4-H County Events are one of the most engaging experiences in 4-H, an opportunity for 4-H members to demonstrate their knowledge, teach hands-on skills, and showcase what they’ve learned within their 4-H project or with their 4-H club. Whether it’s your first time participating or you’re returning to build on past success, every 4-H member has a chance to get involved and grow.

 

Demonstrations & Illustrated Talks: What You Need to Know

Demonstrations and illustrated talks should be entered in the category that best matches your 4-H project area. Choosing the right category is important, as entries that don’t align well may not advance to district or state competitions.

Key Rules and Guidelines

• Time Limits
  • Juniors & Intermediates: 3–12 minutes
  • Seniors: 5–12 minutes
• Team Presentations
  • Limited to two members
  • Both must be in the same age division
  • Both must actively participate in speaking and presenting
• Materials & Equipment
  • A computer, projector, and stand for posters will be provided.
  • Demonstrations and illustrated Talks allow for the use of visual aids.  More information on visual aids may be found here.
• Restrictions
  • No live animals (including insects or aquatic life), in person or on video
  • No hot plates or electric skillets
• Presentation Consistency
  • Your presentation should remain basically the same from county to district to state
  • Improvements are encouraged, but major changes are not allowed
  • Returning participants must show growth and added depth if presenting a similar topic
• Advancement
  • Junior, Intermediates, and Seniors receiving a blue ribbon on their 4-H demonstrations and illustrated talks are invited to compete at the district level.  Seniors receiving a blue ribbon on their 4-H demonstrations and illustrated talks are invited to compete at the state level.

How Demonstrations and Illustrated Talks Are Judged

4-H competitions combine two important evaluation approaches:

Standards of Excellence

Participants are scored using a rubric and earn a ribbon based on their score.  Familiarize yourself with the Demo -Illustrated Talk – Scoresheet,

• Blue (excellent)
• Red (good)
• White (needs improvement)

This helps members measure personal growth and set goals.

Peer Competition

Judges also rank participants to determine top placements. At higher levels, you must meet quality standards before being considered for top awards.

• Judges’ decisions are final
• Ties are broken by:
  1. Subject Matter score (50 points)
     1. Selection of subject
     2. One basic theme
     3. Accurate, Up-To-Date, Complete
     4. Degree of difficulty based on 4-Hers age and skill level
     5. Knowledge of subject
  2. Organization & Presentation (30 points)
     1. Clear Introduction, Body and Conclusion
     2. Visual Aids
     3. Logical Sequence
     4. Ability to Work Easily and Efficiently
  3. Overall Member performance (20 points)
     1. Appearance and Poise
     2. Voice and Grammar

 

Public Speaking Overview

The 4-H Public Speaking program helps members develop confidence, organization, and the ability to communicate ideas clearly.

Key Requirements

• Speeches must be original and clearly connected to 4-H
• Every speech must include a direct reference to 4-H
• Individual participation only (no teams)

Time Limits

• General Public Speaking
  • Juniors & Intermediates: 3–7 minutes
  • Seniors: 5–7 minutes
• Horse Public Speaking
  • Juniors & Intermediates: 3–7 minutes
  • Seniors: 8–10 minutes

 How Speeches Are Judged

Like 4-H Demonstrations/Illustrated Talks, speeches also combine two important evaluation approaches:

Standards of Excellence

Participants are scored using established criteria (scorecards), and earn a ribbon:

• Blue (excellent)
• Red (good)
• White (needs improvement)

This helps members measure personal growth and set goals.  Check out the Public Speaking – Scoresheet.

Peer Competition

Judges also rank participants to determine top placements. At higher levels, you must meet quality standards before being considered for top awards.

• Judges’ decisions are final
• Ties are broken by:
  1. Composition
     1. Choice of Material
     2. Related to 4-Her
     3. Accuracy
     4. Organization
     5. Use of Language
  2. Presentation
     1. Projection and Voice Control
     2. Eye Contact and Poise
     3. Appearance

Advancement

• Top county winners advance to district
• Senior winners with blue ribbons may advance to state
• Previous state first-place winners cannot compete again in that category

Participants may refine their speeches as they advance, but should not drastically change the content.

 

 

 

Share-the-Fun Talent and Variety Show

Share-the-Fun is all about discovering and developing your talents while building confidence and creativity.

Act Types

• Instrumental
• Vocal
• Dance
• Dramatic/Novelty (skits, puppetry, etc.)
• General (combination acts)

Guidelines

• Perform solo or in a group (max 5 participants)
• All participants must be in the same age division (Cloverbud: 5-7, Junior: 8-10, Intermediate: 11-13, Senior: 14-18, as of September 1)
• Time limit: 3–5 minutes
• Participants must provide their own props and equipment

Judging

Participants are judged against a rubric.  Take a look at the Share-the-Fun – Scoresheet. Youth are judged on talent, showmanship, and stage appearance.

The top performer in age categories Juniors, Intermediates, and Seniors advance from county to district.  The top Senior performer advances from district to state.

 

 

Fashion Revue

The Fashion Revue allows members to explore creativity through clothing design and construction.  Check out this document for more information.

• Personally Sewn Garments
• Cosplay (individual or group)
• Wearable Art
• Repurposed Clothing
• Needle Arts

Senior participants earning a blue ribbon at the county level may advance to state competition at 4-H University.

 

4-H County Events, Share the Fun, and Fashion Revue are more than just competitions.  They are opportunities to build life skills like communication, organization, and confidence. By understanding the guidelines, choosing the right category, and preparing thoughtfully, you set yourself up for success at every level.

No matter your experience level, there’s a place for you to learn, grow, and shine!