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One of the sought-after accolades of the weekend of the 2023 AKC National Championship Presented by Royal Canin is Junior Showmanship Finals. The winner of the Junior Showmanship finals was awarded Best Junior at the event, which took place on December 16 in Orlando, Florida.

Junior Showmanship allows Junior Handlers, ages 8-18, to display their dedication to dog sports and training. It’s also an opportunity for Juniors to showcase their bonds with their dogs.

Junior handlers need a minimum grade point average of 3.0 in the September 2022 to June 2023 school year in order to compete in Junior Showmanship. Winners of the Junior Showmanship Finals were awarded scholarships as follows: First Place: $5,000, Second Place: $4,000, Third Place: $3,000, and Fourth Place: $2,000.

2023 Best Junior

The Best Junior at the 2023 AKC National Championship Junior Showmanship was Octavia Stensen, 19, who showed her 3-year-old Norwegian Buhund, “Pineapple” GCHB CH Cultiva Cruisin For A Bruisin. Stensen came in Fourth Place at the 2022 AKC National Championship Junior Showmanship finals. “It means the world to me,” she says. “It’s just a true recognition of all the work I’ve put in, and that means so much to me.”

Stensen has been involved in Junior Showmanship since she was 10 years old. She started with Shiba Inus, and after her Shiba passed away, her grandmother discovered the Norwegian Buhund at a dog show. “She just loves to attend them. We had never shown dogs in our lives — and then we saw this breed.”

She started showing with Pineapple’s mother, and showed her for about six years. Three years ago, she bred her. Since then, Stensen’s been showing Pineapple. “I bred her myself,” Stensen says. “This is my first-ever show breed, and she’s my first ever breeding.”

Right now, Stensen is in her first semester of college and is majoring in business, but hopes to continue in Conformation. “I love dog shows and I love this world,” she says. “I have a huge passion for it, so I just want to see where life takes me.”

Want to Get Involved?

AKC Junior Showmanship program offers children between 9 and 18 the chance to develop handling skills while learning about good sportsmanship, dogs, and dog shows.

Juniors are eligible to compete in Showmanship, Obedience, Agility, Rally, Tracking, Hunt Tests, Herding, Field Trials, Earthdog, Lure Coursing, Coursing Ability, and Coonhound Events. There is no minimum age requirement for sports other than Showmanship (where you must be 9).

If your child is interested in becoming an AKC Junior Handler, the first step is to watch a show and . Juniors under 18 years old can sign up for a . This number will be used to track their participation in AKC sports.

Except in Junior Showmanship, Juniors will exhibit in the regular classes and in the field along with all other exhibitors at the trials and tests, where they can obtain the same titles for their dogs and awards as adult handlers if they qualify.

Junior participation in AKC sports will be recognized through the AKC Junior Recognition Program and at the end of the year, AKC will award the Junior Versatility Awards and Scholarships. You can go to this link to learn more about the AKC Junior Recognition Program.