Talk about a can or worms....
Currently there is no equivalent of the Ginko Awards in the States. The idea of a national show has been kicked around for quite a while by alot of folks.
The logistics involved with such a show in the U.S. are a bit more complicated because of our country's size.
Europe is a third the size of the U.S.
http://goeurope.about.com/od/europe...parison-map.htm
Getting trees to a central location here without damage is VERY risky. Owners would have to truck their trees in or pay for air freight--both risky propositions for show quality trees. Driving to such a show could be a three-to-five day affair if you're driving across the U.S. with a trailer full of trees. If you're in Hawaii --where there are soem pretty terrific tropical bonsai--fuhgeddaboudit
...Casual attendees would all probably be local, since no one other than bonsai fanatics would drive more than six hours to see a show. Such limited public attendance would limit any admission profits that might be used to run the show. Add to that some of the state-level and country level plant import restrictions (Cal., Fla. and Canada), you have a very tall order. No one has been able to put the puzzle together efficiently and attractively.
Some very good regional shows have sprung up though. Bill Valavanis runs a Mid-Atlantic show every year out of N.Y. The D.C. region has a conglomeration of bonsai clubs that puts together a spring show every year, as do the formidable clubs in California. It's these regional shows that might form the nucleus of a more nationally oriented show, though, IMO. Just like the Westminster Kennel Club dog show has become the de-facto "national" dog show, which draws from winners in AKC regional shows...