Shows & Fairs: 4-H

Practice skills, demonstrate what you've learned, and have fun with 4-H shows.

Interested in joining 4-H in our counties? Find more information

All-Unit Events and Certifications:

• Public Presentations Contest - complete for 2026
• Dog Show - June 17 - Watch your county's 4-H Updates for details.
• IL 4-H Animal Science certifications
  • Quality Assurance and Ethics Certification (QAEC)
    • This is for first-time youth showing horses, rabbits, poultry, dogs, and cats. The remaining species are all covered in the YQCA program. The QAEC training can now be accessed in the Clover Academy section of the ZSuite Enrollment System. ZSuite can be accessed at 4h.zsuite.org/. Families can access directions for completing the course at go.illinois.edu/TakeQAEC.
    • Deadline: May 1 of first show year for Kane and Kendall, May 15 for DuPage.
  • Youth for the Quality Care of Animals (YQCA)
    • Members enrolled in dairy and beef cattle, swine, sheep, and goats must take this certification annually.
    • Deadline: May 1 of first show year for Kane and Kendall, May 15 for DuPage.
  • Livestock Ownership Deadlines
  • IDOA 2026 Exhibitation Livestock Health Requirements (State)
  • IDOA 2026 Exhibitation Livestock Health Requirements (County)

DuPage County:

• 2026 DuPage 4-H Fairbook
• DuPage 4-H Fair Entry - deadline June 15
• General DuPage County Fair website

Kane County:

• 2026 Kane 4-H Fairbook
• Kane 4-H Fair Entry  - deadline June 15
• General Kane County Fair website
• Kane 4-H show forms:
  • Kane Garment Description form (pdf) - due general project judging day
  • Kane Poultry Cage request form
  • Kane Swine Nomination form (fillable Word doc | pdf) - due June 15
  • Dairy lease guidelines and agreement - cow/yearling due April 1 | calf due June 1
  • Horse project and lease forms - due May 1 (Coggins due in FairEntry June 15)
  • Dog lease - due June 1

Kendall County:

• 2026 Kendall 4-H Fairbook
• Kendall 4-H Fair Entry
  • General Project Deadline: June 25
  • Livestock Deadline: July 1
• Animal and livestock forms:
  • Animal count online form
  • Dairy lease guidelines and agreement
  • Horse project and lease forms
  • Rabbit health certificate
  • Swine nomination online form
  • Youth health/medical form (if needed)
  • Livestock Auction Committee Scholarship (2026)
• General Kendall County Fair website

Additional Helpful Links for all Counties:

• 4-H Conference Judging Tutorial
• 4-H exhibit rules and scoresheets by projects - scroll to find specific project categories
• IL 4-H State Fair information
• IL 4-H Animal Sciences
• General Illinois State Fair website

Return to your County page: DUPAGE   KANE   KENDALL