Benton County Fair Booklet

By Karen Rice Exhibit judging in a fair gives individuals (youth and adults) an opportunity to know where their exhibit stands in relation to other exhibits and how well they did compared to an ideal. Two different judging systems are used at the fair. Livestock judging uses the American system in which each entry is judged against every other entry and judged against a standard or ideal. A final decision is a ranking in order—first place being the best and then going down from there. The Danish system of judging is based upon established standards of quality for each type of product. Most of the Exhibit Hall uses the Danish system. In the Danish system, each exhibit is judged according to how well it meets the standard, rather than how well it compares with other exhibits. Adult Photography and Fine Arts are the exception, they use the American system of judging, so each entry is judged against each other and the top three are selected. blue ribbons The blue colored ribbon either labeled with a 1st place or "A" Class is given to exhibits that meet or exceed the standards established for the particular class or level of performance. red ribbons The red colored ribbon either labeled with a 2nd place or "B" Class is given to the exhibits that rank good in relation to the standards. Either the general level is less than excellent or specific shortcomings are found to cause the placing to drop. White ribbons The white colored ribbon either labeled with a 3rd place or "C" Class is given to the exhibits that are found lacking and rate only average, acceptable, or satisfactory for the established standards Of course, exhibiting at the fair is about much more than the ribbons. It's about learning, setting and working towards a goal, friendships with other exhibitors and dedication to a project. Ribbons and judging can help show areas where improvement is needed, so that next year's exhibit will be even better! Fair exhibit judging – how does it work? 2022 Benton County Fair 21

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