The Iowa State Fair earned numerous awards at the 129th International Association of Fairs and Expositions (IAFE) annual convention earlier this month. The IAFE awards are divided into five divisions based on attendance and are judged by a team of industry experts. The Iowa State Fair competed against other fairs and festival members with attendance over 1 million people.

In the Agricultural Awards competition, the Iowa State Fair won the following first-place awards: Newly established or evolving program/exhibit at your fair which promotes agriculture to the fair-going public, Program/event/exhibit designed to educate consumers/fair-going public of a current agriculture or Fair industry challenge, Unique partnership for an exhibit/promotion/special event/competition showcased during the fair, Livestock (Not Equine) photo, Equine photo, Rodeo photo and New or Unique Animal Competition (Class or Division). Second place honors were given to the Agriculture programs video and Horticulture/Crops photo. A third place award was given for an Ag Education (4-H/FFA) photo.

In the Competitive Awards division, the Iowa State Fair was awarded two second place awards for the Competitive Exhibit Display-Photo Series and General Display at Your Fair-Photo Series. Third place was given for Special Contest.

In the Sponsorship Awards category, the Fair earned second-place awards for Sponsorship Innovation, First-Time Sponsorship and Sponsorship Continuity.

In the Communication Awards category, the Fair earned a first-place honor for Promotional Event. Four second-place awards were given for Newspaper Ad-color, Commemorative Poster, Promotional Advertising: Outdoor and Miscellaneous Use of Technology to Promote the Fair. Five third place awards were given for Radio Ad, Promotional/Advertising Poster, Miscellaneous Marketing/Promotional Display (Pre-Fair), Miscellaneous Marketing/Promotional Display (During the Fair) and Unique Advertising Specialties/Merchandise/Souvenirs.

Long-time Iowa State Fair Board member C.W. Thomas, of Guthrie Center, who represents Iowa’s Southwest District, received one of five IAFE Heritage Awards presented at the 2019 IAFE annual convention. The award was given in recognition of his long time commitment to the Guthrie County Fair and community volunteerism, as well as his hard work and dedication to ensuring the success of the Iowa State Fair.

The Iowa State Fair is a proud member of the IAFE, which represents more than 1,100 fairs and festivals around the world and more than 900 allied members from Fair-related fields.