How Are Ribbons Awarded?

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 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/CHAMPION cats in a color grouping, first the males and then the females. He will award a First Place(Blue) ribbon in the class to one male and one female (also Second Place(Red) and Third Place(Yellow) ribbons depending upon the number of cats of that color).

Ribbons First Second Third

Once an OPEN cat has competed in six Qualifying Rings, it becomes a CHAMPION, or if competing in the Premiership Class, it will become a PREMIER.

After the judge has handled the OPEN/CHAMPION cats, he then moves on to the GRAND CHAMPIONS and repeats the process, also awarding First, Second, and Third place for each male and female withing the color grouping.

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).

Ribbons Color Awards

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).

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

Ribbons Breed Awards

RosetteUpon 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, though, 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.

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).

Ribbon Household Pet Merit

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. Best of Color and Second Best of Color awards are recorded below the line, as B or 2B. Merit Awards for Household Pets are recorded above the line as MA. For example:

                                   AA   BB   CC   DD   EE   FF

                           SIAMESE
              Class 270 - Chocolate Point Male

JAY'S JOHN BOY                178. _1  _2_  _3_  _-_  ___  ___
0270-0001698  3/4/97          CH    B  2B                  
Jay's Johnson
Jay's Chocolate Lass 
Br/Ow: Maggie Jones (6)

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