Competition & Credit Judging Rules

Registration of Entries for Judging and Exhibition

• All entries must be pre-registered by the specified deadline published on the Guild website.

• Completion of the specimen is not required at the time of registration; you may continue working on it until the day of the conference.

• All entries are accepted at the discretion of the Registrar.

Eligibility and Process

• Registration is open to fully paid-up members of the Guild of Taxidermists.

• Non-members may be allowed to register at the discretion of the committee.

• Registration must be completed online via the official Guild Registration Form.

  • If you do not have internet access, please contact the Registrar or ask a friend to complete the form on your behalf.

  • Refer to the website for full details and deadlines.

Completing the Registration Form

• The Registration Form must be completed in full.

  • Do not leave any fields blank — use “N/A” (Not Applicable) where appropriate.

• The form includes:

  • Entry category: Credit, Higher Credit, Display Only, Professional, Amateur, or Novice.

  • Classification: Birds, Mammals, Fish/Reptiles, Game Head, Osteology, or Other.

  • Declaration of sole authorship: all work must be done entirely by the named entrant.

    • Work completed under supervision is not eligible for credit judging or competition, except when entered in the Supervised Work category.

  • Disclosure of:

    • Use of commercial manikins (with or without alteration)

    • Use of artificial parts (excluding eyes), such as bills, wattles, or freeze-dried elements

    • The starting point of your work (e.g. fresh/frozen whole animal, tanned skin, study skin, remount)

    • Whether the specimen has been previously submitted — if so, it must be significantly altered and accompanied by documented evidence

• Entrants must tick the box confirming they have read and agree to the competition rules. Entries without this confirmation will not be accepted.

Classification of Entrants - Divisions

Entrants are categorised into divisions based on both experience and credit status: Entrants are encouraged to compete 

• Professional: Anyone who holds 2 credits or above  in the discipline they are entering (e.g. birds, mammals, etc.).

• Amateur: Practising taxidermists with over 5 years of experience who holds 0-1 credits earned in the Novice in the entered discipline.

• Novice: Practising taxidermists with less than 5 years of experience and no credits in the entered discipline.

If a Novice earns a credit in a discipline, they are required to submit as an Amateur in that discipline at future events.

When an Amateur earns 2 credits or above in a discipline they are required to submit as a professional in that discipline at future events. 

 Anyone may choose to compete in a higher class than their classification permits to maximise the learning potential of having work judged.

You are encouraged to compete in the highest appropriate division relative to your ability. 

Entry Terms, Presentation, and Exhibition Guidelines

By entering, all participants acknowledge that their work is submitted entirely at their own risk, and agree to indemnify the Guild of Taxidermists against any liability arising from their entry.
All entries must be safe in both construction and materials; no hazards may be presented by the specimen.

Legal Compliance (CITES / Article 10)

Where applicable, entrants must hold a valid Article 10 Certificate (or other relevant CITES documentation) for any Annex A specimen entered.

• You are responsible for ensuring full compliance with current legislation.

• The A10 number must be provided at registration unless the specimen is a commission.

Specimen Delivery & Judging Schedule

• All specimens must be delivered to the conference centre as advertised on the programme schedule for that event :

  • Or by by Friday 21:00 by prior agreement

  • Or by Saturday 09:00 for day delegates

• Judging may begin upon arrival of the first specimens.

Upon arrival:

1. Present your specimen(s) to the Registrar, where they will:

   • Be assigned a registration number

   • Be photographed

   • Then transferred to the exhibition area

Please follow the directions of Guild officials to ensure a smooth and timely process.

The specimen exhibition room will open for viewing at a scheduled time on Friday evening.

Non-Competitive Exhibition Work

In addition to competition entries, members are encouraged to bring other non-competitive taxidermy or related work — such as recreations, crustaceans, woodcarvings, sculpture, etc. — to display and share with fellow members.

A registration sheet is still required for identification, even for display-only pieces.

Photography and Image Use

Your work will be photographed as part of the documentation process.
Photographs may be published by the Guild or the appointed photographer.
Copyright remains with the photographer for all images they take.

Specimen Display Considerations

If you intend to bring a large number of specimens, or entries, that may require substantial space, you must confirm the practicalities and logistics of this with the Registrar before submitting your registration.

When working toward building your knowledge of the generic appearance of a species or toward Credit or Higher Credit awards, it is normal practice to gather together a portfolio to assist with the creation of your work, this is a normal and essential part of the creative process, particularly when working towards gathering knowledge of the generic appearance of individual species.

In its most basic form, the portfolio would contain the reference used when mounting your specimen, measurement sheets or copies and images of the body form you used or sculpted.

When having your work judged for a Higher Credits, it is compulsory to provide a portfolio of reference for each of your entries. This should contain sufficient material for the Judges to determine the accuracy of your mount particularly if your specimen has an unusual characteristic that is illustrated in the mount. You also need to show the manikin used for the mount was of your own making. Refer to the Portfolio document for more details.

If you are entering work for judging for Standard Credits, members are encouraged to present a portfolio for each specimen submitted, with at least the reference images used and of the manikin for each specimen.

Only one of the three higher credit specimens required in each category to become a Master may be on a commercial or altered commercial form.

You may also wish to include details that illustrate the variety and/or amount of work you may have gone to in creating your groundwork or casework, or anything that informs the Judges or members of your skills and how you have used those skills.

The quality of your portfolio can be a key element in improving and maintaining the quality of your taxidermy. The content of your portfolio over the basic content described is your decision.

Members are encouraged to take advantage of the one-to-one critique on offer from the Judges during the conference.

The sculptural representation of animal/s with the object of creating the illusion of life of the species concerned, utilising preserved parts of the original animal and or elements reproduced in part or in full.

The crucial element is the work must represent a moment or narrative of the animal’s appearance, behaviours or function.

For the purposes of assessment anthropomorphic specimens will not be judged.