IFCA Awards Program
Revised 2018
The IFCA Awards Program is to fully, appreciatively recognize individual breeding excellence for those of the IFCA members who have continually demonstrated superiority in the show arena and who continually work towards the betterment of the IFCA and our breed. The program also recognizes individual birds that have demonstrated outstanding show qualities over other birds during a two-year period. The available awards within the program are:
| Breeder Awards | Bird Award |
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Award Description and Rules
Master Breeder
To achieve the covered recognition of Master Breeder an individual must do more than win championships in shows; he or she must help improve the breed, win consistently, help stimulate interest in the breed, club and be an active member. The Awards Program is retroactive to the 1981 Show Year. Following are the rules:
A ‘declared’ individual from a partnership loft is simply that breeder that is the primary partner and working towards the Master Breeder Program; an example might be a husband/wife team and one of the partners is the primary breeder. The primary breeder must notify the Awards committee Chairperson and ‘declare’, officially, in writing that they are the beneficiary of the points. If both partners are working towards the Master Breeder, they both must declare themselves as beneficiaries and earn double points and both must serve the requests leadership positions.
Be certified by the Awards Committee to have earned 1,000 points as an individual, or in the case of partnership loft, 2,000 points (or 1,000 per each individual represented…this means a 2,000-point total for a two-partner loft or partnership, or 3,000 for a three partner loft).
Rule: a total of 12 ‘championship’ wins are necessary: 6 of the wins must be champions of 100-point shows; the 6 other wins must be at least 1st Reserve Champion or 2nd Reserve Champion of any other IFCA Sanctioned Meet, for a total of 12 championship wins. All other points (to make up the 1,000 per individual) will come from Class wins or Breeder Recognition Points.
(Note: A Jr. Champion win will count as a Class win. If a Jr. wins Grand Champion or 1st or 2nd Reserve, this will count towards one of the 12 championship wins).
In addition to the winning of show points (per declared breeder), the applicant must serve in any 2 of the many following positions:
As an IFCA Officer for at least 1 year or longer (following are the options offered):
- President
- Vice President
- Secretary-Treasurer
- Publicity Director
- Been an IFCA District Director for 2 years or longer.
Served in a special, appointed position* or as a specific committee member for 2 years or longer:
- Newsletter Editor
- Awards Committee
- Show/Genetic Committee
- Certified Judge Committee
- Nominations/Elections Committee
- Constitution & By-Laws Committee
(* or any others, as may be designated by the IFCA President)
Served as an IFCA Certified Judge, having judged a minimum of four IFCA Sanction Meets.
Achieved Breeder of the year at least once and/or received the NPA Outstanding Service Award
Has been an IFCA member in good standing * for 5 consecutive years and had bred Indian Fantails for at least 10 years; (…’good standing’ means to be of good character/reputation and involved in the IFCA as deemed by a majority vote of the Board of Directors). The individual must initiate the application (forms available from your District Director) to the Awards Committee Chairperson, the Awards Committee Chairperson (ACC) will poll the IFCA Board of Directors and the approval must be a majority vote.
A wall plaque and coat patch will be awarded.
Master Breeder Point System
1. The official IFCA Standard will be used, as the basis of judging at all shows, sanctioned or otherwise.
2. Points will only be awarded to those birds bred and shown by the exhibitor. There are no exceptions.
3. All IFCA Sanctioned Meets require (a.) District Director approval. (b.) An IFCA Certified Judge.
A. 100pt shows require 50+ birds actually shown with a minimum of four exhibitors.
B. 50pt shows require 25+ birds actually shown with a minimum of four exhibitors.
C. Each District may, in the course of one year, have only one 100 Point Show (unless either the NYBS or Grand National is held within a District, in which case that District is permitted two 100 Point Shows).
D. Each District may have only two 50 Point Shows per year.
E. All other shows will be designated as 10 Point Non-Sanctioned Meets.
1. A scheduled 100pt meet with 49 or less birds exhibited reverts to a 50pt meet if it so qualifies.
2. A scheduled 50pt meet with 24 or less birds exhibited or less than 4 exhibitors becomes a 10pt meet.
3. Any meet is also Non-Sanctioned if no IFCA Certified Judge is used, or any other show(s) beyond the above mentioned 100 point and 50 point shows.
4. Any breeder of Indian Fantails, IFCA member or not, may exhibit at any IFCA Meet, however, only members will be awarded points.
5. For points to be awarded in a class, the class must consist of 8 or more birds by two exhibitors not of the same household.
6. A bird may earn points only in one category in a show, and that category will be its highest category; e.g., the Grand Champion bird will also have won its Class as well as either Best Old or Best Young…so it will only receive points for the highest win: Grand Champion.
