Catalog of Exhibits

Baked Goods

Division 1 – Breads
Division 2 – Cookies
Division 3 – Candies
Division 4 – Cupcakes
Division 5 – Pies
Division 6 – Cakes

Food Preservation

Division 7 – Home Canned Fruits and Vegetables
Division 8 – Jellies, Jams, and Pickles
Division 9 – “Red, White, and Brew”
Division 10 – Honey

Field, Farm & Garden

Division 11 – Flowers
Division 12 – Gardening
Division 13 – Field Crops
Division 14 – Fiber (sheep, goat, camelid, or rabbit)

Home & Creative Arts

Division 15 – Clothing
Division 16 –  Fiber Arts
Division 17 – Crafts
Division 18 – Collections and Scrapbooks

Photography & Fine Arts

Division 19 – Photography
Division 20 – Fine Art

Loudoun County 4-H Members Only

Division 21 – Food Nutrition Display
Division 22 – Natural Science Exhibits
Division 23 – Safety
Division 24 – Child Care
Division 25 – Project Books
Division 26 – Club Scrapbooks
Division 27 – Cloverbuds

Baked Goods

• Judging will be based on flavor, texture, structure, and appearance.
• Baked goods entries must be baked solely by the exhibitor submitting the entry.
• Entries must be covered and protected with a clear cover for the public to view easily during Fair Week
• All entries in Divisions 1 – 6 must be submitted in a disposable container, with a clear cover, such as a clamshell container or plastic dome, box with clear cover on all sides, clear plastic cling film like Saran Wrap or inserted in a clear, sealable bag such as a Ziploc-style baggie.
• Entries submitted on glass, ceramic, non-disposable plastic, or any other type of container that is not disposable may be disqualified.
• All baked goods entries will be disposed of at the conclusion of the fair.

Division 1 – Breads

Class 1:  4 Biscuits or Scones
Class 2:  4 Muffins, any type
Class 3:  1 Loaf Yeast Bread or 4 Yeast Rolls
Class 4:  1 Loaf Quick Bread (banana, pumpkin, zucchini, etc.)
Class 5:  1 Tea Ring or Coffee Cake, any type

Division 2 – Cookies (4 cookies or bars per entry)

If your drop cookie entry contains any additions other than chocolate chips and/or nuts, it should be entered in Class 2.

Class 1:  Cookies – chocolate or chocolate chip (with or without nuts)
Class 2:  Cookies – any other variety: fruit, spice, nut, nut butter, etc.
Class 3:  Sliced, Cutout, Or Decorated Cookies
Class 4:  Bars and Brownies

Division 3 – Candies (4 pieces of candy per entry)

Class 1:  Fudge, any type
Class 2:  Bark or Brittle
Class 3:  Molded Candy, chocolate or sugar based
Class 4:  Any Other Candy

Division 4 – Cupcakes (4 cupcakes per entry)

Class 1:  Yellow or White Cupcake, iced or frosted
Class 2:  Chocolate or Devil’s Food Cupcake, iced or frosted
Class 3:  Any Other Variety, iced or frosted

Division 5 – Pies (1 whole pie per entry)

Class 1:  Fruit Pie (double crust or crumb/nut topping)
Class 2:  Meringue or Cream Pie (vanilla, chocolate, banana, coconut, lime, lemon, etc.)
Class 3:  Custard or Translucent Pie (custard, chess, pumpkin, pecan, etc.)

Division 6 – Cakes

• Cakes in Classes 1 through 3 and Class 5 and 6 must be multi-tiered layer cakes, of any shape.
• Cakes in Class 4 are loaf or bundt cakes.
• All cakes are to be submitted whole.
• Refer to the bullets under the Baked Goods Category concerning allowable containers concerning all baked goods, including Cakes.
• If you do not fulfill these requirements, your entry may be disqualified.
• A Grand Champion cake will be selected for the following groups: Junior, Senior, Open Youth and Open Adult.
• The Junior and Senior Grand Champion cakes will be offered by the winning exhibitors at the Fair Auction. The proceeds will go to the respective 4-H exhibitors, less the established auction fees.
• Winners of the Open Youth and Open Adult Grand Champion cakes will each receive $100.00 premiums and a special ribbon.
• If your entry is chosen as Grand Champion Junior or Senior cake, you must make a fresh whole cake, just as it was entered, and personally present it, along with the recipe in the Auction ring on Friday night.
• The Grand Champion Junior and Senior cakes must be delivered in a covered, sturdy, non-returnable container, preferably with a handle.

