All participants of the competition and seminar attendees must be MTG members.
All entries must be completed by competitor unassisted.
No freeze-dried entries (exceptions: turkey heads, antlers in velvet).
Ribbons will be awarded as follows: 1st Place: 90-100 2nd Place: 80-89 3rd Place: 70-79
Any mount entered cannot have been in previous MTG competitions.
All necessary permits must accompany protected species.
Distasteful entries will not be allowed. Competition committee’s decision will be final.
Mounts must be completed at time of entry. This means completely dry.
All glass cases must be removed prior to judging.
The young of a species will not be judged as a mature adult but by size. Coyote orsmaller will be small mammal. Larger than coyote will be large mammal. If there is aquestion on size it will be at the MTG board member’s discretion.
One-sided fish entries must be finished on both sides of head and tail juncture.
Reference material may be submitted with any entry to substantiate pose, color, etc.
Taxidermists 18 years of age or older may not be included in a family membership.
Only Judges, Competition Committee, and designated personnel will be allowed incompetition area during judging.
If you have a piece with more than one specimen and would like to have all of thespecimens judged, you must pay an entry fee for each specimen.
Extra points may be awarded for half life-size mounts.
An entry must receive a 90 or higher in order to win a Best of Category or StateChampion.
Judges Choice Best of Show will be chosen from Masters State Champion categorywinners.
The judge’s decision on each entry is final. Any concerns regarding judging should bebrought to the attention of the Competition Committee. Discourteous behavior towardsjudges or committee members will not be tolerated. Anyone breaking this rule will not beallowed to participate in next year’s competition.
Taxidermist’s Choice award will be given to entry with the most votes from all attendingregistered taxidermists.
Best-All-Around Taxidermist—An accumulation of points will be given for the highestribbon of each: bird, fish or reptile, life-size mammal and gamehead entered inProfessional or Masters Division. Each mount must be declared at the time of registration.Points will be awarded as follows: three (3) points for 1st place, two (2) points for 2ndplace, one (1) point for 3rd place. one (1) bonus point will be awarded for each mountentered in the Masters Division and one (1) bonus point for each mount winning Best ofCategory or State Championship. In case of a tie, the judges will determine the winner.Minimum of 12 points.
All mounts are entered at owner’s risk. Every precaution will be made to secure theentries. The MTG will not assume responsibility for loss due to damage, theft, fire, and/ornatural causes.
There will be no early release of mounts. Special permission will be granted byCompetition Committee in emergency situations.
Anyone found in violation of these rules will be subject to loss of any and all awards.
There will be no refund of registration, entry fees, or memberships. PRE-SHOW NEWSLETTER | 2024 VOLUME 1 PAGE 15 OF 43
Collective Artist Division: This is an open division where two or more members can workon the same or multiple entries. Each specimen on the piece will receive a score. This isits own category and entries are not eligible for Best of Show or any other awards (withthe exception of: Taxidermist Choice, People’s Choice, Mayor’s Choice or Celebrity’sChoice.) The judge’s decision will be final.
Reference material (i.e. pictures or molds) must accompany mount for reproductioncategory if the competitor reproduced the entry themselves. For judges review only.
Competitors Award: Taxidermist must compete with 4 pieces from any category, in any combination (ex: 3 fish & 1 deer or 2 mammals & 2 birds, and so on). If more than 4pieces entered in the competition, competitor must designate which 4 entries will be qualifying for this award prior to start of competition. You must have the highest combined score to win. If less than two people are competing for this award, a combined score of 350 or higher is required to win.
