Time to Enter for Sweet Ribbons at the Iowa State Fair

DES MOINES, IA (05/27/2025) (readMedia)-- Fair Sweet Fair would not be as sweet without blue ribbon competitions. Entries just opened, so now is the time to put your blue ribbon best to the test! Do you have a family recipe you have mastered, are you picking up a new hobby, did you catch the perfect photo, or have you started your backyard garden yet? You can find traditional competitions like livestock, quilting, and canning or new and innovative competitions such as Legos, gluten-free foods, miniature rooms and beer making, to name a few. The lineup is so diverse, you can be a beginner or an expert and find something to enter!

Get Ready to Compete at the Iowa State Fair!

Iowa Family Living

Show off your talents by entering baked goods, sewing projects, antiques, vegetables, flowers, crops, etc. Categories include:

• Ag & Horticulture Crops

• Apiary - Beekeeping*

• Creative Arts & Crafts

• Doll Houses

• Fabric & Threads

• Floriculture

• Food

• Heritage

• Oenology (Amateur Wine, Beer, Mead & Cider Making)

• Wood Projects

Iowa Family Living entry deadline: July 1

*Apiary entry deadline: July 15

Fine Art & Photography

Have an eye for beauty? Enter your original artwork or photography and let your creativity shine.

Fine Art entry deadline: June 13

Photography entry deadline: June 14-15

Livestock

Whether it moos, baaas, crows or oinks-there's a spot for it! Livestock categories include:

• Beef Cattle

• Boer Goats

• Dairy Cattle

• Dairy Goats

• Dogs*

• Llamas

• Poultry*

• Rabbits*

• Sheep

• Sheep Shearing*

• Stock Dog Trials*

• Swine

• Wool Show*

Open Class Livestock entry deadline: July 1

*Dog, Poultry, Rabbit, Sheep Shearing, Stock Dog Trials and Wool Show entry deadline: July 15

Horse & Pony

Saddle up for royal excitement with the Cowgirl Queen Contest! Plus, don't miss open class horse shows and the prestigious National Percheron and Clydesdale Shows in 2025.

Horse entry deadline: July 1

Cowgirl Queen entry deadline: July 15

More Fun

August may be hot, but the Iowa State Chili Cook-Off turns up the heat with bold flavors and fierce competition. Other exciting contests include:

• Iowa Commercial Wine (June 1 entry deadline)

• Iowa Quality Dairy Products (July 15 entry deadline)

• Iowa State Chili Cook Off Championship (August 1 entry deadline)

• Horseshoe Pitching (On-site registration)

• Youth Livestock Judging (On-site registration)

From food to florals, photos to farm animals-there's a competition for everyone at the Iowa State Fair! Some of the competitions have both adult and youth divisions so you can make it fun for the whole family.

Entering is Easy!

Just visit www.iowastatefair.org, choose your category and submit your entry by the listed deadline. Most entries are due by July 1, but some categories have different dates, so be sure to read the guidelines carefully for your specific entry.

For more information regarding entry deadlines, competitions or the online entry system, contact the Competitive Events Department at competitiveevents@iowastatefair.org or 515/262-3111 ext. 207.

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Frequently ranked as one of the top events in the country, the Iowa State Fair is the single largest event in the state of Iowa and one of the oldest and largest agricultural and industrial expositions in the country. Annually attracting more than a million people from all over the world, the Iowa State Fair located at East 30th and East University, just 10 minutes from downtown Des Moines, is Iowa's greatest celebration with a salute to the best in agriculture, industry, entertainment, and achievement. Fair Sweet Fair, August 7-17, 2025. For more information, visit www.iowastatefair.org.