2022 OPEN LIONHEAD OF THE YEAR

No club or association shall hold a North American Lionhead Rabbit Club (NALRC) Sweepstakes show unless their show is sanctioned by NALRC by written permission. Please refer to the official NALRC Sanction Rules for details.

To qualify for NALRC sweepstakes points, the exhibitor must be a member of NALRC, or join before the judging starts. If an individual applies for membership and is accepted, their points will begin on the effective date of their membership and run for the length of the paid membership until expired.

A member’s name and address as listed on the show entry must match the NALRC membership record. If individual members are showing as a team the show entry address must always match the team member that has been designated as the team address.

Members may not use a rabbitry name for their show entry. If two or more exhibitors show together, all must be members of the NALRC prior to the beginning of judging to qualify for sweepstakes points.

Memberships will be classified as adult or youth. A youth membership conforms to the ARBA requirements for youth. Youth Option 1, competing in Youth Sweepstakes: A youth may show in an open or youth show. All points earned will count toward the youth sweepstakes. If a youth chooses to show as an individual in open and youth divisions at the same time ARBA sanctioned show, only the youth points will count. A youth must show in the open class immediately upon turning 19, but the club sweepstakes points will continue to be counted in the youth category by the NALRC until the end of that points season (Dec 31). Youth Option 2, competing in Open Sweepstakes: Youth, who desire to compete in Open Sweepstakes, require written notification to the Sweepstakes Chairman by January 1 of the sweepstakes year and have received a confirmation of their intent from the Sweepstakes Chairman. All shows must be an open show - no youth shows will count including ARBA convention and NALRC National show. Youth may NOT compete in both open and youth sweepstakes in the same year. 

The sweepstakes year will run from January 1 through December 31. All reports must be received by March 1st in order to be considered valid for the previous sweepstakes year. Any reports received after March 1st will not be included in the sweepstakes calculations for the previous year. Sweepstakes awards to be given at the NALRC National show the following Spring.

Sweepstakes points shall be accumulated by members in good standing. All NALRC sanctioned shows except the ARBA Convention and NALRC National Show will be awarded sweepstakes points as follows: 

Bonus Points: 

Best in Show (BIS) –1 times the total number entered in an all-breed show with a maximum of 1500 points per points per show. No Best in Show points are awarded for a Lionhead Specialty Show. 

Reserve in Show (RIS) – .5 times the total number entered in an all-breed show with a maximum of 750 points per show.  No Best Reserve in Show points are awarded for a Lionhead Specialty Show. 

Best of Breed (BOB) – 2 times the number in the breed 

Best Opposite Sex of Breed (BOS) – 1 times the number in the breed Class Points: 

Class Points:

First Place – 6 times the number in the class 

Second Place – 4 times the number in the class 

Third Place – 3 times the number in the class 

Fourth Place – 2 times the number in the class 

Fifth Place – 1 times the number in the class

At the ARBA Convention and the NALRC National Show, sweepstakes points will be awarded as follows to all members in good standing: 

Bonus Points: 

Best in Show (BIS) 

– The total number entered in the ARBA Convention with a maximum of 3000 points. No Best in Show points are awarded for the NALRC National Show. 

Best of Breed (BOB) 

- 2 times the number in the breed 

Best Opposite Sex of Breed (BOS) 

– 1 times the number in the breed 

Class Points: 

First Place – 10 times the number in the class 

Second Place – 9 times the number in the class 

Third Place – 8 times the number in the class 

Fourth Place – 7 times the number in the class 

Fifth Place – 6 times the number in the class 

Sixth Place – 5 times the number in the class 

Seventh Place – 4 times the number in the class 

Eighth Place – 3 times the number in the class 

Ninth Place – 2 times the number in the class 

Tenth Place – 1 times the number in the class

Quality Points will be awarded at all NALRC sanctioned shows, except the ARBA Convention and the NALRC National show as follows: 

Best of Breed (BOB) – 2 points 

Best Opposite Sex of Breed (BOS) – 1 point 

At the ARBA Convention and the NALRC National Show, Quality Points will be awarded as follows: 

Best of Breed (BOB) – 4 points 

Best Opposite Sex of Breed (BOS) – 2 points  

In order to receive Quality Point credit, there must have been at least 5 rabbits shown with 3 different exhibitors in the winning category, earning the rabbit an ARBA leg of Grand Champion certificate.

NALRC Lionhead of the Year points shall be accumulated by members in good standing as follows: 

Best in Show (BIS) – The total number entered in the ARBA Convention with a maximum of 3000 points. The total number entered in an allbreed show with a maximum of 1500 points per points per show. No Best in Show points are awarded for the NALRC National Show. 

Reserve in Show (RIS) – 2 times the number in the breed. 

Best 4 Class (B4C) – 2 times the number in the breed. 

