San Diego County Fair Poultry Egg Competition 2026

The San Diego County Fair’s Poultry Egg Competition invites local and regional poultry enthusiasts to put their best eggs forward and shine! This juried contest celebrates excellence in egg production, offering participants the chance to win cash prizes and the rare opportunity to have their beautiful eggs admired by thousands of fairgoers.

Exhibition Timeline

Entry Deadline	Sunday, June 28, 2026, by 5 pm
In-Person Entry Delivery	Tuesday, June 30, 2026 1 pm – 6 pm
Judging	Tuesday, June 30, 2026
Fair Dates	Wednesday, June 10 – Sunday, July 5, 2026 (closed Mondays and Tuesdays)

Eligibility

All Divisions are open to residents of San Diego, Riverside, and Imperial Counties.

Adult Divisions: Adult commercial and backyard poultry enthusiasts. Ages 18 or older.
Youth Divisions: Young backyard poultry enthusiasts, aged 5-17.

CONTACT US

Farm 2 U Coordinator

San Diego County Fair Entry Office
2260 Jimmy Durante Blvd., Del Mar, CA 92014
Office (858) 792-4207 • Monday-Friday from 10am-4pm

2026 LOCAL RULES

Completion of online entry registration shall be deemed acceptance of all rules and permission to use your name, photograph, and images and description of entries in print, digital and other media.
Online registration is required for all competitions and one-day contests. Online entries and any required image/document uploads are accepted until the published deadline, which specifies a date and time. Late entries will not be accepted.
Once registered, the exhibitor name, entry description, title, and price may not be changed. Substitutions will only be allowed in accordance with current State Rules. Fair Management is not responsible for errors on entry forms which may lead to elimination or disqualification of an entry.
Processing fees must be paid online at the time of registration. Processing fees are non-refundable.
Exhibitors must be living at the time the online entry is submitted.
All non-livestock/non-agricultural entries must be the creative work of the exhibitor (whose name appears on the entry registration), be in good taste, and suitable for family viewing. Fair Management reserves the right to disqualify any entry/exhibit it deems objectionable or not in accordance with competition standards.
If an entry is disqualified after judging is complete, no changes will be made to the status of awards given for other entries.
Exhibitors are responsible for obtaining necessary permission from models and/or to use material in their entry that is considered copyrighted.
No entry will be accepted should the exhibitor describe the conditions under which he/she will exhibit, or the exhibit will be displayed.
Judges are selected for their expertise in the divisions or classes they evaluate. New judges may be appointed each year, and judging assignments may vary annually based on the needs of each competition
If a coordinator or judge deems an entry to be in the incorrect category, division, class, etc., he or she may direct the Entry Office to move that entry as appropriate. The Entry Office may combine divisions or classes to create an adequate judging pool.
Fair Management reserves the right to limit entries, and display thereof, to facilities available and to cancel any division or class in which, in its judgment, the entries are insufficient to secure adequate competition.
Entries must be delivered on the date(s) and times specified. Entries will not be accepted before or after the stated entry delivery date. All accepted exhibits must remain on display and shall not be removed until the stated entry pick up date. Any exhibit not picked up on the specified date becomes the property of the San Diego County Fair and will be disposed of promptly.
All exhibits are entered and shown at the owner’s risk. Reasonable care will be taken to prevent loss or damage to exhibits, but in no event will the 22nd District Agricultural Association (San Diego County Fair) be responsible for any injury or loss which may occur or for the actions of third parties. Insurance, if desired, should be obtained by the exhibitor at his/her own expense.
Any person who violates any Local, State, or Department rule or displays unethical conduct will forfeit all privileges and premiums and be subject to such penalty as the 22nd District Agricultural Association (San Diego County Fair) may order.
To ensure reliable award notification, exhibitors are responsible for submitting all address, phone number and email address updates promptly in writing to entry@sdfair.com or Entry Department, 2260 Jimmy Durante Blvd, Del Mar, CA 92014.
Premium money will be paid per the recorded placings in the official judging reports rather than the ribbon attached to the exhibit.
Donated Award recipients will be selected per the instructions given on the Donated Award Confirmation Form submitted by the donor.
Premium, donated cash award, and auction checks will be made payable to the exhibitor as listed on the online entry registration. Checks will be mailed within 30 days after the close of the Fair to the address shown on the online entry registration, or as updated by the exhibitor via written notification to the Entry Office. Checks not cashed within six (6) months from the date of issue will be forfeited. Replacement checks may be subject to a stop payment fee.
The 22nd District Agricultural Association (San Diego County Fair) is required by the Internal Revenue Service to report any premium payments totaling $600 or more. Exhibitors whose awards meet or exceed this amount must submit a W-9 form before their check can be issued.
The 22nd District Agricultural Association (San Diego County Fair) management reserves the right to amend or add to these rules and assumes no liability or responsibility not herein expressed.

California State Rules apply and are available here.

Entry Limit

Entering multiple Divisions and Classes is allowed. Multiple entries per Class are not allowed.

If multiple entries are submitted by the same exhibitor in the same Class, they will be disqualified.

The same item cannot be re-entered in subsequent competitions, neither under the original nor a different exhibitor's name.

Entry Fees

Adult: $10 per Entry

Youth: $7 per Entry

Entry fees are payable online with a credit card and are not refundable.

