2026 National Junior Angus Show – Louisville, KY

Helpful Information from NJAA:

NJAS Ownership Deadline: May 15 (process date, not sale date)

2025 NJAS Show Dates: July 11 – 18, 2026 (Kentucky Expo Center, Louisville, KY)

BQA Certified – All juniors competing at the National Junior Angus Show must be BQA or YQCA certified. Certificates can be uploaded to the AAA Login account.

NJAS Carcass Contest – Carcass exhibitors must be BQA/YQCA Certified, be present at the NJAS and participate in an educational workshop. The steers must also be halter broke.

NJAS Contest Sign Up – Contest sign-up will be directed to your Angus Login. Junior members must create a Login account to be able to sign up for all contests and submit any necessary documents for those contests. National Teams will be submitted by the TJAA Advisors.

See a complete list of all NJAS contest guidelines, scoresheets, and Quick Guides on the NJAA website. Topics for the respective contests can be found in the specific contest rules, or under the contest name on the NJAA website, contest page.

Junior Member Resources – Resources are available for Contest Quick Guides, How-To Videos, BEEF Academy and Stock Show University Tutorials on the NJAA/AAA website

NJAS Schedule –  A tentative schedule can be found on the NJAA website. 

NJAS Hotel – There is a room block at the Crowne Plaza, Lousiville, KY. Links to book are available on the NJAA website.

American Angus Foundation Scholarships– The Angus Foundation Undergrad and Graduate Scholarships are online! Apply for Angus Foundation scholarships here by May 1^st.

EID’s as Primary Identification -The American Angus Association will allow for EID’s to be accepted as a primary identification mark while checking in at the following shows: MAJAC, Eastern Regional, Western Regional, Atlantic National, All American Breeders Futurity, Northwest Regional, and National Junior Angus Show. If you have an EID listed as primary identification, we will read the EID number to verify the animal at check-in (similar to tattoo). See the full rule statement below:

Any animal, which does not have legible primary identification marks (ear tattoo marks, freeze-branded marks, hot branded marks, or electronic identification tag (EID)) corresponding to the primary identification on its registration certificate, upon checking in for the show is ineligible to show. Once disqualified due to an incorrect, illegible, or absence of a primary identification mark, animals cannot be identified and re-checked at the show.

We are working on adapting EID technology into our check-in process. We encourage breeders to register 2026 calves with EID as the primary form of identification.

2026 National Junior Angus Show Community Service – 2026 Penny Wars to support Colon Cancer Research. Each state association is encouraged to bring any loose change to NJAS. Five individual jars will be available to fill throughout the week. The jar featuring the individual with the most change by closing ceremonies will result in that person being pied in the face during the closing ceremony celebration.

**UPDATED and NEW NJAA RULES**

1. Age Eligibility Lowered

The NJAA age requirement is being lowered to 7 years old. The updated rule reads:

Exhibitors must be the ages of 7–21 as of January 1 of the current year, with birthdates ranging from January 1, 2005 through December 31, 2018, and must be a Junior, Regular, or Life Member of the American Angus Association. Junior membership shall be issued only to an individual and shall expire upon attainment of age 21. Participation is acceptable through the calendar year of the individual’s 21st birthday.

2. Ownership Rule Update

A new rule will allow multi-ownership of owned animals between siblings, provided all siblings meet NJAA age requirements and are listed as owners by the ownership deadline. The rule will read:

Owned animals can be multi-owned between siblings as long as all siblings own the animal by the ownership date and are within NJAA show rule ages (as of January 1).

The bred-and-owned animals can be multi-owned, but the exhibitor showman must be the breeder, first and continuous owner. Multi-owned bred and owned animals CANNOT be shown as a bred-and-owned animal and an owned animal at the same NJAA-sponsored show. Meaning one sibling CANNOT show the animal as a bred-and-owned animal and the another sibling show the animal as an owned animal in the same show. The animal can only show once in the heifer show and once in the Phenotype Genotype Show. It’s important to note that this applies to all NJAA shows but may not apply to state and local shows. You will want to be sure to read all the rules for state and local shows prior to entering.

Here are the most Frequently Asked Questions on the new rules:

How does multi-ownership with siblings work?

Multi-ownership of animals between siblings, provided all siblings meet NJAA age requirements and are listed as owners by the ownership deadline.

Owned animals can be multi-owned between siblings as long as all siblings own the animal by the ownership date and are within NJAA show NJAA show rule ages (as of January 1). For Bred and Owned animals, the exhibitor must still be the breeder, first owner, and continuous owner. Animals can have a maximum of 3 owners.

When do we need to decide who is showing the animal at the time of entering or at check in?

Exhibitors won’t need to “declare” which sibling is showing the animal until they go into the ring.

Can I show heifer in class and my sibling show it in the division?

Yes – we just ask that the exhibitor has the correct back tag in.

Can I enter the same animal in the Owned Heifer Show and the PGS show? Can a different sibling show it in each?

The same animal can be entered in the Owned Heifer show and the PGS Heifer show, and a different sibling may show it in either show as long as they are on the registration paper as of the ownership deadline and are within the NJAA show eligibility age range.

Can an animal be entered in both the Bred and Owned Show and Owned Show at the same event?

An animal can only be entered into one or the other. Bred and Owned rules still apply. The animal could be entered in the PGS show.

OWNERSHIP DATES – One of the biggest issues we see is junior animals not meeting ownership deadlines. All ownerships dates will be based on PROCESS DATE, which can be found at the bottom of the registration paper or animal look-up. This refers to the date that our office processes a transfer not SALE DATE.

1. To transfer an animal, the original registration paper with completed transfer information from the seller must be mailed in or if the registration paper is electronically stored, the transfer can be sent electronically. If you need to transfer the animal prior to the original registration being received by the American Angus Association, please call the Events and Junior Activities Department at 816-383-5100.
2. All animals need to be registered by or before the ownership deadline. For example, if the ownership date is May 1, 2026, the process date needs to be on or before May 1, 2026.
   1. This also applies to bred and owned animals. All bred and owned animals need to be registered by the ownership deadline.

3. Any animals that require DNA will need to CLEAR on or before the ownership date. This includes ET calves, so please plan accordingly.