Class 1:  Yellow or White Cake, iced or frosted
Class 2:  Chocolate or Devil’s Food Cake, iced or frosted
Class 3:  Other Flavor Cake, iced or frosted
Class 4:  Pound Cake, 1 loaf, iced or glazed
Class 5:  Decorated Theme Cake of any flavor or theme, iced or frosted.
Class 6:  Gluten-free cake of any flavor, iced or frosted

 Food Preservation

• Judging will be based on product, container, flavor, and appearance.
• Food Preservation entries in this category must be made solely by the exhibitor submitting the entry or as part of a family group.
• Canned foods must be submitted in one (1) clear, standard canning jar for each entry.
• All jars must be sealed with lid and screw band.
• All entries must be labeled with the content of the jar and type of processing (boiling or pressure).
• Time and method of processing should comply with USDA recommendations.
• JARS MUST HAVE A VACUUM SEAL.
• The following entries will be disqualified:
  • paraffin sealed jams and jellies
  • foods with non-standardized canning jars
  • foods with more than 2 inches of head space
  • jars with failed vacuum seal

Division 7 – Home Canned Fruits and Vegetables

Class 1:  Pint or Quart of Tomatoes, Tomato Sauce, or Tomato-Based Sauce
Class 2:  Pint or Quart of Green Beans
Class 3:  Pint or Quart of Any Other Vegetable
Class 4:  Pint or Quart of Fruit, whole or cut
Class 5:  Pint or Quart of Fruit Sauce (Applesauce, Pear Sauce, etc.)

Division 8 – Jellies, Jams, and Pickles

Class 1:  ½ Pint or Pint of Jam or Preserves
Class 2:  ½ Pint or Pint of Jelly
Class 3:  ½ Pint or Pint of Fruit or Veg. Butter (apple butter, peach butter, pumpkin butter etc.)
Class 4:  Pint of Cucumber Pickles (any size, form, or flavor)
Class 5:  Pint of any other Pickled Vegetable(s)
Class 6:  ½ Pint or Pint of Relish, Chow-chow, Chutney, or Salsa

Division 9 – “Red, White, and Brew”

• All Exhibitors submitting an entry in Division 9 must be 21 years of age or older.
• Bottles of beer must be between 10 and 14 ounces in size and capped/sealed.
• Wine bottles must be corked or capped and between 500 and 750 ml in volume.
• Entry will be opened and judged on flavor and appearance.
• All entries must be labeled.
• Contents of all entries will be emptied after judging concludes and empty containers will be used as displays during fair week.

Class 1:  1 Bottle, Lager or Pilsner
Class 2:  1 Bottle, IPA or Pale Ale
Class 3:  1 Bottle, Amber or Dark Ale
Class 4:  1 Bottle, Specialty Beer (fruit or spiced)
Class 5:  1 Bottle, Stout or Porter
Class 6:  1 Bottle, Red Wine, single varietal or mixed varietals
Class 7:  1 Bottle, White Wine, single varietal or mixed varietals
Class 8:  1 Bottle, Hard Cider

Division 10 – Honey

• Honey entries are to have been processed between August 1, 2023 through July 13th, 2024.
• The process date must be included on the jar’s label.

Class 1:  Light extracted honey, one-pound clear glass jar
Class 2:  Dark/medium extracted honey, one-pound clear glass jar
Class 3:  Display of light chunk honey, one-pound clear glass jar
Class 4:  Display of dark/medium chunk honey, one-pound clear glass jar

Field, Farm, and Garden

• All entries for Field, Farm and Garden must be grown solely by the exhibitor submitting the entry or as part of a family group garden.
• During Fair week, a watering can and water spritzer is available to exhibitors for replenishing their entries in order to maintain freshness. Volunteers are not responsible for watering exhibits.

Division 11 – Flowers

Single Specimens
Include a single stem specimen in a clear glass container.

Class 1:  Single gladiolus specimen
Class 2:  Single rose specimen
Class 3:  Single dahlia specimen
Class 4:  Single zinnia specimen (small)
Class 5:  Single zinnia specimen (large)
Class 6:  Single marigold specimen
Class 7:  Single yellow sunflower specimen
Class 8:  Single sunflower specimen, other than yellow
Class 9:  Largest sunflower specimen (judged by diameter of head)
Class 10:  Single herb specimen

Potted plants

• Plants must be potted in soil or growing medium, in a container, basket, or pot, as appropriate to the class.
• Hanging baskets will be displayed hanging and must be able to be hung.
• The overall size of container and specimen are at the discretion of the exhibitor.

