4-H offers a variety of contests and competitions throughout the year. Whether your child is analytical or more creative, whether they enjoy team competition or prefer individual contests, and no matter what interests them, 4-H is sure to have an opportunity they would enjoy participating in!
For more information on any of the 4-H contests listed below, please call the Extension office (423-209-8560) or email HamiltonCounty4H. Also, be sure to sign up for the 4-H email newsletter which will keep you updated on all the Hamilton County 4-H happenings.
The 4-H Consumer Decision Making (CDM) Contest is a great contest for anyone who likes to shop!
- Youth learn decision making skills related to purchases
- Study meetings are held in August and September at the Extension Office
- In the contest, youth observe, compare, and make decisions based on facts collected and on a given scenario
- Contestants rank articles or products over others based on standards and quality
- Contest is held in September
Questions? Contact Extension Agent Maria Sabin (msabin@tennessee.edu) or call the Extension Office (423-209-8560).
Public speaking is a great skill to have and one that will help youth as they continue on to college, careers and beyond.
- 4-H Public Speaking Contest is open to all 4th-12th grade students
- Students compete against other students at the same grade level
- Contest takes place in the fall
Display Your artistic talents! Create a poster about 4-H on posterboard or on the computer and turn it in to the Extension Office in January to compete in this fun annual contest.
Hamilton County will submit the best entries to the Eastern Region competition for judging, and winning posters move on to the state competition. The state will select 10 winners which will be displayed at State 4-H Congress. Posters created on the computer must be emailed in PDF or PNG format to 4-H staff in January.
Additional information is available at the state 4-H website.
CONTEST RULES:
- Posters may be made by any 4-H club member in grades 4th-12th
- Posters must be horizontal only
- Posters on posterboard must be 14 x 22 inches
- Posters created on the computer must be emailed in PDF or PNG format to Hamilton County 4-H Staff
- Student’s name, address, county, email address, grade and age should be clearly written on the back of each poster or emailed in with digital entries
- 4-H (or some 4-H program or project) should be the topic for the poster
- Well known cartoon figures cannot be used because they are copyrighted (Peanuts, Spiderman, Darth Vader, Charlie Brown, etc.)
- 3D objects or materials which extend 1/8 inch or more above the surface of the poster may not be used
- The 4-H emblem (a 4-leaf clover containing the letter “H” on each leaf) should be used on the poster
- Do not place text or any other image on top of it
- Be sure the emblem is not crooked
- No photo, drawing, symbol, word or other figure or object may be placed on or obscure the 4-H emblem
- Find complete Art Poster Contest rules here
Demonstrations (4th-5th grade) and Interactive Exhibits (6th-8th grade) are a fun, hands-on approach to learning and teaching for students.
4th and 5th grade participants are asked to conduct an educational, hands-on, show and tell demonstration while 6th through 8th grade participants are asked to construct a display board related to a 4-H project.
Club contests are held in February or March, and the Hamilton County Contest is held in March or April.
2026 Extension Month Youth Photo Contest Winners:
by Sara Alexander (2026 People’s Choice)
by Alex Hanning
by Arlen Biktimirov
by Ivy Ham
by Ivy Ham
by Gavin Shetter
Contest Details:
- The Extension Month Photo Contest takes place each March
- The contest is open to all 4th through 12th grade youth in Hamilton County
- Contestants may submit one photo in any (or all) of six categories
- Photos are due by the March deadline posted in the February 4-H newsletter and must be submitted following contest guidelines
- Photos are judged by professional photographers
- The first-place winners in each category will be posted on the UT/TSU Extension Hamilton County public Facebook page for voting for the “People’s Choice” award
- Winning photos are framed and hung at the Extension Office on display for one year, then given to the winners
The 4-H Piggy Bank Pageant is a contest offered each spring as part of the Tennessee Save, Share and Spend Program which encourages youth in K-12th grade to set savings goals and strive to achieve those goals. Kids learn about saving money and set a savings goal for the month. They are then challenged to use their creativity to construct a piggy bank for the annual Hamilton County 4-H Piggy Bank Pageant Contest.
2026 Winning Piggy Banks:
Contest Details:
- Piggy banks should be no more than 12″ x 12″
- Turn in a photo of your piggy bank by the deadline (email it to HamiltonCounty4H@tennessee.edu) or bring your piggy bank to your March 4-H club meeting
- Contest rules are available in the February 4-H monthly email newsletter
- Winning banks will be entered in the UT Extension Piggy Bank Pageant contests
- There are two ways to win at the state level:
- Online voting for the “People’s Choice” Award is in April at https://voteforthepig.tennessee.edu/
- “Best of the Best” Award is given to the 1st, 2nd and 3rd place winners in each grade category and is determined by the UT Extension FCS Department in Knoxville
- Download 2026 Piggy Bank Pageant Guidelines for reference
The annual Dairy Poster Contest takes place in April and is sponsored by The Dairy Alliance. Students learn about the benefits of dairy products and create a poster (on posterboard or on the computer) to turn in to the Extension Office by the deadline noted in the March 4-H monthly email newsletter.
2026 State Winning Dairy Poster created by Rusalina B. (2026 theme was “Milk’s Got Game!”)
Contest Details:
- Posters created online must be saved as a jpg and emailed to HamiltonCounty4H@tennessee.edu
- Use 14″ x 22″ posterboard for a regular poster entry
- Posters must use the theme for the year, which varies each year and is selected by The Dairy Alliance
- All dairy posters (both on posterboard and digital) are due to the Extension Office by the April deadline published in the March 4-H email newsletter
- County winner will receive a t-shirt with the year’s theme
- State winners will receive $550 (1st place), $300 (2nd place) and $200 (3rd place)
- Winning posters will be in the possession of the Dairy Alliance for one year to use for display and promotional purposes and then will be returned to the students
What is the Tennessee State Flower? What is the study of living things? What do snakes smell with? What are the 4-H colors? What is the minimum age to obtain a Tennessee driver’s license? The town of Ross’s Landing changed its name in 1839 to what? How many feet are in a mile? How do honeybees communicate? If you can answer those types of questions then you may be ready to take on the educational challenge of the 4-H CLOVER BOWL!
Clover Bowl is 4-H’s very own jeopardy-style quiz game! The contest helps participants develop leadership, teamwork, and communication skills as they learn more about Tennessee History, government, agriculture, 4-H and more.
To compete on a Clover Bowl team, youth in grades 4th-8th who do not have an in-school 4-H club can contact Extension Agent Maria Sabin (msabin@tennessee.edu) or call the Extension Office (423-209-8560).
Contest Details:
- Fourth to eighth grade 4-H members from all over Hamilton County compete in teams of three or four students by grade level
- Participants are given the questions and answers to study for the school, county, and regional competitions
- Questions used in Clover Bowl contain content from curriculum and state standards from educational subject areas that are taught in Tennessee schools for the grade level of the team
- Find question lists by grade level online
- Question topic areas include:
- Tennessee (Geography, History, and Government)
- The 4-H Program
- Family & Consumer Sciences
- Agriculture and Natural Resources
- School and community group competitions are generally held throughout March
- The County competition is usually held in April
- Winners of the County competition by grade level advance to represent Hamilton County at the Regional Competition in Knoxville on the campus of UTK in May