Rules & Guidelines

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2026 OFFICIAL GUIDELINES

**Please note the highlighted sections, which denote new rules for the 2026 Swine Series.

Organization

The MYSS Facebook page and Showman MYSS Show Series will act as the official site for advertising, promotion, and communication. Any updates throughout the season will be posted on our Facebook page. The MYSS is not responsible for any missed information by exhibitors throughout the show season.

Ownership rules will be applied: ownership/possession of livestock must occur on or by May 15th.

Any grievances must be presented to a MYSS representative, within 24 hours of incident, in writing and accompanied by a $100 non-refundable fee.
- However, if grievance is approved fees will be refunded.

Sanctioned Shows

The show dates for the season must be verified by the MYSS Committee.
Shows must be paid for and sanctioned by April 15 to be included in the current year show season.
Shows must follow the guidelines set forth by the MYSS for record keeping and general fairness to the exhibitors. Electronic forms and documents will be provided to all sanctioned shows.
No two shows may have a sanctioned jackpot on the same day within 150 miles of each other, unless prior approval is made from both show hosts and all MYSS board members.
Shows included in the MYSS include BREEDING, MARKET, and SHOWMANSHIP.
All show hosts must verify via RFID wand and ear notches for the overall top 5 hogs.
A judge can only judge 1 sanctioned show on the circuit per year and must be approved by the MYSS committee.

A universal entry app called Showman will be used for all sanctioned MYSS shows.
Show hosts are required to enter all show results into the showman app within 24 hours after the completion of the show. Exhibitors must report any point discrepancies by Wednesday following the event.
Each show must follow the MYSS Official Guidelines. If rules are not followed by show managers, the show may be placed on a one-year probation period and may not be allowed to host a MYSS Sanctioned Show during that probation period. Each year, the MYSS committee reserves the right to deny any sanctioned show requests.

General Rules

All pigs must be owned by the exhibitor/family on or before May 15th of that show year. Family is defined as a brother(s) and sister(s) sharing the same parent.
Pigs must be shown by the exhibitor whose name the pig is entered in at a show. Failure to have an animal entered in the exhibitor’s name at a show will result in forfeiture of points for that animal at that show.
If a pig is shown by more than one family member during a season, the exhibitor with the most points for that animal will be counted towards awards at the end of the season and the points accumulated by other family member(s) will not be counted.
All shows must follow the following guidelines.
- Breeding & Market shows count toward points.
- Purebreds born November 1st and after will be eligible to show for the entirety of the show circuit.
- Purebred papers are required for purebred barrows and gilts from their respective breed association as well as meet all breed characteristics: www.nationalswine.com/rulesandregulations/barrowclassguide.html

and/or www.cpsswine.com

Mandatory classes must be offered for the following breeds for the entirety of the show season regardless of number of pigs in each breed at each sanctioned show: Berkshire, Chester White, Duroc, Hampshire, Hereford, Landrace, Poland China, Spotted, Tamworth, Yorkshire, Light Cross and Dark Cross. Both Market and Breeding classes must be offered, and Champion and Reserve Champion must be chosen by the judge.
The crossbred division will be divided into Light and Dark cross divisions. The Champion Light and Champion Dark will compete in the Champion Overall drive with the purebreds. Same for the Reserve Light and Dark Cross.
- DARK CROSS – To classify as a dark cross, the animal must have black pigment & hair in the same location. Examples: Black belted, White hog with black spots, Calico with black spots, White hog with a black head.
- LIGHT CROSS – To classify as a light cross, the animal must have white and non-black pigment. Examples: Red Belts, Red Roans, Blues & Blue Butts (including blues with black pigment on snout and toes). If you question if your pig qualifies as a light cross, ask a MYSS Board Member.
Any pig that is re-classified during the show season will retain points earned before re-classification. However, from that point forward, said pig will only gain points in its new classification.
Gilts have the option to show Market or Breeding. The same gilt may NOT be shown in both market and breeding divisions at the same show.
Purebred Gilts must be shown by age on their registration paper.
Crossbred Breeding Gilts must be shown by weight with a maximum weight of 350 lbs.
Market animals must be shown by weight with a maximum weight of 300 lbs.
Males must be castrated.
Exhibitors will declare the weight at which they would like to show their pig and a mandatory weigh back of the first 2 placing pigs in class will be enforced. The weigh-back will be 10 pounds.
- Shows have the option to opt out of weigh-back for any classes where there is only one class of that breed.
Classes should be split as evenly as possible to help facilitate equity in series points, with no minimum number of head per breed is required to form a class.
All shows will have a top 5 overall in the market and breeding shows.
- The top 4 hogs from each breed are eligible for the top 5 overall.
- One purebred needs to be included in the top 5 overall.
- All top 5 pigs for both the Market Division and Breeding Division are guaranteed a minimum of a banner. Additional awards for the top 5 will be determined by the show manager.
- All top 5 hogs will be checked for correct ear notch and RFID scanned.
Show order will be as follows:
- Showmanship (oldest to youngest)
  - Showmanship ages are as follows (as of Jan 1):
    - 8 and under as Novice
    - 9-12 as Junior
    - 13-16 as Intermediate
    - 17-21 as Senior
- Breeding Gilts (starting with pures alphabetically, followed by light cross, then dark cross (lightest to heaviest).

Market Animals (starting with pures alphabetically, followed by light cross then dark cross (lightest to heaviest).