Class 11:  Hanging Basket (can be a single variety or multiple varieties of potted plants)
Class 12:  Single Potted Plant (this is to be one single plant, potted)
Class 13:  Dish Garden or Combination Pot (this is to be multiple plants of one or more varieties in one container)

Floral Arrangements

Floral arrangements must be in a vase or appropriate container, suitable in size and shape to the nature of the arrangement. These are arrangements of cut flowers and/or other plant material.

Class 14:  Small is Beautiful – a fresh flower and/or plant material arrangement not to exceed 5” in any direction. Dimensions include the vase or container.
Class 15:  Togetherness – an arrangement of cut flowers and/or plant material, fresh or dried, of a single variety of flower or multiple varieties combined.

Division 12 – Gardening

• Items will be judged visually, but may be judged on flavor, at the discretion of the judge. Portions of the entry may be sliced or cut to judge internal appearance.
• Must include varietal name or type of vegetable on a 3”x 5” index card taped to your entry.
• An entry must consist of ONE variety of the vegetable or fruit specified (i.e. an entry in Class 6 must be 15 green beans of one variety, not 5 Kentucky Wonder beans, 5 yellow wax beans, and 5 purple string beans).
• At the Showcase committee’s discretion, exhibits may be placed on uniform containers after drop off.

Class 1:  3 Slicing Tomatoes, any color
Class 2:  3 Italian or Paste Type Tomatoes, any color
Class 3:  15 Cherry or Grape Tomatoes, any color
Class 4:  3 Irish Potatoes, any color
Class 5:  3 Sweet Potatoes
Class 6:  Plate of 15 Green or String Beans, any color
Class 7:  3 Ears Sweet Corn, shucked/trimmed
Class 8:  3 Sweet Peppers, any color or type
Class 9:  3 Hot/Spicy Peppers, any color or type
Class 10:  3 Cucumbers, any type
Class 11:  3 Yellow Summer Squash
Class 12:  3 Zucchini Squash
Class 13:  3 Tree Fruits (Peaches, Plums, Cherries, Apples, Pears, etc.)
Class 14:  Plate of 15 Berries, any kind
Class 15:  3 of any other Vegetable
Class 16:  Big Boy – Single largest vegetable or fruit by weight, any type
Class 17:  Best Scarecrow – must provide own support
Class 18:  Potato or Vegetable Diorama – make a scene out of potatoes and/or other fruits/vegetables. You may use whole or cut potatoes, fruits, and vegetables in your creation. You may use toothpicks, glue, or other connecting tools/substances to hold it all together. You may treat exposed cut food with lemon juice or citric  to inhibit browning, if you wish. It can be 3-dimensional or 2-dimensional, but it needs to hold together! 

Class 19:  Bountiful Harvest – A collection of flowers, fruits, vegetables and/or grains grown by the exhibitor and/or their family. Not to exceed 24”x24”. Display must be durable and hold together for judging! Note that it may need to be moved after judging by volunteers for visual display during fair week.

Division 13 – Field Crops

Class 1:  6 Stalks Hybrid Field Corn, cut at ground level, bound together for display
Class 2:  Bale Section of Alfalfa Hay
Class 3:  Bale Section of Grass or Timothy Hay
Class 4:  Bale Section of Mixed Legume-Grass Hay or Field Hay
Class 5:  Gallon of any Grain, Corn, or Soybeans (submit in a full gallon Ziploc-style bag)

Division 14 – Fiber (sheep, goat, CAMELID, or rabbit)

• Entries must note on a 3 x 5 index card short description of entry such as the type of fiber, processing method, the name of farm where fiber was grown/purchased (Town, State).
• Species of animal and when (date) the animal was sheared must also be noted on the same card.
• Class 2 fiber must be submitted in a full gallon Ziploc-style bag.

Class 1:  1 Skirted Fleece
Class 2:  Washed Fiber, combed or carded
Class 3:  Hand Spun Yarn by Exhibitor (note ply and type of yarn)

Home and Creative Arts

• Home and Creative Arts entries must be the original work of the exhibitor submitting the entry.

Division 15 – Clothing

• All clothing will be hung for display. The Showcase will provide all hangers.
• Entries must be hand or machine sewn by the exhibitor.
• Commercially made or store-bought items will be disqualified.

