The December 2023 AKC National Championship will be held in Orlando, FL, on December 16-17, 2023 at Orlando’s Orange County Convention Center.
Eligibility to enter the event is based on the Junior’s accomplishments in the show ring and in the classroom.
The requirements are:
- Juniors must have 5 first place wins in an Open Class, with competition present. Wins must be earned between September 21, 2022 and September 20, 2023. Juniors must be under 18 years of age at the time of the wins. Age on the day of the show has no bearing.
- Juniors must have a grade point average of at least 3.0 or equivalent for the September 2022 – June 2023 school year. GPA must be verified by an official school transcript or home school information sent in and received by AKC prior to the entry form being sent to the Junior.
- Juniors MUST remain in “amateur” status up until the event. (see Junior Regulations Chapter 1, Section 2 Amateur Status. Please submit official transcripts or home school information no later than October 20, 2023. Transcripts or home school information received AFTER October 20, 2023, WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED. Transcripts may be sent as soon as the current semester ends. It is the Junior’s responsibility to ensure that AKC has received all necessary documentation. Please send to: AKC, 8051 Arco Corporate Dr, Suite 100, Raleigh, NC 27617-3390 Attn: Juniors.
- Email to: juniors@akc.org or Fax to 919-816-3770
- Dogs must conform to eligibility requirements as described in Conformation Junior Showmanship Regulations.
- A signed parental permission form must be returned to the address listed above.
All Juniors entered will compete in Preliminary classes, in which a specified number of Juniors will be selected by the judges to compete in Finals. Placements are not made in the preliminary classes.
The December 2023 judges for Junior Showmanship are Kasey O’Brien and Jennie Hynes (Preliminaries) and Dr. Adam King will judge the Best Junior Finals.
For questions regarding Junior Showmanship at the AKC National Championship, email Juniors@akc.org.
For questions regarding the AKC National Championship, email Invitational@akc.org