The 2026 Nebraska State Fair will be Friday, Aug. 28–Monday, Sept. 7 at Fonner Park in Grand Island. 4‑H events will be featured the first weekend. 4‑H members ages 8–18 (by Jan. 1 of the current year) are eligible to participate. Some exhibits, such as static exhibits and Fashion Show, must be selected by judges at a county fair. For a schedule of 4‑H activities at the State Fair and more, go to http://4h.unl.edu/state-fair.
STATIC EXHIBITS ARE SELECTED AT SUPER FAIR
4-H static exhibits must be selected by judges at county fairs to advance to the State Fair. Note: In most cases, level 1 projects are not eligible. At the Lancaster County Super Fair, a purple State Fair sticker will be placed on all exhibits selected for State Fair along with a general information sheet. After Super Fair, exhibitors will be mailed a detailed instruction sheet, including a listing of qualified exhibits and when to bring their qualifying exhibits to Nebraska Extension in Lancaster County conference rooms. Lancaster County 4‑H staff will transport all Lancaster County 4‑H static exhibits for State Fair to and from Grand Island.
ANIMAL ENTRIES DUE ONLINE BY AUG. 10
Livestock, rabbit and dog exhibitors are eligible to participate at the Nebraska State Fair regardless of county fair placing. To be eligible, livestock nominations and payment must have been completed by June 15. 4‑H & FFA youth or their families must submit their animal entries online by Monday, Aug. 10, 8 p.m. Select whether showing in 4‑H or FFA. Information and link to ShoWorks is at https://4h.unl.edu/state-fair-livestock-exhibitor.
CONTEST ENTRIES DUE ONLINE BY AUG. 10
Most of the 4‑H contests at the Nebraska State Fair do not require youth to participate or qualify at a county-level contest, including Culinary Challenge, Dog Skillathon, Dairy Judging, Weed & Grass Identification, Horticulture Judging, Tree Identification and Insect Identification. Be sure to review the eligibility requirements for each contest before entering. 4‑H youth or their families must submit their contest entries online via ShoWorks by Monday, Aug. 10, 8 p.m. Information and link to ShoWorks is at https://4h.unl.edu/state-fair-contest-participant. Note an exception: Fashion Show entries must qualify at a county-level contest, and Extension staff submits the entries.