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United Kingdom
Initially in the UK roses were exhibited in general flower shows such as those run by the Royal Horticultural Society. Judges were appointed by whoever sponsored the show, and were not necessarily rosarians themselves. The first Grand National specialty rose show was held July 1, 1858, in St. James Hall, London. It was organized by S. Reynolds Hole, Dean of Rochester Cathedral and a prominent rosarian, Thomas Rivers, a nurseryman and publisher of the first catalog of roses (1834) in the UK, Charles Turner, a rosarian, and William Paul, a writer and nurseryman. Exhibitors were divided into three classes: nurserymen, amateur rosarians with hired gardeners, and amateur rosarians without hired gardeners (avid exhibitors included many working-class men and farmers). Prizes were 36 silver cups engraved with roses. John Edwards was in charge of setting up the show, which entailed clearing away the chairs and benches from the previous night’s concert, and constructing tables for the exhibits. Subscription fee for exhibitors was 5 pounds, admission for the general public was 1 shilling. More than 2000 people attended the first Grand National Rose-Show. Music was provided by a brass band, which proved to be too loud for the venue.

Exhibition-form roses were exhibited as cut specimens grouped in a box, and the entire collection was judged on the quality of the individual specimens and on the composition of the whole. Duplicate cultivars were not allowed. Collections were to be in multiples of 6, up to 72 for nurserymen. Most exhibitors put their rose stems in vases or bottles nestled in moss inside a box of some kind, but some exhibitors inserted their cut stems into potatoes in straw to keep the roses hydrated. Wiring of stems and flowers was allowed - Tea roses were popular at that time, and the flowers of many Tea roses do not stand upright on their own. Garden roses, those not possessing exhibition form, were exhibited in bouquets. Judges worked in teams of three.

The second Grand National Rose-Show was held June 23, 1859, in the Hanover Square Rooms. In addition to cut roses in boxes, bouquets, and baskets, potted roses were exhibited. Boxes for the cut rose collections were required to be standardized, with metal vases embedded in moss - no potatoes or straw or beer bottles. The boxes were required to have a cover for transporting the roses to the show. Exhibitors traveled by either train or horse-drawn vans at the time, and roses needed a sturdy box in transportation. Box with cover was only 14" tall, so the specimens inside the box had to be shorter than that. Music was provided by a strings and reeds band instead of brass.  After this second show, it was decided that London did not provide rooms big enough for the crowds attending the rose show.

Accordingly the third Grand National Rose-Show was held July 12, 1860 in the Crystal Palace in Sydenham. 16,000 people attended.

In 1861 the Royal Horticultural Society hosted the Fourth Grand National Rose-Show in Kensington on July 10. The rose show was held here every year through 1877. At that time the newly formed National Rose Society(founded 1876) took over the Grand National Rose-Show. The Very Reverend Reynolds Hole was the first president of the (Royal) National Rose Society.

The (Royal) National Rose Society set the standards for exhibition and judging of roses for the Grand National Rose-Show and for rose shows sponsored by affiliated local rose societies.

United States
The American Rose Society was founded in 1892.

World Federation of Rose Societies
The World Federation of Rose Societies is an organization of national rose societies. It facilitates a world conference with a rose exhibition every three years, sponsored by a national society. It was founded in 1968. Founding member national societies were Australia, Belgium, Israel, New Zealand, Romania, South Africa, Great Britain and the US. Canada, India, Japan and Switzerland joined at the first conference in 1971 in New Zealand. Exhibitors bring roses from all over the world to exhibit at the World Conferences.

Exhibition and Judging Standards
The American Rose Society sets guidelines and standards for rose shows in the US (and for Canadian rose societies affiliated with the ARS) and is the International Cultivar Registration Authority for Roses by appointment of the International Society for Horticultural Sciences. The Royal National Rose Society sets the guidelines and standards in the UK. Rose shows using ARS guidelines use cultivar classifications assigned by the ARS, for instance Hybrid Tea or Gallica. The ARS also assigns one of 18 official color classes to cultivars, for instance Light Yellow, Medium Yellow, Deep Yellow, and Yellow Blend. There is no color class for blue. Rose shows are hosted by local societies and may be organized as a local show, an ARS District show, or an ARS National show. Local shows generally require no registration or entry fees, while District and National shows do. All three levels of rose show generally offer three divisions: Challenge Classes, Horticulture, and Arrangements. The Challenge Classes available vary between the local, District, and National levels.

Rose shows using ARS guidelines and standards are judged by ARS-accredited judges working in teams of 3. Accreditation requires experience exhibiting, working as a show clerk, attending a judging school, and passing an exam and an apprenticeship. The ARS has established standard certificates for awards at local society rose shows, for instance Queen, King, Princess; Classic Shrub, Modern Shrub. Local societies are free to use any or all of these certificates, plus other categories as desired.

Various publications are used by exhibitors to enter their roses in the right show category. The ARS publishes the Handbook for Selecting Roses, mailed to members annually, which lists most roses in commerce in North America and gives the official Exhibition Name, color class, petal count, year of introduction, and classification. The Combined Rose List is published annually and is used by exhibitors and judges as a reference for official cultivar names and unofficial synonyms, color category and classification, and year of introduction. It includes all roses known to be in commerce worldwide. The Guidelines for Judging Roses is published by the ARS and gives the standards by which roses are to be judged: Form, Color, Substance, Stem and Foliage, Balance and Proportion, and Size.