The first recipient of the award was Mrs. Swords Debaillon and the officers and board of the Society of Louisiana Iris agreed to name the award after her in 1948. The iris selected for the award was also named for her by Caroline Dormon a prominent Louisiana naturalist and artist. However, the award did not appear on the actual American Iris Society awards ballot until 1950. Many of the early winners were from north Louisiana, here there were many AIS judges in the area but this trend discontinued when hybridizers from south Louisiana started introducing their cultivated iris. Most of the early winners were “wild” or of unknown parentage but since about 1960 the cultivars have been registered. Any grower of Louisiana iris knows that some varieties do not grow well, others do not bloom every season, do not increase every season, some have few buds. The winners which have persisted until this day were found growing at Bois d’Arc Louisiana iris gardens in Schriever and painted there. Some of them, with the year they won, are represented here:

1967 – Dixie Deb
1976 – Eolian
1983 – Eastertide
1989 – Black Gamecock
1991 – Rhett

It can be seen from this list that some have lasted in cultivation for more than 30 years!