Denver Botanic Gardens in Denver, Colo. served as the growing site for the International Waterlily & Water Gardening Society’s annual New Waterlily Competition, which drew 19 entries from hybridizers around the world this year.
These entries were divided into the following categories: Hardy, Day-Blooming Tropical, Intersubgeneric and Anecphya.
Photos were taken of each entry’s first-, second- and third-day blooms, a side shot of the bloom, as well as each second-day bloom with a ruler and each plant with a yardstick. Grower’s notes were maintained throughout the season to record growth 
characteristics that were not clearly visible in the photos, such as duration of bloom, average height of blooms above the water’s surface, rate of growth and any issues or abnormalities noted in any entry.
After taking the photos and growers’ notes under careful consideration, an international panel of 13 judges provided scores for each new hybrid in the following categories: Flower, Foliage, General Impression and Unique Characteristics. The judges’ scores were then combined and the hybrid receiving the highest number of points in each category was awarded first place for that category. The entry receiving the highest overall number of points was named the Best New Waterlily of 2013, and the Second Best New Waterlily of 2013 went to the entry with the second-highest number of points overall.
The IWGS would like to congratulate Florida Aquatic Nurseries for their winning entry, “Plum Crazy.” This tropical day-blooming waterlily boasts vibrant, plum-colored blooms and striking pads mottled with bright green and deep purple. Its compact growth habit and high-petal-count flowers add to the overall beauty of this new hybrid.
## Official winners in each category:##
■ Best New Waterlily of 2013: “Plum Crazy” — Hybridized by Florida Aquatic Nurseries, Fla., USA
■ Second Best New Waterlily of 2013: “Purple Fantasy — Hybridized by Florida Aquatic Nurseries, Fla., USA
■ First Place Hardy Waterlily: “Fuschia Pom Pom” — Hybridized by Tony Moore, Ohio, USA
■ Second Place Hardy Waterlily: “Awesome” — Hybridized by Tony Moore, Ohio, USA
■ First Place Day-Blooming Tropical: “Plum Crazy” — Hybridized by Florida Aquatic Nurseries, Fla., USA
■ Second Place Day-Blooming Tropical: “Tawan-ok” — Hybridized by Nopchai Chansilpa, Thailand
■ First Place Intersubgeneric Waterlily: “Purple Fantasy” — Hybridized by Florida Aquatic Nurseries, Fla., USA
■ Second Place Intersubgeneric Waterlily: Unnamed — Hybridized by Mike Giles, W.Va., USA
■ First Place Anecphya Waterlily: “Mayaranee” — Hybridized by Nopchai Chansilpa, Thailand
■ Second Place Anecphya Waterlily: “Yaowalak” — Hybridized by Nopchai Chansilpa, Thailand
