AKC Ribbons

• Blue (1st Place) – Awarded to the first-place dog in its class.

• Red (2nd Place) – Given to the second-place dog in its class.

• Yellow (3rd Place) – For the third-place dog in its class.

• White (4th Place) – For the fourth-place dog in its class.

• Purple (Winners) – Awarded to the best male (Winners Dog) and best female (Winners Bitch) in the breed. Each earns championship points.

• Purple & White (Reserve Winners) – Awarded to the runner-up to Winners Dog or Winners Bitch. No points, but shows strong quality.

• Blue & White (Best of Winners) – Awarded when the Winners Dog and Winners Bitch compete against each other; goes to whichever judge feels is better.

• Purple & Gold (Best of Breed/Variety) – Awarded to the dog judged as the best overall representative of the breed.

• Red & White (Best of Opposite Sex) – Awarded to the best dog of the opposite sex to the Best of Breed winner.

• Blue & Gold (Select Dog/Bitch) – Special recognition for outstanding quality dogs already champions.

• Light Blue (Award of Merit / Judge’s Choice) – Sometimes given at specialties to recognize dogs of exceptional quality not in the top placement.

• Group Placements

  • Blue (Group 1) – Best in Group (e.g., Toy Group).

  • Red (Group 2) – Second in Group.

  • Yellow (Group 3) – Third in Group.

  • White (Group 4) – Fourth in Group.

• Red, White & Blue (Best in Show) – The top award, given to the single best dog in the entire show.