How to Complete and Submit the Kentucky State Fair Entry Form

The Kentucky State Fair entry form lives on two online FairWire portals: ksfgen.fairwire.com for general exhibits and ksflivestock.fairwire.com for livestock. For 2026, the standard entry deadline for most departments is 11:59 PM on July 9, with a late window through 11:59 PM on July 16 at higher fees.¹ Before you open either portal, get your Social Security number or Tax ID in front of you. Without one on file, any premium you win is forfeited.²

What to Have Ready Before You Log In

Both portals ask for the same core information at registration. Pull these together first:

Your Social Security number or Tax ID. The fair will not chase you for it after the fact, and premiums awarded to an exhibitor with no SSN or Tax ID on file are forfeited.²
A current mailing address. Premium checks are mailed to the postal address you enter during registration.
A credit or debit card. That is what both portals accept for entry fees.¹
The 2026 Premium Book, downloaded and open in another tab. It lists every department, division, and class number, and you’ll need those numbers as you click through the form.³

For general exhibits, that’s most of what you need. Livestock exhibitors have more to gather, and some of it isn’t uploaded through the form.

Completing the General Entry Form

General entries cover everything that isn’t livestock, from culinary and fine art to homebrew, honey, tobacco, and the Kentucky Country Ham Show.³ All of it goes through the same portal in seven steps.

Register. Click “Register” at the top left. New exhibitors select “I am a new exhibitor or have yet to register this year.” Returning exhibitors log into their existing account. Fill in every required field, including your SSN or Tax ID.
Select entries. Choose a department, then a division, then a class for each item. Make a separate entry for each item you plan to submit. Class numbers come from the Premium Book.
Add exhibitor tickets if you want them. One discounted book of 11 admission and parking tickets costs $44 and can only be purchased through the entry system at the time of entry, not later.
Review your cart. You can save it and come back, or move on. Confirm every entry matches what you actually plan to bring.
Pay. Enter your card and billing information.
Confirm. Type “Yes” in the electronic signature field and press submit.
Print the detailed receipt for your records and press finish to have a copy emailed to you.

Keep that receipt. You’ll need it when you drop off your items at the fairgrounds. Drop-off days and times vary by department and are printed at the top of each division’s page in the Premium Book.²

Completing the Livestock Entry Form

Livestock uses the separate portal at ksflivestock.fairwire.com. The registration flow is similar. What differs is the animal-specific information you enter for each head: birth date, name, ID number, and owner information.⁴ Read the 2026 Premium Book and General Rules before submitting. Misidentifying an animal’s breed or class can result in disqualification.

Certificate of Veterinary Inspection

Kentucky administrative regulations require almost all animals entering the state for exhibition to travel with a Certificate of Veterinary Inspection (CVI) issued by a licensed veterinarian. The CVI is valid for 30 days from the date of issue, and exhibition animals may return home within that window without a new one.⁵ Species-specific rules layer on top: swine from states without full Pseudorabies-free status need an entry permit number on the CVI, and poultry four months or older must meet additional testing requirements under the same regulation.

Premises Identification Number

A premises identification number (PIN) is a unique code assigned to a single physical location where livestock are kept. You need a PIN to purchase official electronic animal identification tags, which USDA officials use to trace animals during disease or food safety events.⁶ PIN registration is handled by your state, so apply well ahead of the entry deadline if you don’t already have one.

Scrapie Identification for Sheep and Goats

Sheep and goats moving in interstate commerce need official scrapie identification. Approved tag types include plastic, metal, and radio-frequency identification (RFID) tags from approved manufacturers. You’ll need a flock or premises ID to order them, plus a national premises ID for 840 RFID tags. Producers can request tags or a flock ID by calling 1-866-USDA-Tag (866-873-2824).⁷

4-H and FFA Youth Entries

Youth exhibitors entering through 4-H or FFA use the same livestock portal but face a firmer deadline: no late entries are accepted for 4-H/FFA youth livestock. Fees run $15 per head for cattle, sheep, swine, goats, and dairy cattle. Both organizations publish their own catalogs with program-specific rules through the Kentucky State Fair’s competition page.⁸

Entry Fees

General Exhibits

A flat $17 exhibitor fee covers entries across all general departments except homebrew beer and homemade wine. That single fee lets you enter as many departments, divisions, and items as you want.⁹ All photography entries are digital and add $1 per entry on top of the exhibitor fee.¹ Homebrew beer and homemade wine are priced separately at $5 per entry, with late fees of $8 per beer and $10 per wine. If you miss July 9, the general exhibitor fee jumps to $30.

Livestock

Livestock fees are per head and vary by species and category:

Open beef cattle, open dairy cattle, horses, mules: $25 per head; $100 late fee
Open sheep, swine, dairy goats, Boer goats: $15 per head; $50 late fee
4-H/FFA beef, sheep, swine, goats, dairy cattle: $15 per head; no late entries accepted
Novice sheep, swine, goats: $10 per head; no late entries accepted
Poultry and pigeons: $5 per bird
Rabbits: $5 each

Late fees are steep. A $100 penalty on a $25 head effectively quintuples the cost.²

Deadlines

For most departments, entries close at 11:59 PM on July 9, 2026. A late window runs through 11:59 PM on July 16, 2026, at the higher fees above. After July 16 the system closes and no entries are accepted.¹ Not every category follows this schedule, so check the specific department in the Premium Book.⁹ The 4-H/FFA youth livestock deadline is a hard July 9 cutoff with no late window at all.

Refunds and Chargebacks

Entry fees and exhibitor ticket purchases are non-refundable. If you don’t drop off your entry or pick up your tickets, both are forfeited.² The Premium Book also warns that if you exhibit and then dispute the entry fees, including through a credit card chargeback, you forfeit all premiums awarded and are barred from future Kentucky State Fairs. Review your cart carefully at step 4. A submitted transaction is treated as final.

Tax Reporting on Premiums

Prizes and awards of $600 or more must be reported to the IRS on a 1099-MISC.¹⁰ That’s why the entry form requires your SSN or Tax ID up front: the Kentucky State Fair Board uses it to issue the form if your total premiums hit that threshold. Checks are mailed to the address you provided at registration, so keep it current.² Winnings under $600 are still taxable income; the $600 figure is only the reporting threshold. You’re responsible for reporting all premium income whether or not you receive a 1099.

1
Kentucky State Fair. Kentucky State Fair Online General Entries System
2
Kentucky State Fair. 2026 Kentucky State Fair Premium Book
3
Kentucky State Fair. Kentucky State Fair Online General Entries System
4
Kentucky State Fair. Kentucky State Fair Online Livestock Entry System
5
Kentucky Legislative Research Commission. Title 302 Chapter 20 Regulation 040
6
Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service. How To Obtain a Premises Identification Number (PIN) or Location Identifier (LID)
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Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service. Sheep and Goat Identification
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Kentucky State Fair. Livestock and General Entry Info
9
Kentucky State Fair. First Time Exhibitor Hot Tips
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Internal Revenue Service. About Form 1099-MISC, Miscellaneous Information