The Judging Contest will consist of at least four classes at all AJSA Classics. A committee of official judges will place all classes, listen to oral reasons, and create one set of questions.

Performance data and scenarios will be used at the officials’ discretion. If used, it must be printed on handouts or clearly visible on display boards for all contestants.

Scantrons, judging cards, or other scoring systems may be used. Any class with no marking or with multiple markings will be given a score of zero.

Juniors

At Regional Classics, Juniors will give one set of reasons and answer one set of questions. At National Classic, Juniors will give one set of reasons and are required to complete one oral reasons element, using one of these options:

Option 1: Take part in an oral reasons workshop, worth a flat 30 points.

Option 2: Complete oral reasons, worth up to 50 points.

At National Classic, the Junior Division will have its own time slot for the judging contest. Contestants are allowed to receive assistance with marking cards, identifying animals, and keeping materials in order.

Seniors and Intermediates

New in 2026, the judging contest counts as a speaking event for Seniors and Intermediates, provided all sets of reasons are completed. At Regionals, Seniors will give two sets of reasons. At National Classic, Seniors will give three sets of reasons and Intermediates will give two. There are no questions for these age divisions.

Additional Rules

- Each class, including reasons and questions, is worth 50 points.

- Apparel identifying a contestant’s farm, ranch, or judging team affiliation is not allowed.

- Contestants are allowed up to 12 minutes to judge and place each class.

- No cell phones or smart devices are allowed in the contest area. No conferring between contestants or between contestants and parents/advisors is allowed. Violation of these rules may result in immediate disqualification.

- In all age divisions, ties will be broken on reasons scores first. For juniors, the second tiebreaker is questions score. Should a tie still exist, a final placing will be determined by a coin toss.