Prairie State Wire

The Illinois State Fair has announced that livestock exhibitor registration will now be conducted online through the ShoWorks platform. Both the new system and the Livestock Premium Book are available on the Illinois State Fair website.

Illinois State Fair staff, show superintendents, and youth advisors have been working for months to transition from a paper-entry system to a digital platform. "We are excited to bring our registration process into the 21st century with this powerful tool," said Jerry Costello II, Director of the Illinois Department of Agriculture. "Our priority is to make the process more efficient for our livestock exhibitors."

Rebecca Clark, Manager of the Illinois State Fair, emphasized the benefits of ShoWorks: "The move to ShoWorks will streamline and modernize the process for livestock exhibitor registration. ShoWorks has the security, user-friendliness, and flexibility we need to continue to grow this important aspect of the Illinois State Fair."

The ShoWorks Passport program enables users to create, view, check-in, and reuse entries at other events that also utilize ShoWorks. A step-by-step tutorial is available on the Competitive Events page to assist users in navigating the new system. Additionally, a kiosk station has been set up in the Competitive Events office inside the Emmerson Building on the fairgrounds for one-on-one assistance. Exhibitors can contact the Competitive Events office at 217-782-0786 during business hours from Monday to Friday between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m.

The entry deadline for 2024 is July 15. The Illinois State Fair will take place from August 8 through August 18 in Springfield. For updates and announcements, follow them on Facebook and Instagram.