Judge for yourselves

For the third year in a row, the Viewers’ Choice Award will allow Rose Parade fans to choose their favorite float by voting online — and, for the first time ever, this year fans will also have the opportunity to vote via text message.

Viewers can join 2011 float judges Nancy Clarke, Debbie Turner and Kirk Hendrix in awarding trophies for the parade. Of all the floats in the parade, only 25 entries will receive awards, which are offered in a variety of categories.

Viewers will be able to vote for the Viewers’ Choice Award by voting online at www.tournamentofroses.com/the-rose-parade/vote/viewers-choice-award. They can also vote by texting the keyword FLOAT followed by the Float I.D. (which will be given by TV broadcasters and can be found in parade programs or at the above-mentioned website) to 50649. Fans can vote up to five times for their favorite float. Voting will take place from 8 a.m. to 2:10 p.m. on Jan. 1.

“The Viewers’ Choice Award allows fans from all around the world to have the opportunity to join our prestigious judges in awarding the entries in the 122nd Rose Parade,” said Gene Gregg, chairman of the Tournament of Roses Judging Committee.

For the last two years, parade fans chose the entry from Cal Poly Universities as the winner of the Viewers’ Choice Award. Cal Poly’s 2010 float, themed “Jungle Cuts,” received 20,788 votes out of a total of 50,535 votes cast. The float, built by students from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo and the university’s sister campus in Pomona, featured wild animals receiving haircuts from monkey barbers above the treetops.

For all the other awards, the 2011 Tournament of Roses float judges will have the traditional task of evaluating the floats from a professional perspective. The judges’ scores are based on creative design, floral craftsmanship, artistic merit, computerized animation, thematic interpretation, dramatic impact, and floral and color presentation.

These judges bring a wealth of expertise to the task.

Clarke created floral displays for the White House for 30 years. She also helped create the floral décor for presidential events including the Camp David Accords during the Carter administration.

Hendrix has spent 33 years in the special events industry and in September was inducted into the International Festival & Events Assn. Hall of Fame.

Turner owns Debbie Turner Originals DTO, a floral design company that creates fresh floral arrangements for weddings, events and holiday décor.

Turner is a lifelong actor best known for her role as Marta von Trapp in the classic film “The Sound of Music.” She was born in Pasadena and raised in the neighboring city of Arcadia.