Planning Your Trophy Table
Not sure where to start? You're not alone. One of the most common things we hear from trophy chairs is exactly that. You want beautiful trophies that exhibitors will treasure, but figuring out what goes where — and how to make the most of your budget across all those placements — can feel overwhelming.
We've put together sample trophy tables at different price points for three common show sizes. Use them as a starting point, mix and match items, or just browse for ideas. Every order is custom, so nothing here is set in stone. Think of this as the beginning of a conversation.
Before You Start: The Overlap Rule
Some winners take home more than one trophy. The most obvious example is Best of Winners — it's awarded to either Winners Dog or Winners Bitch, which means that winner walks away with two trophies. While overlaps can happen with any of the wins and it may be unavoidable for someone to receive the same trophy twice, this one is a sure thing every time.
We recommend mixing product types across awards that are likely to overlap so every win feels distinct. We're always happy to help you think through this when planning your trophy table.
Small Specialty
Specialty with Sweepstakes
Find Your Show Size
The essentials — Best of Breed through Reserve Winners. Typically under 10 trophies. Perfect for a club running a straightforward specialty without sweepstakes classes.
Everything in a small specialty plus sweepstakes for puppy and veteran, Award of Merit, Best Puppy, Best Veteran, Best Bred By, and more. Typically 18-20 placements.
National Specialty
The full spread. All of the above plus breed-specific performance awards, stud dog, brood bitch, owner-handled, obedience, rally, and more. Every breed is a little different — we'll use examples from our own breed (German Shorthaired Pointers) to give you an idea of what a large-scale trophy table can look like. Typically 25-30+ placements.
