Wally Berg Award

Since 2000 the BSI has awarded the Wally Berg Award of Excellence to deserving members of the organization who exemplify extraordinary achievements in the appreciation, culture and knowledge of bromeliads. Thirteen recipients since its inception, the 2024 recipients of the award included Mr. Paul Isley (awarded posthumously) of California, USA and Mr. Peter Waters of Auckland, New Zealand. The opportunity to submit nominations is now open until March 15th and will be awarded at the World Bromeliad Conference 2026 in Costa Mesa, California. The award criteria and nomination procedures follow.

The Wally Berg Award of Excellence was initiated in 1999 to honor the late Wally Berg (1927-2000) of Sarasota, Florida. Wally and his wife Dorothy were extraordinary bromeliad growers. Their private collection was one of the most diversified and unique in the world. The setting of their bromeliad gardens was magnificent and immaculate.

Wally was an enthusiastic supporter of the BSI. He donated many rare plants for sales and auctions that benefited the BSI, the Bromeliad Identification Center at Marie Selby Botanical Gardens, research on the “Evil Weevil”, and other worthy causes. Wally volunteered many hours of service at Selby Gardens. He had a broad knowledge of bromeliad horticulture and science and frequently spoke to bromeliad societies on a variety of topics, especially about his adventures exploring and collecting in Central and South America. Wally served in many offices in the Sarasota Bromeliad Society. he introduced several Aechmea cultivars into culture and created several hybrids, including Aechmea ‘Forest Fire’. He frequently won top awards, including Best in Show, at BSI World Bromeliad Conferences and Florida local and regional bromeliad shows. A number of bromeliad species were named in his honor.

Following are the award criteria and procedures for nominating individuals for the Wally Berg Award of Excellence. Individuals, couples, or BSI members deceased within the past two years are eligible. Previous non-winning nominees will not be automatically considered. Only nominees submitted during the present (2025-2026) Call for Nominations will be considered. Nominees must be previous (for posthumous nominations) or current members of the BSI and nominators must be current BSI members in good standing.

Award Criteria

In addition to being BSI members, nominees must excel in at least 4 of the 8 criteria. In your nomination, please describe how the nominees excel in at least 4 criteria:

1. The individual or couple must be past or current members of the BSI.
2. The individual or couple should be (a) bromeliad grower(s) nationally or internationally recognized for diversity of species cultivated and excellence of cultivation.
3. The individual or couple should actively pursue one of the following activities:
   1. collecting and identifying bromeliads in natural environments, including collecting new species/varieties/cultivars; the members of the various bromeliad societies and organizations, including the BSI.
   2. promoting the appreciation and cultivation of bromeliads at the international level, including such activities as organizing and participating in collecting trips with international representation, giving presentations and seminars to national and international audiences, and writing manuscripts for publication in national or international books, journals, or other media (e.g., Internet).
4. The individual or couple should actively support efforts to further the scientific, taxonomic, or cultural understanding of bromeliads through donation of time, effort, or money to recognized organizations, institutions, or groups of individuals (e.g., the BSI, local or regional bromeliad clubs or councils).
5. The individual or couple should be active in a local, regional, or national bromeliad society and be recognized by other members of that society for their contributions to the functioning of that society and its activities.
6. If the individual is a bromeliad hybridizer or the couple are bromeliad hybridizers, he, she, or they should be internationally recognized for excellence in one or more of the following categories:
   1. innovation in creating bromeliad hybrids.
   2. success in cultivation of bromeliad hybrids.
   3. promotion and distribution of bromeliad hybrids.
7. The individual or couple should be generally recognized as expert in one or more of the following aspects of bromeliads:
   1. ecology, evolution, or taxonomy.
   2. cultivation or hybridization.
   3. display or exhibition.
8. The individual or couple should be generally recognized for his, her, or their generous nature in sharing knowledge of bromeliads and for personally giving of time and expertise for the benefit of both other people interested in bromeliads and bromeliad organizations at all levels.

Procedures for Nomination

1. Nominators must be current members of the BSI.
2. The nominator should submit the nomination in writing by electronic mail. The nominator should provide a brief resume of the accomplishments of the nominee(s) in bromeliad-related activities (e.g., service, offices held, major awards won) and a letter (between 250-500 words) describing the way in which the nominee(s) meets at least four of Award Criteria 2-8 listed above. Past nominees may be re-nominated if they meet the current award criteria and were not award recipients. Previous award winners are ineligible for re-nomination.
3. Please send nominations to secretary@bsi.org. A confirmation of receipt will be emailed within 72 hours. If no confirmation email is received please forward to webmaster@bsi.org to ensure receipt.
4. Submissions must be received by March 15, 2026.

The winner or his/her representative will receive the award at the 2026 BSI World Bromeliad Conference in Costa Mesa, California this April. Additionally, the winner’s name and accomplishments will be published in the BSI Journal and posted on the BSI website.

Past Award Recipients

*Awarded Posthumously