The Horticulturist Award Program (HAP) was established to recognize achievement in growing and reproducing aquatic plants. It is hoped that it will also help to gather knowledge about plants with the ultimate goal of making the hobby more successful and interesting for everyone. The Minnesota Aquarium Society (MAS) is a nationally recognized, award winning member of the Horticultural Award Program of the Federation of American Aquarium Societies. The Horticulturist Award Program rewards participants with points for the propagation and flowering of aquatic plants. These points are recorded and used to determine the level of distiction that will be awarded to the HAP Participant. Below is the list of the horticulture awards and their associated point values. In addition to these cumulative awards, two annual awards are given, "Rookie Horticulturist of the Year" and "Horticulturist of the Year". HAP points also earn book points that can be redeemed for free aquatic books.

Awards

• Beginning Aquatic Horticulturist -- 3 plants or 30 points
• Associate Aquatic Horticulturist -- 100 points
• Aquatic Horticulturist -- 200 points
• Senior Aquatic Horticulturist -- 300 points
• Master Aquatic Horticulturist -- 500 points
• Grand Master Aquatic Horticulturist -- 800 points
• Honary Doctor of Aquatic Horticulturist -- 1500 points

The "Rookie of the Year" prize is given to the HAP participant that earns the most points in their first twelve consecutive months. The last month of eligibility determines in which calendar year you are considered a rookie.

"Horticulturist of the Year" is awarded to the participant that earns the most points between January and December of the calendar year.

Requirements

To earn HAP points the participant must do the following:

• Propagate an aquatic plant or produce a flower of an aquatic plant
• Have the plant or flower verified
• Donate the new plant(s) to the BAP/HAP auction at the regulat meeting.
• Fill out and submit a HAP form to the HAP chair(s)

Rules

An aquatic plant is a plant which in the wild can be found in the submerged state as a natural occurrence sometime during the course of one complete season or year. Floating plants are considered submerged if they are not taking root in a substrate. Only aquatic plants are eligible.

Propagation

The following will be considered the basis for plant reproduction:

• Doubling the amount through division. Example - Lemna, Najas, Vesicularia
• Cuttings from stem plants. Example - Cabomba, Hygrophila, Elodia
• Division of a rhizomes or tuber to create a separate plant. Example Anubias, Bulbitis, Nuphar
• Daughter plants developed on runners or flower stalks from the parent plant. Example - Cryptocoryne, Echinodorus, Valliseria
• Development of a corm or bulb producing a separate plant. Example - Nymphaea, Crinum
• Sexual reproduction - A plant reproduced by sexual means (pollination of flower) from the aquarist own plant and not from any other source. The flower, seed and subsequent plant growth need to be verified.

Verification

The flower of an aquatic plant must be verified to receive HAP points. This can be done through a home visit by a HAP/BAP verifier, photographs of the plant and flower or the flower can be brought to the meeting and verified there. 10 HAP points will be given for successful flowering of an aquatic plant.
Propagation of a plant species with a point value of more than 10 points must be verified by a HAP/BAP verifier.

Donation

A donation of a newly propagated plant for the HAP/BAP auction at the general meetings is required. Exceptions can be made only by the HAP chair(s). The size and/or quantity of donated plant(s) should be a good representative of the species. In short you should submit the size of donation that you would like to receive.

HAP Form

The participant must fill out a HAP report form to be turned in with the plant at the time of auction. The form must have a verifiers signature on it for plants with point values greater than 10 or for flowering reports. Points to participant for propagation and flowering will be awarded only once for any species. The exception is, 10 bonus points can be earned if a participant sexually reproduces a plant that they have submitted previously.
Any plant species not currently included on the species list will be assigned a point value by the HAP chair(s) after the submission of the HAP form. The species and point value will be added to our HAP data base and that information will be published in the next HAP report.
Micro algae are not eligible except cladophora aegagiphila.
Plants raised in an aquarium, paulidarium or pond can qualify.
Articles, photographs and slides are encouraged but not required.
Identification errors or other classification problems can be corrected at the discretion of the HAP chair(s)/committee. The HAP chair(s)/committee reserves the right to exclude any plant with questionable eligibility. In any disputes pertaining to the Horticulturist Award Program the HAP chair(s) has final authority.

Alphabetic HAP Points Values

20	Aldrivandris
15	Alternanthera
10	Ammannia
20	Anubias
15	Aponogeton (Asian type)
        A. crispus
        A. elongatus
        A. enchinata
        A. natans
        A. undulatus
         Except
20	   A. ridigifolius
20	Aponogeton (Madagascar))
        A. bernerium
        A. boivinianus
        A. capuronii
        A. longiplumulosus
        A. madagascariensis
        A. stachysporous
        A. ulvaceus
 5	Azolla
10	Bacopa
	  Except
	  B. myriophylloides
20	Barclaya
10	Blyxa
15	Bolbitis
10	Cabomba
	   Except
15	   Cabomba piahyuensis
10	Caradamine
15	Caulerpa
 5	Ceratophyllum
 5	Ceratopteris
15	Clodaphora
10	Crassula
15	Crinum
15	Cryptocoryne
15	Didiplis
15	Echinodorus
	   Except
10	   E. tenellus
 5	Egeria
15	Eichhornia
10	Eleocharis
 5	Elodea
15	Eusteralis
10	Fontinalis
10	Glossostigma
15	Gracilaria
 5	Gymnocoronis
15	Halimedia
10	Heteranthera
15	Hottonia
10	Hydrilla
15	Hydrocharis
10	Hydrocleys
10	Hydrocotyle
10	Hygrophila
	   Except
10	   H. poly "Sunset"
15	Isoetes
10	Lagarosiphon
20	Lagenandra
 5	Lemna
10	Lillaeopsis
15	Limnobium
10	Limnophila
10	Lindernia
10	Lobelia
10	Ludwigia
	   Except
15	   L. glandulosus
15	   L. acuata
10	Lysimachia
15	Marsilea
10	Mayaca
10	Micranthemum
10	Microsorium
10	Myriophyllum
10	Najas
15	Nesaea
10	Nitella
10	Nomaphila
10	Nuphar
	   Except
20	   N. Lutea
15	Nymphaea
10	Nymphoides
20	Ottelia
10	Phyllanthes
15	Physostegia
10	Pistia
10	Potamogeton
 5	Riccia
 5	Riccocarpus
15	Rorippa
10	Rotala 
	   Except
15	   R. indica
 5	Sagittaria
 5	Salvinia
10	Samolous
10	Shinnersia
 5	Spirodela
15	Telanthera
15	Trapa
 5	Utricularia
 5	Vallisneria
15	Ventricaria
 5	Vesicularia
10	Wolffia
15	Zephyranthes
 5	Zosterella

The following list of species are excluded from eligibility due to state and federal regulations.

Azolla pinnata
Hydrocharis morsus-ranae
Hygrophila polysperma
Limnophila sessiliflora
Salvinia auriculata
Salvinia molesta

These rules and values will take effect in November 2004. Point values for previously submitted plants will not be retroactively changed.