CHAPTER 6
COMPETITIVE EXHIBITS AND COMPETITIONS
GENERAL RULES
[Prior to 5/18/88, see Fair Board[430] Ch 6]
371—6.1(173) Composition of exhibits. The Iowa state fair board shall sponsor, organize, produce and stage competitive exhibits and competitions that it deems are educational, enjoyable or possess social redeeming value for the participants and spectators. The composition of all competitive exhibits and competitions shall be determined by the fair board annually at its regular April meeting. (See 1.3(1).)
All competitive exhibits and competitions shall be coordinated by a superintendent appointed by the board. The superintendent’s duties shall consist of assisting with the preparation and execution of rules and regulations of the competition with the approval of the secretary of the fair.
371—6.2(173) Filing date. All entries must be filed with the secretary on the date determined by the fair board and printed in the premium list.
371—6.3(173) Fees. All entry fees, stall and pen rent shall be as determined by the fair board and printed in the premium list. The management shall return any entries received beyond the capacity of the facilities offered.
371—6.4(173) Placement and release of exhibits. Time of placement and release of exhibits will be as determined by the fair board and printed in the premium list.
371—6.5(173) Time of judging. The time of judging in all departments shall be as determined by the fair board and printed in the premium list.
371—6.6(173) Entries. All entries into competitive exhibits or competitions must be made on printed forms, which may be obtained free by writing the Entry Department, Iowa State Fair, Statehouse, Des Moines, Iowa 50319.
371—6.7(173) Fraud and misrepresentation. Should any individual enter an animal or article in a name other than that of a bona fide owner or attempt to perpetrate a fraud by misrepresenting any fact, the entry shall not be allowed to compete for or receive any premium.
371—6.8(173) Erroneous entries. Exhibits which have been erroneously entered may, at the discretion of the secretary, superintendent or authorized person of the department, be transferred to their proper class previous to the judging. If that class has been judged, it shall not be rejudged.
371—6.9(173) Entry tags. Competitors in departments where coupon entry tags are used must present coupons for the return of their articles to the superintendent or the assistants of the department in which the exhibit is shown. Under no circumstances will the exhibitor be permitted access to display cases or space where exhibits are shown.
371—6.10(173) Transportation charges. The state fair board will not assume or pay the transportation charges on articles sent for exhibition or assume or pay any expense in their delivery to the grounds.
371—6.11(173) Exhibit safety. The state fair board will use diligence in caring for the safety of livestock or articles after their arrival but will not be responsible for any loss or damage that may occur.
371—6.12(173) Early removal of exhibits. Gatekeepers and police are instructed to restrain any person from leaving the grounds with stock or other articles that have been on exhibition, before the hour of release, without written permission of the superintendent of the department.
371—6.13(173) Protests. All protests must be made in writing and accompanied by a deposit, set by the fair board and published in premium book of current year, which will be forfeited if the protest is not sustained. No protest based upon the statement that a judge is incompetent will be considered.
371—6.14(173) Judges. Competitors may not in any way, whether in person or by agent, interfere with the judges while judging. Any disrespect shown judges will be cause for an apology, and will expel exhibitor from further competition, and no premiums will be paid to the exhibitor.
371—6.15(173) Premiums. Premiums paid will be as determined by the fair board and printed in the premium book.
	6.15(1) Premiums in the open livestock departments will be paid at a time determined by the fair board and printed in the premium book.
	6.15(2) Premiums in other departments will be paid as soon after the close of the fair as possible.
	6.15(3) All warrants must be cashed before November 1 of the year of the fair. No claims for errors will be honored after October 15, the year of the fair.
371—6.16(173) Specials. The fair board will list special premiums in the premium list, but will not be responsible for their payments or delivery unless they are delivered to the secretary prior to the opening day of the fair.
	6.16(1) Specials are limited to money prizes or articles of intrinsic value.
	6.16(2) Special prizes will not be accepted for classes that do not conform to the regular classifications of the department in which they are offered unless for reasons satisfactory to the fair board and the superintendent of the department in which they are offered.