Non-members and out of state youth may still show at sanctioned shows however they may not accumulate points.
Hogs must have correct ear notches and EID tag numbers entered at each show.
- If the EID tag is broken/lost, a written email must be sent before hog can be show. It will be a requirement to provide an explanation along with pictures sent to minnesotayouthswineseries@gmail.com, in which we will review and document.

Membership

A $30 membership fee will be assessed to become a member of the MYSS.
- Membership benefits include: 1 T-Shirt (if membership paid for by April 24th) and the eligibility for points awards.
In order to collect points for 2026, youth must be a paid member prior to the first show.

A member’s points will NOT count if they have someone helping them in the show ring.

Must be a full-time legal Minnesota resident (must be willing to provide Minnesota identification card or parent’s proof of Minnesota residency upon request).

To be eligible for the MYSS Junior board, the exhibitor must be a paid member of the MYSS.

Points

Only the points from an exhibitor’s top two placing pigs over the entirety of the show season at half the amount of shows plus 1 show and overall showmanship points earned will count toward an individual's overall point total.

Points will be kept as follows: (members can accumulate points from all shows; however, overall awards will be based on points earned from the member’s top two pigs at half plus 1 the number of shows, round down.
- Example: 17 shows / 2 = 8.5 shows (round down, 8 +1= 9).
- If two or more shows take place at the same time, only one show will be counted towards the total number of eligible series shows.
- Points may be counted from both shows in a double header format as long as there are no other single day shows held the same day. If a double header is held on the same day as a single sanctioned show, only points from a member's highest placing show will count towards accumulation.
In order to be eligible for awards, the exhibitor and pig must show at 4 MYSS sanctioned shows during the season.
The top five placings in each class: max class size 10, min class size 5 (if enough entries) recommend class size 7-8
- 1st = 10 x times the amount of head in a class max of 5 head
- 2nd = 9 x times the amount of head in a class max of 5 head
- 3rd = 8 x times the amount of head in a class max of 5 head
- 4th = 7 x times the amount of head in a class max of 5 head
- 5th = 6 x times the amount of head in a class max of 5 head
- 6th & below 5 points each
- Examples
  - 5 head or over in a class: 1st = 50 points
  - 4 head in a class: 1st = 40 points
  - 3 head in a class: 1st = 30 points
  - 2 head in a class: 1st = 20 points
  - 1 head in a class: 1st = 10 points
Breed winners:
- Champions = additional 10 points
- Reserves = additional 7 points
- Breed winners coming from a class of 5 or more will receive 60 points.
- Reserve breed winners coming from a class of 5 or more pigs will receive 57 points.
Overall winners:
- Overall top 5 winners will receive points regardless of how the pig placed in their respective breed and class and regardless of their class size. Overall points are not to be combined with other points accumulated for that pig for that show and are the maximum points to be received in one show by one pig. The maximum overall points per show are as listed below:
  - Grand = 100 points
  - Reserve Grand = 90 points
  - Third = 75 points
  - Fourth = 70 points
  - Fifth = 65 points
- Example:
  - Class 24 winner, Champion Crossbred, and Reserve Grand Barrow will receive 90 points total for the show.
  - Class 19 winner (4 pigs present in class), Champion Yorkshire (one class of Yorks), and does not place in top 5 will receive 50 points total for the show.
  - Class 2 winner (only 3 pigs in class), Champion Chester, and 5th overall will receive 65 points total for the show.
Showmanship Classes:
- The following points will be used to determine Champion, Reserve, Third, Fourth, and Fifth Overall in each age division.
- Exhibitors must show their own pig to qualify for showmanship points.
  - 1st = 30 points
  - 2nd =27 points
  - 3rd = 24 points
  - 4th = 21 points
  - 5th = 18 points
  - 6th and lower = 15 points
Members are required to show (exhibit and showmanship) their own pigs to earn points. **Exception only if the exhibitor has more than one animal in a class.

The substitute showman must be 21 years old or younger.

Members must show their pigs alone (1 pig, 1 showman) to receive points.

Members that choose to participate in showmanship must exhibit their pig in a respective breed class to collect points.

Pigs must be fed by the MYSS member or an immediate family member in Minnesota to receive points and must be owned on or before May 15th.

Failure to follow these rules will result in loss of points for the show on that day.

Tiebreakers: in the instance of ties, points will be accumulated from an additional show(s) until the tie is broken.

Awards

Will be given out at the Year End Grand Finale following the conclusion of the show season.
Points will be accumulated from all sanctioned shows; however overall awards will be based on points earned from the member’s top two pigs at half plus 1 the number of shows.
Categories for awards:
- Showmanship – Champion and Reserve for each division is guaranteed.
  Four divisions based on age Jan. 1 of show year.
  - Novice 8 and under
  - Junior 9-12
  - Intermediate 13-16
  - Senior 17-21
- Overall Exhibitors
  - The Top 10 Overall Exhibitors
  - High-Point Market Animal & Breeding Gilt
  - Reserve High-Point Market Animal & Breeding Gilt
- Top two Market Animals & Breeding Gilts by breed will be awarded to the exhibitor of the pigs.
- Berkshire, Chester White, Duroc, Hampshire, Hereford, Landrace, Poland China, Spotted, Tamworth, Yorkshire, Light Cross and Dark Cross.
Awards may go deeper depending on sponsorship and numbers.

CODE OF CONDUCT-REMOVAL CLAUSE

Any exhibitor (or family member) who engages in disruptive, abusive, unsafe, or unsportsmanlike behavior- including verbal harassment, threats, cheating, or repeated rule violations – may be immediately removed from the series at the discretion of the MYSS board members. Removal may include disqualification from the event and suspension from future events.