2026 RAYE Operational Marketing Contest

Updated Contest rules:

The main objective of Operational Marketing Contest is to give senior division contestants a glimpse at a real life situation of selling including communication and marketing prior to the live sale with an understanding of performance and pedigree information. This is a two-part contest, with materials submitted and judged prior to RAYE with exhibitors presenting in person at RAYE to a panel of judges.

1. Must sign up through the online entry system and check in during contest check-in time.

2. If an individual is not bringing animals, but wants to compete, they must sign up through the entry website.

3. This contest is available for Seniors (17-21) ONLY.  

4. All ages are as of Jan. 1 of the current year.
   Seniors must submit their pre-sale advertising during the early contest submission deadline of May 27.

For 2026, the scenario focuses on the Top 10 sires in the breed by registration volume (based on the 2025 RAAA Annual Report), challenging participants to analyze each bull, identify strengths, evaluate market demand, and strategically choose five (5) sires to 26 RAYE, 29 bundle into a semen package for sale. A sire data summary and resources will be added to the RAYE website in early March.

Part 1 Pre-Sale Advertising:

1. Participants must create pre-sale management content to be submitted for review.
   1. Marketing Plan (2-5 pages in length)
   2. One Sale Flyer
   3. Digital Ad Series (3 ads) or Three (3) Social Media Post including graphic and captions
   4. 300-500 word Catalog footnote

Part 2 Marketing Plan Presentation:

1. Exhibitors will compete in an in-person contest at RAYE, where they will present a 5-minute sales pitch on the bulls selected, their marketing plan (5 minutes) plus 5 minutes of judges Q&A.
   1. Contestants are encouraged to be as creative as they want when designing an innovative way to sell/market their semen package to the audience.
2. Printed copies of the pre-sale collateral will be given to the judges to review in tandem with the live sale presentation.
3. The marketing plan and sales presentation can be presented in several ways (printed or digital (PowerPoint/Canva presentation). You may bring additional sales aids into the room as long as they still relate to the focus on the scenario.

Operational Sales talk Submission Instructions 

1. Pre-sale materials must be submitted electronically during the early contest submission deadline of May 27. 
2. Must be submitted electronically through the online link found on the contest page on the RAYE website.
3. Label materials with your name and division i.e. EntrantName_Operational_Footnotes.
4. If submission issues arise, please email Taylor at youthexpo@redagus.org for assistance with your name, division and state in the message field.