Showmanship will be divided into the following age classes:

• Pre-Junior: Ages 3-7
• Junior: Ages 8-11
• Intermediate: Ages 12-15
• Senior: Ages 16-21

The Herdsmanship competition will consist of daily evaluation of exhibitors in terms of maintenance of stall area (neatness, decorations, use of slogan/theme, etc.) as well as the exhibitors demonstrated cooperation with fellow exhibitors and adults as well as public relations skills and interactions.

The Team Fitting competition is designed to highlight youth's fitting abilities as well as their skills in teamwork and leadership.  

Team Fitting will be divided into the following age classes:

• Pre-Junior - only eligible to use glue (i.e. no paints, builder or clipping)
• Junior - no clipping
• Intermediate
• Senior

Participants will be randomly assigned in teams, according to age classes, prior to the event.  Pre-Junior teams will be assigned a mentor, but mentors are prohibited from physically working on the cattle.  

The Cattle Judging contest is designed to help youth learn how to evaluate beef cattle and orally support visual judgements on cattle information.  

Cattle Judging will be divided into the following age classes:

• Pre-Junior
• Junior
• Intermediate
• Senior

The Cattle Judging Coordinating Committee will select several classes of cattle, each consisting of 4 head, that will be available for evaluation and sorting by participants.  

The Photography contest is designed for youth to demonstrate his/her creative abilities and expression through photography.  

This contest is open for nationwide MHBA youth member participation, regardless of attendance at the MHBA/MHYF Miniature Hereford Junior Nationals®.

The Photography contest will be divided into the following age classes:

• Pre-Junior
• Junior
• Intermediate
• Senior

Photography contestants may submit a maximum of one photograph for each of the following categories:

• On the Farm/Ranch
• At the Show
• Making Memories   (related to the annual theme of the event)

All photographs must be taken by the exhibitor themselves, without the assistance from a parent, guardian, or other adult.  Contestant will be required to sign a Statement of Authenticity.  Photograph enhancements are allowed, provided that they are the original work of the contestant and clearly acknowledged or described in the photo submission.  Photographs must be submitted via email.  

All submitted photographs will be displayed at the Miniature Hereford Junior Nationals event and eligible for the "People's Choice" award (to be determined via votes collected at the event).

The Arts contest is unique in that it provides an opportunity for youth to demonstrate his/her creative abilities and self-expression through a number of different avenues.  

This contest is open for nationwide MHBA youth member participation, regardless of attendance at the MHBA/MHYF Miniature Hereford Junior Nationals®.

The Arts contest will be divided into the following age classes:

• Pre-Junior
• Junior
• Intermediate
• Senior

The Arts contestants may submit a maximum of one entry in each of the following categories:

• Traditional Media (painting, sculpture, etc.)
• Non-Traditional Media (metal, wood, etc.)
• Crafts (fabric, latch-hook, knitting, etc.)
• Written Expression (poetry, short story, etc.)
•  Digital Media (short film, animated GIFs, digital painting, etc.)
• Scrapbook - NEW for 2024 

The Arts contestant must create their submission without the assistance of an adult (with the exception of an adult safety-supervisor, as appropriate).  Art contestant submission must be age-appropriate and demonstrate youth abilities with the selected media (for example, a Pre-Junior submitting a welding project will generally not meet this expectation).

The Educational Display contest provides youth with an opportunity to create a static educational display to teach fellow youth members, exhibitors, Miniature Hereford breeders, the livestock industry and/or the general public about a specific topic of interest.  

This contest is open for nationwide MHBA youth member participation, regardless of attendance at the MHBA/MHYF Miniature Hereford Junior Nationals®.

The Educational Display contest will be divided into the following age classes:

• Junior
• Intermediate
• Senior

Each display will be scored on the following criteria: completeness, creativity, use of available space, accuracy of statements, and relatedness to Miniature Herefords and/or the beef cattle industry.  

The Educational Display contest submissions will be displayed at the MHBA/MHYF Miniature Hereford Junior Nationals event and will be eligible for the "People's Choice" award (to be determined via votes collected at the event).