Set out below you will find the basic rules for the annual competition to award the Ken Roberts Plaque.
1. The Award of the plaque is in honour of the memory of Ken Roberts, past Chairman and Secretary of the DFG, and is possible through the generosity of Rosemary Roberts who very kindly donated the plaque to the Group.
2. This is an Award that will be made annually to a member of the Dorset Fungus Group who has, during the preceding year, best met the criteria set out in the Rules below.
3. The Award will be made to the person who has made the most outstanding fungal find during the year leading up to the DFG Christmas lunch, or AGM if the lunch is not held.
4. The decision on which entry best meets Rule 3 will be made by three judges, who will be members of the DFG but who will not themselves be permitted to offer any entries for the year’s Award.
5. Factors that the judges may consider include the rarity of the species, the unusual nature or location of a particular specimen, or any other factors they may consider make it the ‘outstanding’ find of the year.
6. If for a particular year the judges consider that there are no winning entries then they will entitled to make no award for that year.
7. The three judges may reach a unanimous or majority decision.
8. The judges may commend runners-up at their discretion.
9. The find must be made in person by the member entering it.
10. The find must have been found in Dorset or Hampshire.
11. The find must normally be personally seen by at least one of the judges (and if possible photographed). However, if the find is made away from a DFG foray and it is impracticable for a judge personally to see the find (for example because the enormous size of the find makes it impossible to transport), the judges, may, at their discretion, consider good quality photographic evidence.
12. Finds may be made during a DFG foray or at another time (but see Rule 11).
13. Finds must be a member of the Kingdom of Fungi or a slime mould.
14. Finds with any legal restrictions on their picking should not be picked (eg. those on the Red List).
15. The judges for the coming year will be agreed at the Annual General Meeting of the DFG.
16. The Award will be made at the DFG Christmas meal, or the following Annual General Meeting if no Christmas meal is held.
17. The winner of the Ken Roberts plaque will be entitled to keep the plaque from the date of the award until the following Christmas meal, or Annual General Meeting if no Christmas meal is held
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