Best of Breed (BOB) – 2 times the number in the breed plus the class points the rabbit earned 

Best Opposite Sex of Breed (BOS) – 1 time the number in the breed plus the class points the rabbit earned. 

In order to receive Lionhead of the year point credit, there must have been at least 5 rabbits shown with 3 different exhibitors in the winning category, earning the rabbit an ARBA leg of Grand Champion Certificate. In addition to sweepstakes points earned, the top ten Lionhead of the Year rabbits must earn a minimum of 3 BOB or BOS wins, receiving an ARBA leg of Grand Champion certificate for each win during the sweepstakes year.

Herdsman of the Year points shall be accumulated by members in good standing as follows: 

Best of Breed (BOB) – 1 point 

Best Opposite Sex of Breed (BOS) – 1 point 

In order to receive a Herdsman point credit, the BOB or BOS win must have received an ARBA leg of Grand Champion certificate for the win. 

Once a rabbit has earned one (1) point in this competition for a given exhibitor, that rabbit cannot earn additional points toward Herdsman of the Year for that exhibitor.  The same rabbit may earn (1) point in this competition for subsequent owners in a given year.  No additional Herdsman points are given for the ARBA Convention or the NALRC National show. 

No Fur/Wool class sweepstakes at this time.

Best Display is given only at the ARBA Convention and the NALRC National Show. 

Display awards will be calculated by the number of rabbits a member has placed in the top ten(10) positions of each class. The numerical value of the placement points without the multiplier shall be used to calculate the points. In the case of a tie, the breeder with the highest placements will receive the Best Display award. 

First Place - 12 points 

Second Place - 10 points 

Third Place - 9 points 

Fourth Place - 8 points 

Fifth Place - 7 points 

Sixth Place - 6 points 

Seventh Place - 5 points 

Eighth Place - 4 points 

Ninth Place - 3 points 

Tenth Place - 2 points

Awards will be given at the NALRC National show following the end of the sweepstakes year. An exhibitor must be a member of the NALRC in good standing on December 31 of the sweepstakes year to qualify for awards.

Awards will be given in the following categories: 

Sweepstakes First – Tenth in the nation; First – Fifth in each district (minimum of 150 points)

Quality Points, First – Tenth in the nation; First – Fifth in each district (minimum of 3 points); (First – Third district awards to be roughly equivalent to sixth – tenth in the nation if exhibitor has not qualified for a first – tenth nationally. If Fourth and Fifth place awards within a district fall within the first 25 nationally, they also will receive an award roughly equivalent to sixth – tenth in the nation.), 

Lionhead of the Year, First – Tenth in the nation 

Herdsman of the Year First – Tenth in the nation 

(First Place Awards for Lionhead of the Year and Herdsman of the Year shall be equivalent.).

Charter Breeder Program: A breeder (open or youth) is eligible for Charter Breeder recognition if they complete at least one of the following in any given year, for three out of four consecutive years: 1) earning 16 quality points, or 2) placing in the top ten in national sweepstakes. Once a youth is a Charter Breeder, then as an adult they are still considered a Charter Breeder. Membership and points will be calculated the same as in the NALRC Sweepstakes Program. At the end of the points season, the Sweepstakes Chairperson will determine the individuals who have met the requirements for this award. The Sweepstakes Chairperson, who will be the active chairperson of the Charter Breeder program, will keep records and determine the completion of an individual's accomplishments and achievements of the program. Upon completion of eligibility, the Sweepstakes Chairperson will award a Charter Breeder Patch. All Charter Breeders will be recognized by year earned and listed in the Mane Musings by alphabetical order. A personal Charter Breeder number will not be issued.

Master Breeder Program: A breeder must first complete the Charter Breeder Program before starting on the Master Breeder Program. A breeder (open or youth) is eligible for the Master Breeder recognition if they can earn 16 quality points and 3000 sweepstakes points for five (5) out of seven (7) years. Membership and points will be calculated the same as in the NALRC Sweepstakes Program. At the end of the points season, the Sweepstakes Chairperson will determine the individuals that have obtained at least 16 quality points and 3000 points open and youth. The Sweepstakes Chairperson, who will be the active chairperson of the Master Breeder Program, will keep records and determine if an individual has completed first the Charter Breeder Program and determine when the individual has accomplishment and achievement of the Master Breeder Program. Upon completion of eligibility, the Sweepstakes Chairperson will award a Master Breeder Patch. All Master Breeders will be recognized by year earned and listed in the Mane Musings by alphabetical order.

Should two or more individuals show as a team, and that team dissolves for any reason, each member shall then begin a new point total as an individual. Points previously earned on a team basis are not included in the new total. This applies to all award categories. Members who show as a team and enter animals under individual names shall have points calculated as two separate exhibitors. Points earned under the individual name may not be combined with team points. Members who show as a team but who reside indifferent districts may only compete for sweepstakes awards within one district. The district designation shall be determined according to the address used on the team’s show entry form.