Competition
4-H & FFA Competition
The Palo Alto County Fair features 4-H static exhibits and 4-H & FFA livestock exhibits. Information about entries is provided in the 4-H & FFA Fairbook.
Fair Queen
Candidates for Palo Alto County Fair Queen must at least 16 years old and an active 4-H or FFA member who has exhibited at the Palo Alto County Fair.
The application form is available online here. The application may be submitted on a separate sheet as long as all of the requested information is provided. Please feel free to add additional pages to the application as needed. Each judge will get a photocopy of your application, so special paper is not necessary.
The queen selection process will include an interview with the judges prior to the fair. The exact time, date and location of the interviews will be announced after all application forms are received due to the potential for conflicts with the fair schedule. You will be notified of the time and location of the interview.
The crowning of the 2026 Palo Alto County Fair Queen will take place at the fairgrounds. New, this year the crown will be passed to the 2026 queen on Saturday July 18th at a kick off BBQ to celebrate start of our fair!
If you have any questions, please feel free to contact our queen coordinator Allyson Mathisen- allysonladd@gmail.com
Open Class
Superintendent
Paulina Chavez
2. Entrant does not have to be a resident of Palo Alto County.
3. Entries are limited to 8 per exhibitor with only one entry per lot.
4. Recipe must be included with each entry. The Palo Alto County Fair reserves the right to keep the recipe of winning entries.
5. Baked goods are to be placed on heavy cardboard or heavy paper plate and put in a plastic food storage bag. Anything not in a plastic bag will not be accepted.
6. Any article that becomes unsightly during the fair will be discarded.
7. All possible care will be taken to protect exhibits. The Palo Alto County Fair will not be responsible for loss or damage to exhibits or property of exhibitors.
8. Judging will be based upon appearance, texture, crumb, aroma and taste. Judges will decide which ribbons, if any, are to be awarded. Decision of the judge is final.
9. No exhibitor will be allowed in area during judging.
10. There is no fee to enter.
11. Premiums will be awarded as follows: blue ribbon $2.00, red ribbon $1.50, white ribbon $1.00.
12. Entry forms can be downloaded at www.paloaltocountyfair.com or are available at the Palo Alto County Extension Office. The superintendent and volunteers are available to help with any questions at time of entry. Having your entry form started is greatly appreciated.
Class 1 – YEAST BREADS Adult Division, age 18 & over
Lot 1 – White Bread
Lot 2 – Whole Wheat Bread
Lot 3 – Rye Bread
Lot 4 – Dinner Rolls – 4
Lot 5 – Cinnamon Rolls – 4
Lot 6 – Caramel Rolls – 4
Lot 7 – Other sweet roll – 4
Lot 8 – Bread Machine loaf
Lot 9 – Other Yeast Bread
Class 2 – QUICK BREADS – NON-YEAST
Lot 1 – Baking powder biscuits – 4
Lot 2 – Cornbread
Lot 3 – Banana Bread
Lot 4 – Zucchini Bread
Lot 5 – Pumpkin Bread
Lot 6 – Muffins – 4
Lot 7 – Coffee Cake
Lot 8 – Other quick bread
Class 3 – COOKIES - Unfrosted
6 cookies/bars on a plate
Lot 1 – Chocolate Chip
Lot 2 - Oatmeal
Lot 3 – Peanut Butter
Lot 4 – Sugar
Lot 5 – Spritz
Lot 6 – No-bake Cookies
Lot 7 – Brownies
Lot 8 – Bars
Lot 9 – Other cookie
Class 4 – CAKES - unfrosted
8x8 or 9x9 or bundt/tube cakes
Lot 1 – Angel Food Cake
Lot 2 – Bundt Cake
Lot 3 – Chocolate Cake
Lot 4 – White Cake
Lot 5 – Other Cake
Class 5 – YEAST BREADS Youth Division – Under age 18
Lot 1 – White Bread
Lot 2 – Whole Wheat Bread
Lot 3 – Rye Bread
Lot 4 – Dinner Rolls – 4
Lot 5 – Cinnamon Rolls – 4
Lot 6 – Caramel Rolls – 4
Lot 7 – Other sweet roll – 4
Lot 8 – Bread Machine loaf
Lot 9 – Other Yeast Bread
Class 6 – QUICK BREADS – NON-YEAST
Lot 1 – Baking powder biscuits – 4
Lot 2 – Cornbread
Lot 3 – Banana Bread
Lot 4 – Zucchini Bread
Lot 5 – Pumpkin Bread
Lot 6 – Muffins – 4
Lot 7 – Coffee Cake
Lot 8 – Other quick bread
Class 7 – COOKIES - Unfrosted
6 cookies/bars on a plate
Lot 1 – Chocolate Chip
Lot 2 - Oatmeal
Lot 3 – Peanut Butter
Lot 4 – Sugar
Lot 5 – Spritz
Lot 6 – No-bake Cookies
Lot 7 – Brownies
Lot 8 – Bars
Lot 9 – Other cookie
Class 8 – CAKES - unfrosted
8x8 or 9x9 or bundt/tube cakes
Lot 1 – Angel Food Cake
Lot 2 – Bundt Cake
Lot 3 – Chocolate Cake
Lot 4 – White Cake
Lot 5 – Other Cake
Superintendent
Malorie Girres Frerk
(712) 209-3540
maloriegirresphotography@gmail.com
- Entries are open to anyone whose exhibit represents a recreational hobby and is not used as a means of livelihood. Entrant does not have to be a resident of Palo Alto County.