Class 1:  Blouse, Top, or Shirt
Class 2:  Dress
Class 3:  Pants, Shorts, or Skirt
Class 4:  Sleepwear
Class 5:  Accessory
Class 6:  Tote Bag or Purse
Class 7:  Any other Garment, not listed above

Division 16 – FIBER ArtS

• Please be sure there are no identifying marks that would allow the judges to discover the identity of the crafter. If an identifying mark exists within a piece, it must be covered by the exhibitor.

Class 1:  Quilt, hand stitched (pieced and quilted by the exhibitor)
Class 2:  Quilt, machine stitched (pieced and quilted by the exhibitor)
Class 3:  Quilt, machine pieced and hand quilted by the exhibitor
Class 4:  Any other quilted Item (hand or machine stitched)
Class 5:  Knitted Blanket
Class 6:  Knitted Clothing Item
Class 7:  Knitted Baby Set/Item
Class 8:  Crocheted Blanket/Afghan
Class 9:  Crocheted Clothing Item
Class 10:  Crocheted Baby Set/Item
Class 11:  Embroidered Item
Class 12:  Counted Cross Stitch Item, Large—12 inches or larger on any one side
Class 13:  Counted Cross Stitch Item, Small—less than 12 inches on longest side
Class 14:  Hooked or Punched Item
Class 15:  Crewel Picture
Class 16:  Needlepoint Picture, original design
Class 17:  Needlepoint Picture from kit

Class 18:  Woven Clothing Item 

Class 19:  Woven Other Item      

Division 17 – Crafts

Class 1:  Candle, molded or dipped
Class 2:  Wood item, pre-manufactured, decorated by exhibitor (carving, burning, painting, staining, etc.)
Class 3:  Wood item, made by the exhibitor, decorated or not
Class 4:  Ceramics, pre-manufactured, decorated
Class 5:  Pottery or Clay Item, handmade
Class 6:  Jewelry, handmade
Class 7:  Holiday Decoration, for any holiday (ornament, wreath, centerpiece, etc.)
Class 8:  Basket or Tray, hand woven
Class 9:  Item made from Felt (felt can be purchased or handmade)                                                                        Class 10: Needle or Wet-felted Item
Class 11: Model-Car, Truck, Plane, Rocket, or other made from kit
Class 12: Decorated Clothing Item
Class 13: Building Block Scene Creation. Make a scene out of LEGO’s, Kinect, Lincoln Logs or other building blocks material. Scene must be secured on any rigid board or on a LEGO baseboard; maximum size 15”x15”. A scene must be created using only Kinect or only Lincoln Logs, etc. Do not combine building block materials. Components of your scene may use kit items, but overall scene should be your own creation. No maximum height, but it must hold together for judging! Note that it may need to be moved after judging by volunteers for visual display during fair week.
Class 14:  Duct Tape Creation – any item or display made from Duct Tape (any color). Item may have an internal frame, if necessary, of other material as long as frame is completely covered by Duct Tape.
Class 15:  Tie-Dye item – any fabric-based item that has been Tie-Dyed by exhibitor. Exhibitor may Tie-Dye a pre-manufactured fabric item or may Tie-Dye a piece of fabric then create something from that fabric.

Class 16:  Any Other Craft Item              

Division 18 – Collections and Scrapbooks

Class 1:  Collection of Items (stamps, dolls, bottle caps, figurines, Funko Pops, natural items, etc.). Collection must be displayed or mounted and labeled; maximum size of 20”x20”.
Class 2:  Scrapbook, any theme, maximum size of 12”x12”.

Photography and Fine Arts

• Photography and Fine Arts entries must be the original work of the exhibitor submitting the entry.
• Please be sure there are no identifying marks that would allow the judges to discover the identity of the Exhibitor.  If an identifying mark exists within a piece, it must be covered by the exhibitor, except for Class 19 and 20.

Division 19 – Photography

• 5×7 sized photos ONLY.  Other sizes will not be accepted.
• Entries must be photographed by an amateur exhibitor.
• Do NOT frame photos.
• Photo mats may be used, but not required.
• Entry tags received during drop off must be taped from the back, centered and visible, at the bottom front of the photo.
• Entries not meeting these requirements may be disqualified.