371—6.17(173) Only one exhibitor. When there is only one exhibitor in a class, the first prize, if merited, will be awarded. When more than one, all prizes will be awarded at the discretion of the judge. Where animals or articles are not worthy of first prize, judges may, at their discretion, award a prize or prizes of such grade as the animal or articles deserve. When there is competition, all prizes may be awarded as far as there are worthy entries. If two entries are equal, both place moneys are to be totaled and divided equally.
371—6.18(173) Entries by creator. Articles which are the result of mechanical or artistic skill must be entered by the artist, inventor, manufacturer or authorized agent.
371—6.19(173) Entries by owner. Animals, with the exception of cattle, must be entered in the name of the owner and must have been owned not less than 30 days prior to the opening of the fair. Cattle must be owned by the exhibitor at the time of the exhibition, and be entered in owner’s name.
371—6.20(173) Substitution of animals. Substitution of animals entered for reasons satisfactory to the management of the fair will be permitted prior to the time set out in the premium books, providing the animal meets all the applicable regulations. All requests for substitution of this kind and the reasons therefor, together with name, date of birth and registry number of the animal substituted, must have the approval of the superintendent of the department and be filed with the secretary.
371—6.21(173) Elimination of classification. When a breed of cattle, swine or sheep entered and shown in the breeding classes drops below 35 head, of which 25 head are Iowa-owned, it will be dropped from classification the following year, and in order to regain entry into the classification, breed representatives must present satisfactory evidence to the state fair board that they will have a show of the required number and quality in keeping with Iowa state fair standards. The same rules apply for new breed competition and must have fair board approval.
371—6.22(173) Health requirements. All animals presented for exhibition shall be subjected to examination by the chief of animal industry before exhibition, and to daily inspection during the fair. The office of the veterinary department at which place official health certifications must be presented and approved for all livestock exhibited, is located south of the cattle barn. Please read official health requirements under each livestock department. All buildings, stalls, and pens at state fairgrounds will be disinfected prior to opening of the state fair.
371—6.23(173) Health rules. Rules governing the health of all animals shown at the fair will be as determined by the Iowa department of agriculture, division of animal industry, and published in the premium book.
371—6.24(173) Clean stalls. Livestock exhibitors must keep the space in the rear of their stalls and pens and all alleyways clear and clean. All litter must be deposited in areas designated by the superintendent and assistants.
371—6.25(173) Exhibition of stalls. Exhibitors must keep their stalls open and stock uncovered from 8 a.m.	to 6 p.m.	each day of the fair.
371—6.26(173) Prompt showing. No animal will be awarded a prize unless promptly brought into the show ring with catalog number attached when class is called. Animals entered and not brought into the ring at the proper time, unless excused by the superintendent, will be charged double the regular stall or pen fee.
371—6.27(173) Purebred entries. No animal can be entered or exhibited as purebred unless it has been recorded in the recognized book of record for its respective breed, and exhibitors must produce certificates of registry at the request of the superintendent in charge anytime during the fair.
371—6.28(173) Reserved pens. Stalls and pens will not be reserved unless entry is accompanied by the required stall, pen and entry fees.
371—6.29(173) Rent refund. No refunds for stall fees or pen rent will be made unless cancellation is made before August 1, year of the fair.
371—6.30(173) Forage. Forage will be available on the grounds. No delivery of feed other than for the forage concession will be permitted within the grounds after opening day. Exhibitors will be permitted to bring into the grounds only a limited amount of feed, hay, or straw, and the management reserves the right to refuse admission of any which in their judgment is an excessive amount.
371—6.31(173) Insurance. Competitive exhibitors are required to carry insurance to cover any loss to persons or property which may occur as a result of their participation in fair competition.
These rules are intended to implement Iowa Code section 173.14.
[Filed 6/19/81, Notice 4/15/81—published 7/8/81, effective 8/12/81]
[Filed 8/11/86, Notice 6/18/86—published 8/27/86, effective 10/1/86]
[Filed 4/22/88, Notice 2/24/88—published 5/18/88, effective 6/30/88]
[Filed 3/23/95, Notice 2/15/95—published 4/12/95, effective 5/17/95]