- Photographic print must have been taken by the contestant since the 2023 Palo Alto Country Fair. Entries should be made in the name of the person who took the picture.
- Entries are limited to 6 photos per exhibitor with only one photo being allowed in each lot. Exhibitors will also be allowed to enter 1 photo per Challenge class, for a total of 8 photos.
- Please label your photo with your name and address on the back of each photo.
- No names or dates (computer or hand written) should appear on the front of the photo.
- The photo itself must be at least 5x7 inches. Photos may be cropped to improve the composition, but must still be at least 5x7 inches. Maximum size including the mat cannot exceed 12x16 inches. All photos must be mounted or matted for stability. Framed photos are not allowed. Any photo not following these size requirements will be disqualified. ** Please note special rules and sizes on the Challenge Classes.
- Photo may be processed commercially or printed at home by computer printers. However, any imperfections of home prints such as banding or color problems will seriously degrade quality. Entrant is responsible for size, cropping, color balance, contrast, texture, and design of mounting/matting.
- There is no fee to enter.
- Entry forms can be downloaded at paloaltocountyfair.com or are available at the Palo Alto County Extension Office. The superintendent and volunteers are available to help with any questions at time of entry. Having your entry form started is greatly appreciated.
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Entry Times: Monday, July 14th 6:00pm - 8:00pm and Tuesday, July 15th 10:00 am - noon. Judging will take place on Tuesday afternoon. Please specify on entry form and entry tag whether Adult (age 18 and over) or Youth (under 18 years of age).
Each exhibitor will be responsible for their entries at the close of the show. No ribbons, entries or premiums will be mailed to the exhibitor. Entries not picked up at the designated times will forfeit premiums.
Entries are released at 5:30 pm Sunday, July 20th. Entries must be picked up Sunday, July 20th 5:30 - 8:00 pm or Monday, July 21st 9:00 - 11:00 am. Each exhibitor will be responsible for their entries at the close of the show. No ribbons, entries, or premiums will be mailed to the exhibitor. Entries not picked up at the designated times will forfeit premiums.
- Special ribbons will be awarded. At the judge's discretion, there may be an Overall Champion and Reserve Champion as well as up to 4 "Best in Show" in each the youth and adult classes.
- The Palo Alto County Fair reserves the right to use any entered photo for promotional purposes. The Palo Alto County Fair also reserves the right to see the negative or file of any questionable photo.
Lot Descriptions
Lot 1 – People – Studio/outdoor Portraiture, candids, close-up depicting some activity, expressions.
Note: The person(s) must be the point of interest.
Lot 2 – Scenic – Natural landscapes, cityscapes, farm scenes
Lot 3 – Building/Architecture – Focus on interesting shapes, leading lines, interesting angles and perspectives.
Lot 4 – Nature – Seasons, wildflowers, plants
Note: The hand of man must not be seen in any way; the only exceptions is ring bands on animals.
Lot 5 – Animals – Wildlife, Pet, Farm
Note: The animal or pet must be the point of interest with secondary emphasis on the setting.