Class 1:  Person(s), color
Class 2:  Animal(s), including insect(s), color
Class 3:  People/person and animal(s) combined, color
Class 4:  Flowers(s) or other plant(s), color
Class 5:  Scene or Landscape, color
Class 6:  Special Event or Holiday, color
Class 7:  Sequence, color (3-5 photos)
Class 8:  Person(s), black and white
Class 9:  Animal(s) including insect(s), black and white
Class 10:  People/person and animal(s) combined, black and white
Class 11:  Flower(s) or other plant(s), black and white
Class 12:  Scene or Landscape, black and white
Class 13:  Special Event or Holiday, black and white
Class 14:  Sequence, black and white (3-5 photos)
Class 15:  Loudoun County Fair scene, color
Class 16:  Loudoun County Fair scene, black and white
Class 17:  Local Heritage (include location/ID), color
Class 18:  Local Heritage (include location/ID), black and white
Class 19:  Selfies, with people, animals or landscapes, color
Class 20:  Selfies, with people, animals or landscapes, black and white

Class 21: Food-tography, color

Division 20 – Fine Art (Entries may be framed and/or mounted.)

• Entries may be framed and/or mounted but must be ready to hang or display on a tabletop easel.

Class 1:  Paint, oil
Class 2:  Paint, acrylic
Class 3:  Watercolor
Class 4:  Drawing – pastel, charcoal
Class 5:  Drawing – pencil, pen/ink, colored pencil
Class 6:  Sketchbook
Class 7:  Mixed Media
Class 8:  Digital Art

  Loudoun County 4-H Youth Members Only

• Entries submitted in this category must be created solely by the exhibitor submitting the entry.
• All educational posters must be a minimum size of 14”x 22” on poster board or display board material.
• There must be a title and combination of text and visual material on display. You may use one 3” x 5” index card taped to your entry if necessary.

Division 21 – Food Nutrition Display

Class 1:  Food Safety or Nutrition Poster/Display (healthy meal plan, food groups, food prep, etc.)
Class 2:  Table Setting on a tray depicting a healthy meal; include a sample menu not to exceed 4”x 6” in size.

Division 22 – Natural Science Exhibits

Class 1:  Collection of Natural Items, (insects, rocks, shells, leaves, flowers, etc.), displayed or mounted and identified by common or scientific name.
Class 2:  Poster, or other Display, on a natural subject (insects, wildlife, plant-life, ecosystems, or other natural science topic)
Class 3:  Handmade Bird Feeder, Bird House, Bat House, or Bee House/Habitat
Class 4:  4-H Animal Project related poster
Class 5:  4-H any other Project related poster
Class 6:  Science Fair project display

Division 23 – Safety

Class 1:  Home Safety Poster/Display
Class 2:  Vehicle Safety Poster/Display
Class 3:  Farm Safety Poster/Display
Class 4:  First Aid Kit for Home/Family (list each item in kit, quantity, and purpose of each item)
Class 5:  First Aid Kit for Farm/Livestock/Pets (list animal species, contents of kit, and purpose of each item)

Division 24 – Child Care

Class 1:  Handmade Toy, Doll, or Puppet
Class 2:  Handmade Children’s Book, Board Game or Puzzle

Division 25 – Project Books – Youth Only

Class 1:  Beef project book
Class 2:  Horse project book
Class 3:  Rabbit project book
Class 4:  Sheep project book
Class 5:  Swine project book
Class 6:  Goat project book
Class 7:  Alpaca and Llama project book
Class 8:  Poultry project book
Class 9:  Dairy project book
Class 10:  Any Other project book of the current project year

Division 26 – Club Scrapbooks

Division 27 – Cloverbuds

• Cloverbuds are considered non-competitive and will receive participation ribbons for their exhibits.
• Cloverbuds are only allowed to enter items in this Division and Classes.

Class 1:  Artwork by exhibitor 5-6 years of age, no larger than 14” x 22” (any type of artwork listed in Div. 20)
Class 2:  Artwork by exhibitor 7-8 years of age, no larger than 14” x 22” (any type of artwork listed in Div. 20)
Class 3:  Craft item made by exhibitor 5-6 years of age (any type of craft listed in Div. 17)
Class 4:  Craft item made by exhibitor 7-8 years of age (any type of craft listed in Div. 17)
Class 5:  4 Cookies of any type
Class 6:  Flower Specimen or Arrangement, any type
Class 7:  Table Setting Display (One place setting plus a decorative centerpiece, to be displayed on a tray.)
Class 8:  Scrapbook of any kind, not a Project Book
Class 9:  Garden Vegetable, any variety (see type and quantities listed under Garden Division 12)
Class 10:  Collection of items (natural or man-made), mounted/displayed and labeled
Class 11:  Cloverbud Project Book