Trophies and Awards
So what exactly are we competing for? The joke is that you pay $20 for an entry fee, $20 for gas, $60 for a motel room, and $3 for parking, all to try to win a ribbon that costs about 50 cents to make.
Beyond the pride of winning, there may also be some modest rewards. A variety of trophies and awards may be offered at shows. These prizes and who is offering them must be clearly stated in the premium list and show catalogue. Alcoholic beverages are forbidden by the AKC, but money may be awarded if the fixed amount is clearly stated beforehand.
Wins like Best in Show or first place in a Variety Group are always rewarded. Usually the prize isn't extremely elaborate or expensive. Something along the lines of a tea set, pewter platter, director's chair, or the like is common. Lacey's Best in Show got her an award of $100. For second through fourth places in a Variety Group, a special show catalogue is frequently given.
At an all-breed show, awards in breed competition may be given by the club or club members who have those breeds. Prizes are usually given out for Best of Breed, Best of Winners, Best of Opposite Sex, Winners Dog and/or Winners Bitch. These are frequently breed-related items like notepads, cards, medallions, dog toys, and the like. Some clubs are do better at this than others. Our own kennel club has members who are quite generous about prizes and my lovely bride and I offer awards for winners in Borzoi and Whippets.
Prizes may be sponsored by vendors as well. We have several towels from Ralston Purina and Pedigree that Lacey won in Breed competition. Several years ago at the big Astro World Series of Dog Shows (now the Reliant Series) in Houston, Pedigree offered a coupon good for one case of canned dog food to each exhibitor. My lovely bride and I were both stewarding that day and we kept all the coupons for the absentees. We didn't have to buy canned dog food for two years.
At the breed-competition level, awards are not given in the ring. Along with the ribbon, the judge will hand the winning dog a card, which the exhibitor then takes to a trophy table to pick up the award. The judging program will state that awards have to be picked up on the day they're given; no club wants to be put to the time, trouble, and expense of mailing awards. Awards offered but not won are usually recycled for the next show.
Specialty clubs, either holding a stand-alone show or one that's part of an all-breed show, awards may also be given for Best Puppy or Best Bred-by-Exhibitor. The larger specialty clubs may also have challenge trophies, where the trophy is retired if won the the same owner and/or breeder three times, not necessarily in succession and not necessarily with the same dog. These are often quite handsome bronzes.
No one ever goes to a show with the hope of winning an award, but they're nice to get and give the fancy the impression that clubs or club members care about their breeds and their guests.
Posted by Greg Hlatky at December 15, 2002 10:29 AM