Adult Division (age 18 and over)
| Class 1 – COLOR PHOTOGRAPH | ||||
| Blue | Red | White | ||
| Lot 1 | People | 2.00 | 1.50 | 1.00 |
| Lot 2 | Scenic | 2.00 | 1.50 | 1.00 |
| Lot 3 | Building/Architecture | 2.00 | 1.50 | 1.00 |
| Lot 4 | Nature | 2.00 | 1.50 | 1.00 |
| Lot 5 | Animals | 2.00 | 1.50 | 1.00 |
| Class 2 – BLACK AND WHITE PHOTOGRAPH | ||||
| Blue | Red | White | ||
| Lot 1 | People | 2.00 | 1.50 | 1.00 |
| Lot 2 | Scenic | 2.00 | 1.50 | 1.00 |
| Lot 3 | Building/Architecture | 2.00 | 1.50 | 1.00 |
| Lot 4 | Nature | 2.00 | 1.50 | 1.00 |
| Lot 5 | Animals | 2.00 | 1.50 | 1.00 |
Youth Division (under 18 years of age)
| Class 3 – COLOR PHOTOGRAPH | ||||
| Blue | Red | White | ||
| Lot 1 | People | 2.00 | 1.50 | 1.00 |
| Lot 2 | Scenic | 2.00 | 1.50 | 1.00 |
| Lot 3 | Building/Architecture | 2.00 | 1.50 | 1.00 |
| Lot 4 | Nature | 2.00 | 1.50 | 1.00 |
| Lot 5 | Animals | 2.00 | 1.50 | 1.00 |
| Class 4 – BLACK AND WHITE PHOTOGRAPH | ||||
| Blue | Red | White | ||
| Lot 1 | People | 2.00 | 1.50 | 1.00 |
| Lot 2 | Scenic | 2.00 | 1.50 | 1.00 |
| Lot 3 | Building/Architecture | 2.00 | 1.50 | 1.00 |
| Lot 4 | Nature | 2.00 | 1.50 | 1.00 |
| Lot 5 | Animals | 2.00 | 1.50 | 1.00 |
‘Beautiful Iowa’
Challenge Class
CLASS 5 – Life in rural Iowa (Adult)
CLASS 6 – Life in rural Iowa (Youth)
The theme for the 2025 'Beautiful Iowa' class will be "hometown pride".
Photographs must be identified by the specific location in Iowa where the photo was taken (i.e. Emmetsburg, Iowa). The location must be written on the entry tag and on the back of the photo.
Farmers Mutual Insurance, Emmetsburg, is proud to be the sponsor of this class.
1st, 2nd, and 3rd places in the adult division will receive $50, $25 and $10 cash awards respectively.
1st, 2nd, and 3rd places in the youth division will receive $50, $25 and $10 cash awards respectively.
RULES:
1. Only the top three photographs in each division will receive a ribbon and cash award.
2. All photographs in this Challenge class MUST BE EXACTLY 8x10 inches in size. Any photo not following this size requirement will be disqualified. (Never assume, always measure!)
3. All photographs in this Challenge class must be flush mounted on foam core board. (This means these photos will have NO type of mat or border on them.)
4. Photos may be either color, black and white, or computer manipulated.
5. An exhibitor may enter only one photograph in this Challenge class.
6. All other general rules in the photography department also apply to this division.
7. This sponsor reserves the right to put the winning photos on display in their business for period of time after the fair.
‘Conservation Iowa’
Challenge Class
CLASS 7 – “Nature Shots" (Adult)
CLASS 8 – “Nature Shots" (Youth)
The theme for the 2025 ‘Conservation Iowa’ class will be “county, state, or national parks"
Photographs must be identified by the specific location in Iowa where the photo was taken (i.e. Emmetsburg, Iowa). The location must be written on the entry tag and on the back of the photo.
Palo Alto County Soil & Water Conservation District is proud to be the sponsor of this class.
1st, 2nd, and 3rd places in the adult division will receive $50, $25 and $10 cash awards respectively.
1st, 2nd, and 3rd places in the youth division will receive $50, $25 and $10 cash awards respectively.
RULES:
1. Only the top three photographs in each division will receive a ribbon and cash award.
2. All photographs in this Challenge class MUST BE EXACTLY 8x10 inches in size. Any photo not following this size requirement will be disqualified. (Never assume, always measure!)
3. All photographs in this Challenge class must be flush mounted on foam core board. (This means these photos will have NO type of mat or border on them.)
4. Photos may be either color, black and white, or computer manipulated.
5. An exhibitor may enter only one photograph in this Challenge class.
6. All other general rules in the photography department also apply to this division.
7. This sponsor reserves the right to put the winning photos on display in their business for a period of time after the fair.