CFA Exhibiting Help & Education  

How are the ribbons awarded?

from CFA Website

Spectators at cat shows are often confused about the ribbons that are awarded by the judges. Here's a full explanation of how the ribbons are awarded in the Championship and Premiership classes. The procedure is the same for Kittens, except they are not awarded the Winners ribbon nor the Best Champion/Premier of Breed ribbon.

Once a kitten turns 8 months of age, it is considered to be an adult and begins its adult show career in the OPEN class in either the Championship or Premiership Classes. A judge will handle and evaluate all of the OPEN cats in a color grouping, first the males and then the females. He will award a First Place (Blue) ribbon in the Open class to one male and one female (also Second Place (Red) and Third Place (Yellow) ribbons depending upon the number of Open cats of that color). First place in the OPEN class is usually accompanied by a Winners Ribbon (Red/White/Blue).

FIRST SECOND THIRD WINNERS RIBBON

Once a cat has collected six Winners Ribbons, it becomes a CHAMPION. If in the Premiership Class, it will become a PREMIER.

After the judge has handled the OPEN cats, he judges the CHAMPIONS in that particular color group, and awards first, second and third ribbons to the best three males and the best three females. He then moves on to the GRAND CHAMPIONS and repeats the process.

When all the cats in a color group have been appraised, the judge awards Best of Color Class (Black) and Second Best of Color Class (White).

BEST OF COLOR CLASS 2nd BEST OF COLOR CLASS

Once the judge has evaluated all of the cats in a breed or color division within a breed, he will award the BEST OF BREED OR DIVISION (Brown) and SECOND BEST OF BREED OR DIVISION (Orange).

BEST OF BREED OR DIVISION 2nd BEST OF BREED OR DIVISION

The judge will also choose the BEST CHAMPION OF BREED OR DIVISION(Purple) from all of the Champions competing in that breed or division. The cat receiving the Best Champion ribbon will receive one point toward its Grand Championship title for each Champion it defeated in that breed. Cats with the title of Premier in the Premiership Class also are awarded this ribbon and the recipient will receive one point toward its Grand Premiership title for each Premier it defeated in that breed.

BEST CHAMPION/PREMIER OF BREED OR DIVISION

Upon completion of judging all of the cats in a class (i.e. Kittens, Championship or Premiership), the judge will hold a FINAL during which they will present rosettes to their choice for the Top Ten Cats or Kittens. Remember, tho, that each ring is basically an individual show so a cat that is chosen Best in Show by the judge in Ring 1, may not always be given the same award by the judge in Ring 2.

Example "Rosette" Ribbon given in a FINAL

ROSETTES are Much larger than shown 6-10 inches in diameter usually & with very long streamers. Each Cat Club provides their own Rosettes...whether hand made or machined.

Household Pets are judged in one group without regard to sex, age, coat length or color. There is no written standard for Household Pets and they are judged for their uniqueness. Each Household Pet reflecting good health and vitality receives a MERIT AWARD (Red/White).

MERIT AWARD

How do I mark these awards in the Show Catalog?

Awards such as first, second and third are recorded above the line simply by denoting 1, 2 or 3. If the cat is awarded no ribbon, a dash is simply put in the space. If a Winner's Ribbon is awarded, it will be awarded to the cat with the first ribbon and is recorded by a W beside the 1, i.e. 1W. Best of Color and Second Best of Color awards are recorded below the line, as B or 2B.
For example:

AA BB CC DD EE FF (these are example initials of the judges names)

SIAMESE

Class 270 - Chocolate Point Male

JAY'S JOHN BOY 178. _1W _2_ _3_ _-_ ___ ___
0270-0001698 3/4/97 CH B 2B
Jay's Johnson
Jay's Chocolate Lass
Br/Ow: Maggie Jones (6)
Merit Awards for Household Pets are recorded above the line as: MA