County fairs and 4-H clubs have been partners ever since 4-H clubs were started over 100 years ago, everyone knows about rural 4-H members bringing their hens, pigs, and calfs to the fair. But did you know that 4-H members can bring a wide variety of exhibits to show off their skills in fine arts, fiber arts, writing, photography, STEM work, horticulture, prepared foods of all kinds, and much more? In fact, there are so many possibilities, looking over the categories and trying to figure out what to enter can be confusing and even a little overwhelming, so this post is going to try and walk you through the process.
What can 4-H members enter into the Alameda County Fair? And how?
In short, the process is as follows:
- Find which category your exhibit falls under using the appropriate PDF: https://annual.alamedacountyfair.com/competitions/
- Use the online registration form to make an account for your family (or group) and enter the exhibits: https://alamed.fairwire.com/
Feel free to email the fair entry coordinator at entries@alamedacountyfair.com or call 925-426-7611 to leave a message. For more details and information, scroll down the page past the Deadlines
Important Dates and Deadlines:
Registration deadline for most entries: Wednesday, May 15th @ 5:00 p.m.
Please note: registration and delivery for Table Setting entries and any food entries have different deadlines! Please see this page for the complete calendar:
Each exhibitor who submits an image or entry for judging will receive an e-ticket (one per exhibitor regardless of the number of entries) good for one admission to the 2024 Alameda County Fair. Tickets will be sent to the e-mail on file prior to the opening date of the fair. Tickets are good for any day the Fair is open.
For Questions, please contact:
entries@alamedacountyfair.com
or call 925-426-7611 to leave a message
Click here to enter: https://alamed.fairwire.com/
All of the deadlines
May 15th, 5 pm – online registration of entries must be completed (not the physical delivery)
May 17, 5 pm: Image Upload Deadline for Creative Writing, Photography,
& Virtually Displayed Painting & Drawing entries (won’t be bringing a physical entry to the fair – all virtual). Again, you must register by May 15th, but you have two more days to upload the files.
Thursday, May 23, by Appt. Only: deliver physical entries for Crafts, Fine Arts, & Textiles to the fair (we usually go into the Red Gate and park near the Livestock building, but there will be signs)
Friday, May 24, 12:00-8:00 p.m: deliver physical entries for Crafts, Fine Arts, & Textiles to the fair (we usually go into the Red Gate and park near the Livestock building, but there will be signs).
Saturday, May 25, 9:00 am – 3:00 pm: deliver physical entries for Crafts, Fine Arts, & Textiles to the fair (we usually go into the Red Gate and park near the Livestock building, but there will be signs).
Tuesday, July 9th: Release of All Entries from 12:00-8:00 p.m. This is generally the only day to pick up your entries, but you can have someone else pick them up if they have the exhibit slips.
More details and information
To be considered a 4-H entry, it has to be related to a 4-H project that the member is currently enrolled in, but if the member didn’t plan ahead, they can also enter it as a regular entry and plan for next year. Your parent can check on ZSuite to make sure your projects are listed under your name, or you can email Kris or Noelle to doublecheck for you before you register and enter.
There are also numerous contests (a lot with baking and food), so take a look through those as well. The PDF is better organized than in previous years, but don’t hesitate to ask for help if needed:
https://annual.alamedacountyfair.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/2024-Youth-Still-Exhibits-Entry-Guide.pdf
The hard part is to decide which category your entry fits in, but once you do, you use the numbers of that category and the age groups to register your entry online (see below).
There is a separate PDF for plant/gardening entries (see this page: https://annual.alamedacountyfair.com/competitions/), I am not too sure when that will be released. This is the PDF for the 2022 Fair:
https://annual.alamedacountyfair.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/Complete-Youth-Gardening-Entry-Guide.pdf
The dates will be wrong of course, but you can take a look and then email them at entries@alamedacountyfair.com or call 925-426-7611 to leave a message.