Bulldog of the Year Gala

Join us at this premier event during the Bulldog Club of America’s National Show week! The Bulldog of the Year was created to showcase Bulldogs that have made the greatest contribution in the ring to breed recognition during the previous calendar year.

Bulldog of the Year — Ring Procedure
Cocktail Hour and Judge Selection
Cocktail hour begins at 6:30 p.m. Attendees will have an opportunity to have their photo taken in front of the photo backdrop during cocktail hour.

All self-nominated judging candidates must be dressed appropriately to judge.

At 7:15 p.m., the BCA president will draw one judge from each category in the following order:
  • Multi-breed judge
  • Professional handler
  • Breeder-judge
  • Breeder
If a category has no ballots, an additional judge will be drawn from the breeder category.
Once selected, judges shall report to the ring and remain there until judging begins. Gala catalogs will be available for purchase at this time.

First Look — 7:30 p.m.
All dogs will enter the ring and stack facing inward, giving the judges an opportunity to view the entire entry together. All dogs will then exit.

Individual Judging
Dogs will be judged in the randomized order established before the event, as printed in the catalog and reflected by their armband numbers.
Each dog will follow this sequence:
  • Music will begin, and the ring steward will call the dog’s armband number.
  • The dog will enter, go around the ring and proceed directly to the ramp.
  • All four judges will examine the bite together. The handler will present the mouth.
  • Each judge will then individually examine the dog.
  • The dog will perform a down and back in the center of the ring, then free-stack at the end until released by the judges.
  • The handler will move to the center of the ring and free-stack the dog at several angles so spectators on all sides can see the dog.
  • The dog will go around the ring once more and exit immediately.
After each dog, the judges will give their score sheets to the ring steward, who will deliver them to the scorekeepers for tabulation.

People’s Choice and Junior Parade
Immediately after the final dog is shown, all BCA members shall turn in their People’s Choice ballots.
A parade of juniors will take place while the final scores and People’s Choice ballots are tabulated. Each junior will enter, go around the ring and proceed to the center. They will free-stack their dog at several angles so spectators on all sides can see the dog, then go around once more and exit.

Awards
Once the results have been determined, all competing dogs will reenter the ring and stack facing inward.
The two runners-up and the People’s Choice winner will be called forward. Awards will then be announced in the following order:
  • People’s Choice
  • Second runner-up
  • First runner-up
  • Bulldog of the Year
Qualifier Photos
All qualifiers will have an opportunity to take a qualifying dog photo at the podium.