medal, Click here to see a complete listing of the 2024 award winners with photos in the AIS Iris Encyclopedia. A history of the awards and the vote counts can be found on this website here.
• New publication available at the AIS Storefront. Revision 2 (8.23.24), Handbook for Judges and Show Officials. Price $14.00 (includes shipping and handling). 40 pages (front and back). Includes: Updates to Chapter 17 (Siberian Iris), Chapter 18 (Species and SPEC-X Iris), Chapter 23 (Bulbous Iris) and Appendix A (Show Schedule Temple);
  Additions: Chapter 4A & 4B (Virtual Show) and Appendix G (Virtual Show Schedule Template).
• Librarian needed for the Ben Hager-Sydney du Boise AIS Library. If you are interested in being the AIS Librarian contact Andi Rivarola by email.
• 2024 Membership Drive launches March 1st. The purchase of one new full AIS membership qualifies the purchaser for up to two free, one-year, youth print memberships. In addition, if an AIS member upgrades to a full membership from a print or e-membership, they also will qualify for up to two free, one-year, youth print memberships. Youth membership is for gardeners aged 18 and younger. (FYI, the regular rate for each youth print membership is $12.) The Membership Drive will run from March 1 to December 31, 2024.
• The AIS Handbook for Judges Committee has elected a new deadline. Please submit your suggested edits by September 30, 2024 to .
• Gift Memberships. The AIS integrated online system can now process gift memberships! To purchase a membership as a gift to someone else, go to https://system.irises.org/membership and check the “This purchase is a gift” box. You will be prompted for the recipient’s name, address, and email address (if applicable).
• Missing bulletins? There has been a change in how the U.S. Postal Service handles mis-delivered bulletins. They no longer send such bulletins back, or send paper notifications of failed deliveries or address changes. While we do expect to get electronic notifications of address changes if they have been filed with the USPS, it is very important to make sure that AIS has your current mailing address and email address on file. You can notify the membership secretary of any changes via email at , by phone at (510) 864-7962, or via mail: AIS Membership Secretary, 1226 High Street, Alameda, CA 94501.
• Hotel registrations for the 2024 AIS National Convention can be made on-line at: convention hotel website
• Exhibitions Has a New Schedules Chair Attention!! Attention!! All you show chairs and show schedule writers! AIS Exhibitions Committee has a new Schedules Chair. For the 2024 show season, you should send your draft schedules for approval to: Olga Batalov, E-mail: . Cell Phone: 858-405-9077 (please email first, I do not answer calls from unknown numbers) Snail-mail address: 8715 Sparren Way, San Diego, CA 92129.
• Tell Us About Your Reblooms: The Reblooming Iris Society (RIS) is currently collecting data for its 2023 Rebloom Report. Did you know that anyone, even if they do not belong to the RIS can submit data for this very important report? Yes, even you can supply information to be included in the report. We have even made it easy for you. Currently there is a fillable PDF available for you to fill out so you can submit a report of those irises in your garden that rebloom. You can download the form at: https://www.irisregion4.com/publications/RebloomReport.pdf After filling out the form you can send it by snail mail to: Mary Platner, 8217 E. Del Camino Dr., Scottsdale, AZ 85258, or by email to: .

The 2024 IRIS OF THE YEAR is “Don’t Doubt Dalton”. The American Iris Society (AIS) is pleased to announce the 2024 “Iris of the Year”: tall bearded iris ‘Don’t Doubt Dalton’. This outstanding iris is the result of work conducted by plant hybridizer Tom Burseen of Grand Prairie, Texas. He introduced ‘Don’t Doubt Dalton’ to the public through his commercial iris garden in 2015. Tom named this iris for a friend’s grandson who rides bulls. Tom is known for his tall bearded iris hybrids with unusual names. He also received the AIS Hybridizer Award in 2022. Download the full PRESS RELEASE.