Nippo Awards

Ajax

Ajax finished second in the Souken class at Iwate Exhibition over the weekend.
If you finish first in your class you receive a certificate stamped with the class for the sho (award).
Is there any significance to the certificate if you don't finish first (no stamp)? Does the certificate mean the dog received an 'excellent' ?

On a side note all six breeds were represented and I will be posting the pictures shortly!

TheWalrus

Generally if your dog doesn't have any disqualifying faults, you'll get a 'yuryo' (excellent).
Whether or not you 'place' and get a 'sho' depends on the number of entries in your class (and of course your position in that class).
Iwahori-san was judging at Iwate, and he told me that you were there. He also gave a 'honbusho' (BIS) to the brindle Hokkaido that was entered, over the top Shikoku. I think that's bound to turn some heads in NIPPO.

Ajax

Ah yes, that is a very nice female Hokkaido who always seems to do well. She's gone against Shiba before for a honbusho in past Aomori exhibitions though in the end I believe the Shiba ended up taking the award. So she is a very nice dog by herself, but it may have helped her cause or at least made it easier for the judge that the two dogs she was competing against, a male Shikoku who placed first in the Souken class ahead of Ajax and a very nice male Kai decided to get into it during the honbusho judging. They were snarling at each other while she maintained a more noble bearing.

In the two previous Aomori exhibitions we ended up with the Wakainu sho, I had thought you only get to take the certificate home if you get a sho, but I guess you always get the certificate (it's not stamped with a sho)? I framed Ajax's Wakainu shos, but I'm probably not going to frame it if it's only participation award.