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Junior Competition

Junior Competition

Junior Showmanship at the 2016 AKC National Championship in Orlando, FL.
David Woo ©American Kennel Club

The December 2022 AKC National Championship will be held in Orlando, FL, on December 17-18, 2022 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 22, 2021 and September 21, 2022. 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 2021 – June 2022 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 22, 2021. Transcripts or home school information received AFTER October 21, 2022, 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.
  • 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 2022 judges for Junior Showmanship are Marianne “Tuni” Conti and Margaret Peat (Preliminaries) and Mrs. Linda Clark 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