Competitive Events General Guidelines

Competitive Events General Guidelines

GENERAL COMPETITIVE EVENT GUIDELINES
updated 2/6/2012 changes in green

Must be enrolled as a 4-H member during the current year.
Cloverleafs must be at least 9 years old or not have completed the 6th grade on January 1 of the current 4-H year. Juniors must be in the 7th grade or must not have completed the 8th grade on January 1 or the current 4-H year. Seniors have passed their 14th birthday and be in the 9th grade or must not have passed their 19th birthday on January 1 of the current 4-H year. The 4-H program year begins on August 1 and ends on August 31

NOTE: Exceptions may be requested for youth who do not meet the age requirements but are enrolled as students in the grades stated. For example, a young person who is thirteen but is a ninth grade student may request to be a senior 4-H. Requests are made to the State 4-H Leader.

Participants must meet any specific requirements for the event participating in.
County teams competing at the district/ area and state level cannot be composite teams made up of 4-H'ers who are members in more than one county. Coaches may train teams and individuals from multiple counties but for purposes of competition, 4-H'ers may represent only one county. Click here for membership eligibility information.

A state judging events team may be made up of the maximum number allowed by that competition even if one member was unable to compete in the area event.

Any 4-H'er competing an area or state judging event must be a contestant. Area and state events cannot be used for practice sessions.
Expenses for Senior district/ area judging events winners going to the state contest will be paid as outlined on the individual judging events pages. These are located under the Project Awards section and based on the availability of donor funds. Overnight lodging where authorized is for county teams only over 100 miles away from the state event.
Seniors may enter the same 4-H national or regional judging event only one time. Participating members of a state winning judging events team are ineligible to enter the same event again as a member of another team. This includes team members whether or not they accepted the trip to the national contest.
The high individual at the state contest will be named a Master 4-H'er and is eligible to compete again, if they are not a member of the state winning team unless outlined differently in the individual contest rules.
Ties will be broken as outlined on each activity page or under the direction of the contest coordinator.
In most cases, if a member of a team participates in a regional or national contest as a result of placing at a state 4-H contest, that member may not be on a team that is awarded the same placing (and/or trip) in subsequent contests.

4-H'ers may not have cell phones, two way radio or other communication devices in their possession during judging and special events competitions. Coaches are strongly encouraged to collect phones and keep them until the contest is over. Any 4-H'er with one of these items may have his/her card collected,a zero given for that class, or may be disqualified from the contest.