7. A single bird can contribute a maximum of 250 points towards the 1,000 total.
8. The Mini Indian Fantail shall be held to the same separate but equal standards as the Indian Fantail. Master Breeder points are allocated to one variety or the other but will not be added together.
| 100 Point IFCA Sanctioned Meet |
50 Point IFCA Sanctioned Meet |
10 Point IFCA Non-Sanctioned Meet |
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| Points | Points | Points | |||
| Grand Champion | 100 | Grand Champion | 50 | Grand Champion | 10 |
| 1st Reserve Champion | 70 | 1st Reserve Champion | 35 | 1st Reserve Champion | 6 |
| 2nd Reserve Champion | 50 | 2nd Reserve Champion | 25 | 2nd Reserve Champion | 5 |
| Best Old | 40 | Best Old | 20 | Best Old | 3 |
| Best Young | 40 | Best Young | 20 | Best Young | 3 |
| Best of Class | 12 | Best of Class | 6 | Best of Class | 1 |
| Jr. Champion | 12 | Jr. Champion | 6 | Jr. Champion | 1 |
Note: Only those show records having been submitted to the Awards Chairperson and IFCA Bulletin Editor for formal, official publication will be considered valid and of record towards Master Breeder points. It is therefore imperative that each District Director ensure each show report is sent in a timely manner.
Breeder Of Merit Awards
These two significant awards are intended to recognize those breeders of excellence that are working towards their Master Breeder and have reached two plateaus of achievement: the points accumulated for these two on-the-path programs all count towards Master Breeder:
1. Breeder of Merit (the 300 Point mark + other requirements)
2. Breeder of Merit-Superior Rank (the 600 Point mark + other requirements)
Requirements
Breeder of Merit
1. Nominee must accumulate at least 300 show points in the Master Breeder Program.
2. Must have served in at least ONE of the positions as outlined in the MASTER BREEDER program, under Section C.
3. Has been an IFCA member of good standing for 5 consecutive years; has bred Indians no less than 5 years.
4. A certificate will be awarded.
Breeder of Merit – Superior Rank
1. Nominee must accumulate at least 600 show points in the Master Breeder Program.
2. Must have served in at least ONE of the positions as outlined in the MASTER BREEDER program, under Section C.
3. Has been an IFCA member of good standing for 5 consecutive years; has bred Indians no less than 10 years.
4. A certificate will be awarded.
Breeder of The Year
The purpose of this award is to recognize breeding and show excellence by rewarding the most wins (points) by one breeder a single show year. (A Show year is from one Grand National to the next Grand National.) The breeder tallying the most points becomes the IFCA Breeder of the Year.
In case of a tie, we will award both. If more than two earn the same points, no Breeder of the Year will be recognized for that year, as no one clearly distinguished themselves. (A certificate will be awarded).
Jr. Breeder of The Year
Same rules apply as for Breeder of the Year.
Breeder Recognition Points
200 ‘Bonus’ points will be awarded the breeder successfully developing a new color, mark or pattern not currently being bred or known within the Indian Fantail breed. If two or more breeders are collaboratively involved, the points will be shared evenly between them.
Procedure
1. The breeder(s) notifies the Awards Committee Chairperson, in writing of his/her intent, briefly describing the project and the intended results. The Awards Committee Chairperson will file notification and will forward the letter on to the Genetics Committee for review. The Genetics Committee will pass judgment on the worthiness of the project; once approved by the Genetics Committee for review; the Awards Chairperson will notify the IFCA Board of Directors of the proposed project. The Board of Directors will be asked to canvas their districts to see if any other breeder is working on such a project already or has completed such a color, pattern or mark. If this happened, it may well negate the points of the project… (see COMPLETION RULES).
2. Upon completion of the project, the breeder will notify the Awards Chairperson, in writing, with appropriate dates, names and data needed. Assuming all rules have been complied with and the project is verified complete, the bonus points will be awarded.
Completion Rules
A. The new color/mark must successfully, repeatedly reproduce itself. The resulting quality of the new Indian Fantail must be sufficient as to be showable (this does not mean capable of winning the show, but is far enough along to proudly be showable…representative of the breed).
B. The color/mark must be popular enough to gain the interest of at least two other breeders not of the same household. The interested breeders must breed out of the same stock developed and provided by the originating breeder(s).
C. The originating breeder(s) plus the two additional new breeders (or more) will breed enough birds of this color/mark to create a new class (8 or more birds) and will exhibit in at least two or more IFCA shows. (Note: this new color class is not to be confused with an experimental ‘genetics’ class; this Breeder Recognition Points Project will have progressed beyond that point.)
