1. Exhibitors must be enrolled in 4-H (and the projects) in the county where they exhibit. 4-H members must have complied with the dates and deadlines prescribed by the county extension office.
2. Exhibits must be the result of the 4-H member’s work since Sept 1, previous calendar year.
3. A 4-H member must have reached his or her 5th birthday, but not have passed his or her 19th birthday, before January 1 of the current year. Clover Kid 4-H members (ages 5-7 before January 1 of the current year) may only enter exhibits from Department K, the “Clover Kids” section of this book. Clover Kids are not eligible for contests (except as noted in fair book) or premiums.
4. One entry per class unless otherwise noted.
5. Each exhibitor must exhibit his or her project. Only 4-H members may act as substitute livestock exhibitors, with permission of the Superintendent/Extension Staff/Ag Society.
6. 4-H exhibits will be awarded ribbons according to merit. Purple - Superior; Blue - Excellent; Red - Good; White - Acceptable. In order to qualify for a special award, exhibitor must receive a purple or blue ribbon. Clover Kids exhibits will receive a special non-competitive ribbon. In non-competitive classes, no premium will be given.
7. Nebraska Extension, the Ag Society and 4-H Council will not be responsible for loss or damage to exhibits. Exhibits are entered at your own risk. DISCLAIMER OF RESPONSIBILITY FOR EXHIBITS AT THE FAIR: 4-H exhibits at fair are entered and displayed at the risk of the 4-H member. Nebraska Extension 4-H Youth Development, in cooperation with the ag society accepts exhibits and will exercise due care to protect them. However, 4-H and Ag Society cannot accept responsibility for loss or damage due to the conditions imposed by crowds. 4-H'ers who have exhibits of great sentimental and/or monetary value should carefully consider whether such exhibits should be exposed to the hazards of the fair.
8. Judges’ decisions will be considered final.
9. Protests and Appeals:
A committee shall be appointed by the Extension Educator to serve as a protest group. They will meet daily, if needed, to act upon concerns. All protests must be in writing and signed, and submitted to the appropriate Extension Educator. The Extension Educator will convene the committee for deliberation. The committee’s decision will be final.
Written protests must include: names of persons involved; description of the concern; situation and documentation; recommendation for correction; specific action or rule in question; additional persons the committee may contact for clarification; procedures and/or steps carried out by the person involved prior to protest submission.
The committee will review the written protest. They may discuss the situation with affected person(s) including the county fair superintendent if appropriate, prior to making the final decision. The committee will recommend appropriate action to the Extension Educator in writing. The final decision will then be communicated both verbally and in writing to the group or individual affected.
The exhibitor may be allowed to show/participate while the protest process is carried out. Results of showing will be subject to change based on the outcome of the protest process.
The show management reserves the right to withhold premium and/or award. The 4-H member/parent/leader may be excluded from 4-H if action warrants.
The appeals process is limited to the 4-H exhibitor, parent or volunteer leader. Protest will not be accepted after the exhibit is released from the county fair. Protests related to judges’ integrity, decisions, placings or other evaluations will not be accepted.
10. Static fair entries and contest winners must receive a purple ribbon to be eligible to compete at the state fair.
11. No firearms, items with a blade or related items of any other kind may be exhibited. This applies to actual items, replicated items or item parts.
12. Copyrighted writing, artwork, videos, and images may be used in 4-H educational exhibits under Fair Use for educational purposes of Copyright Law. In order to qualify for Fair Use, 4-H’ers must: 1) only use a small amount of the copy-written work, 2) add new meaning to the work to make it original, 3) rework it and use it in a totally different way, and 4) use it for nonprofit purposes (not to make money). Giving credit to the original creator is also recommended.
13. Violation of rules renders the exhibitor subject to loss of ribbons, other awards, and/or elimination from competition.
14. Projects cannot be shown in both 4-H and FFA at the fair.
15. All 4-H staff, volunteers, members and parents/guardians should adhere to the code of conduct during participation at the fair. https://4h.unl.edu/participant-code-of-conduct.
16. No early release of livestock, small animals or static exhibits allowed.