Marking the stalk is one of the hardest things not to do. Getting the flowers there intact and prefect is the hardest. Look at how other people transport their iris when you go to your first show. If you get hooked on showing, you may have to buy a big van.
I used the rolled up newspaper in a 5 gallon plastic bucket. Some people get very creative. There usually are as many means of transporting iris as there are people entering iris.
Many people will cut the stalks unopened the day before if they look like they will open. That way if bad weather is expected overnight the stalks will not be damaged. They typically keep it in a warm room or in the tub. And you don't have to go out in the dark and try to find good stalks. Even if you don't cut them the night before, go out and look for the stalks you want to cut. That will save you time. The last thing you want is to get to the show with a bucket of iris 20 minutes before entries close.
If you have a nice stalk in the garden but the branching is too close, some people will put a prop between the branch and the stalk a few days before the show. Don't forget to remove the prop.
Keeping the names straight can be hard, especially if you are new to iris. One trick is to write the name on a strip of paper and loosely staple it around a branch. Again, don't forget to remove it.
Technically, you are not supposed to add anything to a stalk. But if you get a finger print in the "bloom" (the white powder on the stalk) a very fine makeup brush can be used to feather it out. Do not polish the whole stem.
Most people who show have a small tool box of supplies-cotton balls, Q-tips, soft makeup brush, scissors, a small knife, tape, glue, paper clips, tweezers, rubber bands, twist ties, etc. As you get experience showing, you'll know what you need the the toolbox.
Take along a spent bloom stalk or two. Then you will have material to prop the stalk in the display vase. As Lucy said, any props used have to be below the edge of the display container. Props are important because they can display the stalk a little higher than just setting it on the bottom of the container, or a little straighter. They also keep the stalk from twisting around in the vase so that the "A" side of the stalk is presented to the judges. When you add your tag, it gets put on the "A" side and that is how the placement person puts it on the table. What's the "A" side? put a stalk in a vase and look at it from all sides. Iris stems usually only have two good sides and one will be better looking than the other.
Do you have an iris you really like but it's not a perfect stalk? Take it anyway and groom it as best you can. Chances are someone coming to the show will like it as much as you do. The show isn't all about the ribbons (well for some people it is) but letting the public see what you see. Beautiful iris. And they won't probably notice the imperfections that the judges see.
