GENERAL RULES - 4-H Exhibit Building

1. Exhibition is open to any bonafide 4-H club member in the county who was in the 4th through 12th grades during the school year just completed and enrolled in the project by May 1 this year.

1-A. Any 4-H member who was in the 3rd grade during the school year just completed should turn to the “Discovering 4-H” department. (see index)

2. All entries are to be made by the exhibitor on the individual entry sheet which must be turned into the Extension Office by the club leader(s) on or before 5 p.m. June 15, 2008.

3. Clubs will be assigned and notified of their entry and judging time. Exhibits shall be presented to the judges by the exhibitor at the assigned time for that club on judging day---Wednesday of fair.

3-A. Exception to the rule: The exhibit may be judged without the presence of the exhibitor in some cases. The 4-H’er must notify the Extension office at least two weeks before fair to get an approval for their absence. The exhibit will be judged solely on the write-up.

3-B. NOTE: When the judges are ready to pick state fair exhibits – everyone will be asked to leave the buildings, both Grooms Hall and the 4-H Building.

4. Exhibits must remain in place until 7:00 p.m. on Sunday of the fair, but must be removed between 7:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m. that day. Exhibits removed before this time will forfeit premium money. The Extension Office will not be responsible for exhibits left past 8:00 p.m.

5. No entry fee is required for any exhibit of a 4-H member.

6. 4-H’ers are encouraged to have 4-H exhibits evaluated at a local club achievement show prior to exhibiting at the country fair.

7. An entry tag must be completed for each exhibit. Entry tags need to be easily removable so comments may be written on them.

8. Deserving exhibits will be rated as blue, red, or white ribbon quality with premiums awarded as follows: Blue $1.50; Red $1.00, White $.50.

9. All entries will be judged separately according to grade in school as of May 15 of this year. The grade divisions are:
          Juniors – 4th, 5th and 6th grades
          Intermediate – 7th and 8th grades
          Senior – 9th, 10th, 11th and 12th grades

10. Exhibits can be prepared by an individual 4-H’er, a team of 4-H’ers or may be the result of a group effort. If the team or group has members of more than one age division this should be indicated on the entry tag.

11. Fourth grade 4-H members should be able to tell the judge during conference judging what their goal was for each project exhibited. Written explanations are optional.

12. Fifth and sixth graders and Intermediate and Senior 4-H’ers are required to have a well organized, brief, written explanation with each exhibit which answers…
          a. What was your exhibit goal(s)?
          b. How did you go about working toward your goal(s)?
          c. What were the most important things you learned as you worked toward your goal(s)?
          d. What would you like to do in this project area next year?
          4-H’ers should check for additional requirements in specific exhibit classes.

13. A project completed at school which carries out a 4-H goal may be shown at the county fair. School projects will be limited to two exhibits per 4-H member and will need to fit into a class description.

14. Members may show a maximum of 5 exhibits per division and 3 exhibits per class unless otherwise specified.

15. Due to security reasons 4-H’ers are discouraged from bringing items that have special meaning and/or historical value.

16. Exhibits are limited in size as follows:
    - Posters and banners are not to exceed posterboard size 22” x 28” or foam core board 22” x 30”
    - Chart of graph boards, project presentation boards and model displays, etc. are not to exceed  
    4’ x 4’ in size. Maximum size is determined by measuring the flat (unfolded) dimensions.
    - Poster art in communications is to be designed on, or affixed to, standard poster board or
    foam core board – size minimum 14” x 20” or maximum 15” x 22”
    - Display boxes for Food and Nutrition exhibits should not exceed 10” x 12” x 14”
    - All other display boxes should not exceed 28” x 22” in height or width and 12” in depth.

17. Endangered and threatened plants and animals (includes insects) should NOT be used in any exhibit. Wildflowers taken from parks should NOT be used. It is illegal to possess songbird feathers or nests. Game animals “legally taken,” such as pheasant, good, duck, or quail are acceptable. Purple loosestrife and Lythrum salcaria are plants that should not be planted in gardens. It has the potential of becoming noxious in Iowa. Other dried established noxious weeds are acceptable to use in exhibits.

18. Duplication of copyright material or design should not be used in a 4-H exhibit that is presented as original work by the exhibitor. A copyright design cannot be displayed in a public setting (fair) without permission being granted from the owner of the copyright. When permission has been granted by the owner of the copyright, the exhibit will be displayed and labeled appropriately. Those without permission can not be displayed.

19. All exhibits, activities and programs must represent appropriate safety procedures in the development of the exhibit during the evaluation process. This includes static exhibits and activities revolving around the communications program.

State Fair Guidelines
1. To be eligible for exhibition in the 4-H building at the Iowa State Fair, 4-H’ers must have completed the 5th grade through 12th (or that equivalent) and not have graduated from high school before 2008.
2. A 4-H’er may have no more than three exhibits selected to go to the Iowa State Fair. This includes Home Economics, Expressive Arts, Science and Engineering, Agriculture and Natural Resources, Personal Development, Issues and Programs exhibits.
3. Exhibits which do not comply with size guidelines, copyright, and safety procedures will not be accepted for entry, evaluation, or display at the Iowa State Fair.
4. All exhibitors are responsible to read and comply with the Iowa State Fair General Exhibit Rules for the exhibit to be eligible for Iowa State Fair participation. Entries can be any exhibit by an individual or group which is an outgrowth from an Extension education program related to the (specific) class. 4-H participants in 4-H special interest and school enrichment programs and/or 4-H community clubs in grades 5-12, or equivalent, are eligible to exhibit in the following class(es.)
5. The exhibit is to be an outgrowth of work done to accomplish a goal(s) determined by the member or group during the current 4-H year.
6. 4-H’ers with exhibits selected for the Iowa State Fair will have pictures taken on Sunday, following the 4-H Style Show (approximately 4:30 p.m.) on the stage in the 4-H Building.