Fair Tickets

Each exhibitor will receive two (2) Fair Entry Tickets.

How to Enter

1. After reading all entry materials, click the “Enter Now” link below to go to the ShoWorks Entry Homepage.
2. Register as an Exhibitor (or Quick Group if entering for members of a club or guild and checking out with one cart).
3. Select the appropriate division and class and input the required information. (See “Divisions and Classes” below for a list of all divisions and classes.)
A. In the Description field, provide appropriate information, including the technique, so that the work can be identified if the entry tag becomes unattached. For example, “Orange Blossom Honey,” or “Honey & Rose Soap.” Character limit is 100 including spaces.
4. Review your entry before completing registration to ensure that you have entered the correct division and class for each entry.
5. Click the check-out button and pay for all entries.
6. Read the confirmation statement and type YES. Do not click multiple times, as it will charge you each time.
7. You will receive a confirmation email with a summary of your entry(ies).
If you plan to make changes to your entries or need to leave ShoWorks at any time, SAVE YOUR CART before exiting out.

For additional help with entering, review this detailed step-by-step guide:
Entry Tutorial
Still have questions? Please call or email the Entry Office.
Phone:

(858) 792-4207, Monday-Friday, 10 am-4 pm

No sales are allowed during the Fair. The San Diego County Fair has absolutely no involvement in the sale or purchase of any entry displayed.

Entry Display

After judging, entries will be displayed for 1 week in the Farm 2U Exhibit. Stickers of ribbons will be attached to the entry tags to identify the awards given.

There are no guarantees that an entry will be displayed. Entries will be discarded if breakage occurs. Fair staff is not responsible for any broken eggs.

Judging & Awards

Judging

Qualified judges are utilized to judge all culinary exhibits and special contests.

Egg entries will be evaluated using a standardized scorecard based on USDA exterior quality standards. While Danish judging is used for placings, judges will apply a 100-point scoring rubric to assess uniformity, cleanliness, shell quality, soundness, and overall appearance.

First, second, third place, and honorable mention(s) may be awarded in each class if judges so determine.

First-place winners will compete for “Division Winner.”

Those chosen for Division Winner will compete for “Best of Show.” Division winners will compete for Best of Show using the American Judging system.

1^st Place - Awarded in each class	$15 and ribbon
2^nd Place - Awarded in each class	$12 and ribbon
3^rd Place - Awarded in each class	$10 and ribbon
An Honorable Mention may be awarded at judges' discretion	Ribbon
Best of Show - Chosen from 1^st Place winners from each class	$30 and ribbon

Award checks will be available at entry pick-up. Checks not picked up will be mailed within 30 days.

This is a new contest. Special Awards will be given based on availability and the decisions of Fair Administration.

Disqualified Entries

If an entry is disqualified after judging is complete, the judge will not change the status of awards given for other entries.

Judges reserve the right to remove or disqualify any entry in violation of the rules, in poor taste, or not in accordance with the competition standards.

Disqualifications may include the following:

Entries incorrectly entered/identified.

Entries in incorrect containers.

Any cracked, broken, or leaking egg

Entries that fall into “non-gradable” as defined by USDA exterior quality standards

Reassignment of the Entry Division or Class

Judges and/or the program coordinator have the option of reassigning an entry to a more appropriate division or class or combining divisions or classes to create an adequate judging pool. Nevertheless, it is the responsibility of exhibitors to enter work in the appropriate class. Failure to enter the appropriate class may result in disqualification.

Entry Delivery & Pickup

Only entries completed within the entry timeline will be accepted. Please refer to the Exhibition Timeline for in-person dates. An email with in-person delivery instructions will be sent to the exhibitor prior to the delivery date.

Entries being submitted should be delivered to:

San Diego County Fair
Egg Competition

Farm 2U Exhibit

2260 Jimmy Durante Blvd
Del Mar, CA 92014

* The fair is not responsible for entries damaged during transit.

How to Prepare Your Entry For Delivery

All egg products must be from the exhibitor’s own flock
Entries must consist of one dozen (12) eggs of the same variety, size, and color.
Eggs must be exhibited in a clean, undamaged carton. Cartons with water damage, discoloration, or markings will not be accepted.
All eggs must be clean, uniform in size, shape, and color, and free of defects
Each exhibitor may enter one entry per class.

Divisions and Classes

Adult Department

Division 1301: Chicken Eggs

Entries must consist of one dozen (12) eggs of the same variety, size, and color. Eggs must be exhibited in a clean, undamaged carton. Cartons with water damage, discoloration, or markings will not be accepted. All eggs must be clean, uniform in size, shape, and color, and free of defects. Each exhibitor may enter one entry per class.

Class 001 Brown
Class 002 Blue/Green
Class 003 White
Class 004 Bantam

Division 1302: All Poultry Eggs

Entries must consist of one dozen (12) eggs of the same variety, size, and color. Eggs must be exhibited in a clean, undamaged carton. Cartons with water damage, discoloration, or markings will not be accepted. All eggs must be clean, uniform in size, shape, and color, and free of defects. Each exhibitor may enter one entry per class.

Class 001 Duck Eggs
Class 002 Turkey Eggs
Class 003 Quail Eggs

Youth Department