Contests

GENERAL RULES AND GUIDELINES 

Revised: 2024

ELIGIBILITY: Youth Division 

  • ALL 4-H DIVISIONS except OPEN YOUTH LIVESTOCK CLASSES and FFA CLASSES. 
  • Must be enrolled in the Sioux County 4-H program 
  • Must be enrolled in the appropriate project. 
  • Non 4-H youth can enter in the Open Class division. 

GENERAL 

  • Any exhibitor who is found to have tampered with, doctored, or entered an exhibit that is his not his/her work will forfeit any premium, ribbon, and cash prizes and exhibitor will be placed on probation. A second offense will cause disqualification from further competition or participation in the youth division of the Sioux County Fair. 
  • All entries must be entered and in place by the deadlines set by each division. This information is available at the County Extension Office and it will also be publicized BUT it is the exhibitor’s responsibility to obtain information. 
  • The judges will place all creditable exhibits in each class into four ribbon groups according to excellence. These ribbon groupings include: 
    • Purple – Superior
    • Blue – Excellent 
    • Red – Good 
    • White – Satisfactory 
  • In case of no competition, the judge will decide which ribbon placing the exhibit deserves. Trophy winners and/or exhibits designated for State Fair should be purple ribbon quality. 
  • Fair prizes will be awarded to 4-H members at the Annual Fun Feed. Prizes will be considered for the following categories: Family and Consumer (home environment, heritage, consumer management, human development), Healthy Living (cooking, safety, food preservation), Clothing (shopping in style, beyond the needle, sewing), Visual Arts (photography, sketchbook crossroads, portfolio pathway), SET (entomology, welding, wood science, conservation, computers, robotics, rockets, etc.), and Plant Science (horticulture and range). Final discretion is up to the 4-H Council.
  • The superintendent will determine eligibility/ineligibility of an exhibit in their division. All ineligible items will not be judged or displayed. 
  • A member cannot enroll in the same 4-H project area in more than one county or state in the same year. 

STATE FAIR ELIGIBILITY

  • Only classes with an asterisk (*) in front of the number are eligible for State Fair entry. An exhibitor must be a 4-H member enrolled in the project in which they are exhibiting in the county which he/she represents. In all State Fair classes, a 4-H member must be age 8 by January 1st of the current year. 
  • Interview Judging will be conducted on all 4-H Static Exhibit Projects. 

EXHIBITOR RELEASE TIMES 

  • Art Hall – Released at 3:00 pm on the Sunday of Fair. 
  • Horses, livestock, and other animals released after respective shows. 

PREMIUMS 

  • Premiums will be paid at the following rates to county youth. 
  • Static Exhibits  Purple - $5.00, Blue - $4.00, Red -  $3.00, and White -  $2.00 
  • Clover Kid Exhibits will each receive a $1.00 premium. 

PROTEST COMMITTEE  

  • For all shows except the Livestock Show, the respective division committee has the authority to make appropriate decisions based on the Sioux County Fair book, and these will be adhered to by all. 
  •  A committee shall be appointed to serve as a grievance committee. They will meet when needed, to act upon concerns. All protests must be submitted in writing and signed. 
  • Written protests must be submitted to the county fair division committees. 
  • The written protest must include: 
    • Names of persons involved 
    • Nature of concerns 
    • Situation and documentation 
    • Recommendations for correction 
    • Specific action, rule, etc. in question 
    • Additional person committee may contact for further clarification 
    • Procedures and/or steps carried out by person involved prior to submission to the fair superintendent 
  • The committee will review the written protest. They may discuss the situation with affected persons and show officials to include County Fair management, if appropriate, prior to making a final decision. The committee will recommend appropriate action to management in writing. The recommendations will be followed and communicated both verbally and in writing to the group or individual affected. 
  • In cases of protest, the exhibitor may be allowed to show, but results of showing will be subject to change based on the outcome of the protest process. This allows for smooth operation of the show and facilitates appropriate processing. The management reserves the right to withhold premiums and/or awards. The exhibitor may also be excluded from the show if action warrants. 
  • Protests will not be accepted after the exhibit is released from the Sioux County Fair. 

DISCLAIMER OF RESPONSIBILITY FOR EXHIBITS AT THE SIOUX COUNTY FAIR  

  • Exhibits at the Sioux County Fair are entered and displayed at the risk of the exhibitor. University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension in Sioux County, in association with the Sioux County Agricultural Society, accepts exhibits and will exercise due care to protect them. However, University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension or the Sioux County Agricultural Society or the Sioux County 4-H Council cannot accept responsibility for loss or damage due to the conditions imposed by crowds, the arrangement of the buildings in which displays are housed and the number of exhibits. People who have exhibits of great sentimental and/or monetary value should carefully consider whether such exhibits should be exposed to the hazards of fair. 
  • While the greatest possible care will be exercised by the management to protect patrons of the county fair, each individual will be held personally responsible for any injury. 

DRUGS AND ALCOHOL POLICY  

  • Use or possession of alcoholic beverages or drugs (except for medical purposes) by any exhibitor who is participating in the youth section of the Sioux County Fair will result in immediate disqualification of that exhibitor’s entry. 

Sioux County Fairbook