An organizer is provided for holding surgical forceps in a ready position. Each surgical forceps includes a pair of shanks with distal tips, proximal ring handles, and a ratchet mechanism adjacent the ring handles. The organizer has a base, and a wedge-shaped core projecting upwards along a vertical axis from the base. The core has a profile adapted to fit within a respective opening of each respective forceps bounded by the shanks and the ratchet mechanism when the ratchet mechanisms are engaged. A plurality of wings project radially from the core to define a plurality of substantially U-shaped channels between adjacent wings. The channels are configured to nest the shanks of the forceps so that the respective forceps are locked in the grooves by their respective ratchet mechanisms.