D. The originating breeder may now notify that the IFCA Awards Committee of its probable completion in adherence to the above procedures and rules. The Awards Committee Chairperson will notify the Genetics Committee and IFCA Board for a majority vote approval and awarding of the 200 points.
Master Judge
The award is to recognize the acceptance of an individual’s judging skills by the IFCA members and his/her superiority in procedure, knowledge and fairness in judging the Indian Fantail.
1. Applicant must have been an IFCA Certified Judge for no less than 5 consecutive years.
2. Must have been voted by IFCA members to judge at least 3 National Shows (one of either the NYBS, plus two Grand National(s). Once the NPA Requirements for Master Judge have also been met, the applicant may apply on his/her own for that award, as well.
3. A master judge patch will be awarded.
Outstanding Service Award
In association with the NPA, this award is to recognize continued service, past or present, of the highest quality in helping build the IFCA, service to its membership and the development of the Indian Fantail.
1. The individual(s) must be nominated by an active IFCA member. The nomination will be reviewed by the IFCA Board of Directors; if sanctioned by a majority vote, it will be presented to the NPA. The NPA will award their OUTSTANDING SERVICE AWARD certificate on behalf of the IFCA. This award will take place at the NPA Grand National banquet.
2. The nominee(s) must be an active IFCA member in good standing for no less than 2 years and have bred Indians for no less than 3 years.
Indian Fantail Hall Of Fame
It is the skill of the breeder to create an Indian Fantail that meets the IFCA Standard; but it is the disposition and ‘showmanship’ of the bird that also contributes to the win. If a bird does not station or show well, it will not win a Championship. To recognize and immortalize such true Champions, the INDIAN FANTAIL HALL OF FAME award has been developed to recognize these outstanding birds.
Eligibility
Any Indian Fantail bred and owned by the exhibitor/breeder and meeting the following requirements:
1. To be awarded annually based upon the show records of the previous two years.
2. Within a 2-year period (from Grand National to Grand National), the bird that has the most Master Breeder points is automatically elected to the Hall of Fame. In case of a tie, both birds will be recognized. If more than two birds end the 2-year period within the same points, no award will be given, as no bird, at this point has clearly distinguished itself.
3. A certificate will be awarded, stating the bird, band number, total points won, the years and breeder’s name.
Procedures
1. With the exception of the OUTSTANDING SERVICE AWARD and the INDIAN FANTAIL HALL OF FAME award, each member is responsible for his/her own submission and/or application for a particular award. Each District Director has been provided a complete packet of application forms. You must contact your Director for them.
2. All nominations or applications will be sent to the Awards Committee Chairperson.
A. Upon receipt of nomination or application, the Awards Committee Chairperson will notify the IFCA Board of Directors, via letter, for consideration.
B. The IFCA Board members that are Directors should solicit input from their district members on certain matters (example: The Breeder Recognition Points: each Director must contact sufficient district members to determine if the applied for new color, mark or pattern is either already in existence or is being worked on by a district member. Then and only then, cast your vote.
C. Once an award has been approved by the award, the Awards Chairperson will notify the individual and the IFCA Bulletin editor of same. The Awards Committee Chairperson will also notify the Publicity Director for future announcement of awards given.
D. Any procedure question that may occur not fully covered in this document, will be received by the Board of Directors and the Awards Committee.
Administration
1. The IFCA Board of Directors is the governing body; the makeup of the Board is defined in the IFCA Constitution and By Laws.
2. The appointed IFCA Awards Committee will be charged with specific procedural and monitoring duties.
3. All applications/nominations for awards must be made, in writing, to the Awards Committee Chairperson.
A. The Awards Committee will communicate all nominations to the Board for their approval (Note: each IFCA Director is automatically a member of the board. It is the Director’s responsibility to communicate with his/her district members before voting on most matters.)
B. The Awards Committee Chairperson will maintain permanent files of all transactions, points, show records and awards given.
C. A duplicate set of Show Records (only) will be held by the IFCA Bulletin Editor.
D. The IFCA Secretary-Treasurer has the responsibility of verifying registered band numbers, positions held and continuity of membership.
E. The Awards Program is retroactive to the 1981 Show Year.
Matters Not Covered
1. Any suggested changes, deletions, additions, amendments or issues regarding the Awards Program and its intent or function, may be raised by any IFCA member and submitted for consideration to the Awards Committee and the IFCA Board of Directors; any and all considerations, changes, deletions, additions, or amendments submitted must, however be considered by the Awards Committee, the IFCA Board and voted on and approved by the IFCA membership before becoming effective and inclusive.
2. All matters not covered by the foregoing rules, procedures and administrations thereof and all disputes, whether they be procedural, administrative or member oriented, shall be administered by the IFCA Board of Directors and their decisions shall be final.