Currently, Nebraska State Fair 4‑H and FFA divisions use the Danish Award System for livestock and static exhibits. They are exploring using the American System or a blend of the American and Danish Systems as options for livestock in 2026. They are seeking feedback on both ribbon systems as they value input from those involved in State Fair for 4‑H and FFA.
The Danish Ribbon Award System
The Danish System is a method to evaluate a participant’s project relative to the standards developed for that class or contest. This system is not used to evaluate participants against other participants or other items. The Danish system highlights areas of success and topics that may need improvement to encourage youth to challenge themselves, set goals and receive constructive criticism. All participants receive a ribbon based on the quality of their exhibit: purple for superior, blue for excellent, red for good and white for fair.
The Danish system highlights areas of success and topics that may need improvement to encourage youth to challenge themselves, set goals and receive constructive criticism.
The American Ribbon Award System
The American Ribbon System is a method to evaluate an exhibitor’s project by recognizing comparative differences within a class or contest and rewarding those that are of higher quality or talent. Exhibitors can set goals and feel like they have the ability to achieve a higher level of achievement within a class, rather than being within a group that all gets rewarded the same reward within the set standard. Participants are given ranked ribbons based on the quality of exhibits in a particular class, i.e. 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and so on. The number of ranked ribbons awarded is usually based on the number of entries in a class. For example, a large class with many entries may be awarded 1st–20th place ribbons and a small class with fewer entries may only be awarded 1st–5th place ribbons.
The American Ribbon System recognizes more separation, promotes competition, teaches youth to set goals and rewards that effort.
Learn more about the Danish and American Ribbon Award Systems and provide feedback regarding the pros and cons of each system, with regards to the development of 4‑H youth, at https://4h.unl.edu/news/seeking-feedback-4-h-ribbon-system.