Nebraska 4-H

Premier Animal Science Event

June 17-18, 2025

Youth showing sheep PASE

Contests (2024)

Livestock Judging Contest

The Livestock contest has three divisions: junior, intermediate, and senior. Within each division, a county may enter a maximum of 8 individual youth who will potentially constitute a final team score. The top 3 overall individual scores from those youth will count for team awards. Each county can have an unlimited amount of youth judge as individuals. All individuals, regardless of final ranking, are eligible for individual awards. Youth are only eligible to compete on a team in their primary county or in combination with an adjacent county. Multi-County teams are considered to be affiliated with those particular counties and will count against the maximum number of teams that may be entered by any given county. If a county does not have enough youth to complete a team, youth may enter to compete as individuals. Every effort should be made to keep counties separate if possible.

A junior division contestant is age 8 to 10 as of January 1 of the current year. An intermediate division contestant is age 11 to 13 as of January 1 of the current year. A Senior division contestant is 14 years of age or older before January 1 of the current year. If a unit does not have a minimum of 4 senior members who are 14 years or older, they may designate a member of the team who typically would be in the intermediate division. This individual will have scores only counted for the Senior Division and will not be eligible for any individual and/or team awards in the Intermediate Division. If a Senior Division team has one or more members who are under 14 years of age, that team will be ineligible to qualify for National competition. Eligible Senior teams must meet all the qualifications established by the Regional and National contests.

Components

10 Placing Classes: Classes can consist of any combination of breeding and/or market classes within beef, swine, sheep, and goat species. Performance data (EPD’s and/or actual data) may be provided on breeding livestock classes along with production scenarios. 

Reasons/Questions: Senior contestants will give reasons for 4 classes and answer questions in 2 classes. Intermediates will give reasons in 3 classes and answer questions in 2 classes. Juniors will give reasons in 1 class and answer questions in 2 classes. Questions will be asked in a group format after the completion of all placing classes. 

Judges are required to furnish their own notepads and pencils. Prepared judging aids are not allowed. No contestant is allowed to hold any card or paper that will assist in giving oral reasons before officials, except a card bearing the contestants placing in the class. If such a card is used it will result in a deduction in score.

Awards

Junior Individual Awards

  • 1st place: gold medal, ribbon, certificate
  • 2nd place: silver medal, ribbon, certificate
  • 3rd place: bronze medal, ribbon, certificate
  • 4th – 5th place: ribbon, certificate
  • 6th – 10th place: ribbon

Intermediate Individual Awards

  • 1st place: gold medal, ribbon, certificate
  • 2nd place: silver medal, ribbon, certificate
  • 3rd place: bronze medal, ribbon, certificate
  • 4th – 5th place: ribbon, certificate
  • 6th – 10th place: ribbon

Senior Individual Awards

  • 1st place: scholarship, gold medal, ribbon, certificate
  • 2nd place: silver medal, ribbon, certificate
  • 3rd place: bronze medal, ribbon, certificate
  • 4th – 5th place: ribbon, certificate
  • 6th – 10th place: ribbon

Junior, Intermediate and Senior Team Awards

  • 1st and 2nd place: medal, ribbon, certificate (one per top 3 member)
  • 3rd- 5th place: ribbon, certificate (one per top 3 member)

Scholarships

The top placing Senior Livestock Judging individual will receive a $500 scholarship from the College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources. To use the scholarship, 4-H members must be enrolled in the College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources in their freshman year or a transfer student to UNL. The top placing Senior Livestock Judging individual will receive an additional $500 scholarship from the Animal Science Department. To use the scholarship, 4-H members must be enrolled in the College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources and declare an Animal Science major in the first semester of their freshman year or a transfer student at UNL. Youth cannot be awarded more than one CASNR & Animal Science Department scholarship for participation in PASE.

National Representation

Eligibility for the national competition is limited to participants in the senior division. All team members competing in the national contest must meet age requirements dictated above. All team members on a national team roster must have competed in the Livestock Judging contest at PASE. Choices of these contests will be determined in order of their placing in the state contest.

1st Place Senior Team - Choice of the following national livestock judging contests:
 

  • National 4-H Livestock Judging Contest (Louisville, KY)
  • American Royal 4-H Livestock Judging Contest (Kansas City, MO)
  • National Western Roundup (Denver/Fort Collins, CO)

2nd and 3rd place Senior Teams will have the choice of the remaining trips in their respective finishing order. For example: If the 1st place team chooses to attend the National Western Roundup the 2nd place team will have the choice between the National 4-H Contest or the American Royal 4-H Contest. The 3rd place team would then have the option of attending the contest not chosen by the 2nd place team.

The opportunity to attend either the National 4-H Contest in Louisville, The American Royal, or the National Western Roundup contests will be extended only as far as the 5th place team, if declined by higher placing teams. Under this format, it is possible for Nebraska to not have representation at one or more of these national competitions.

Participation in the National 4-H Contest in Louisville, KY will prohibit team members from competing at the State 4-H Livestock Judging Contest for team awards and other national contest trips in future years, providing they are still eligible for competition based on age. However, they will still be eligible to compete and receive individual awards. Participation in the American Royal Livestock Judging Contest or National Western Roundup will not deem a team and its individual members ineligible for team awards in future years. Additionally, teams that have chosen to attend either the American Royal Livestock Judging Contest or National Western Roundup in previous years will not be allowed to return to the same national competition in future years, per the rules put forth by those respective contests.

In the event that a county declines a trip, the next highest ranking eligible team will be offered the trip. However, a team must rank no lower than 5th overall in the State contest to be offered a national trip.

Determination of qualifying individuals for a national livestock judging event are the responsibility of a county unit. All individuals competing at PASE on the 8-person team are eligible to attend a national event. Most national events have a maximum of 4 team members allowed. Parents, volunteers, and youth should be made aware of a county’s criteria and expectations to qualify for a national event prior to PASE. Final decisions on individuals that will represent a county at a national livestock judging event will rest with a 3 person committee made up of the 4-H Educator, the team coach and the 4-H Council President. If any individual shares more than one of these roles, the Vice President of the Council will serve as the third person. Recommended criteria include: 1) attendance at practices prior to PASE and ability to commit to practices leading up to the national contest, 2) participation and/or placings in additional contests and 3) the placings at the PASE livestock judging contest.

Program Contact

For questions about this program or the information on this page, please contact: