Seasonal Contest Guide
Plan every Day 27 contest, learn how Crop, Livestock and Horse judging works, prepare for S Rank, and track the animals and branded goods unlocked by contest results.
Every season · Day 27
Contest date
10:00–16:00
Judging window
3
Contest divisions
Choose 1
Division per contest
Japanese contest and item names are preserved where useful because the official Western localization has not yet launched. English terminology on this page is provisional until the official localization can be verified.
Contest Calendar
These are four seasonal instances of the same 品評会 judging system, not four different contest types.
Spring
Summer
Autumn
Winter
The first contest is announced by mail before Spring 27. Later notices should be treated as part of the current progression flow rather than a fixed mailbox script unless separately verified.
Three Divisions
Category selection wording differs slightly across sources, but the one-division rule is consistent.
農作部門
Entry: one crop item
Prepare
Known S Rank effect
家畜部門
Entry: the animal itself
Prepare
Known S Rank effect
馬部門
Entry: one horse
Prepare
Known S Rank effect
Horse judging has its own division. Exact numeric S-Rank thresholds are not documented, so this guide does not assign Livestock thresholds to Horse.
Contest Planner
Assign one division to each contest date. The planner is stored locally and tracks intention only; it does not claim a rank or invent the fastest Greenhouse route.
Remember locally
This planner stores only your four-date plan in this browser. It does not simulate rank or guarantee an unlock.
0 of 4 contest dates planned. One date can hold only one division.
Crop Division
Crop quality and branding are related but not identical states.
Copper Star
1.25×
Crop quality testing
Silver Star
1.50×
Crop quality testing
Gold Star
1.75×
Crop quality testing
Branded / Contest Winner
2.00×
Crop quality testing
A Gold-star crop is enough to secure S Rank in the Crop division according to current testing. Repeatedly harvesting the same crop raises its quality progression, but the exact harvest count varies by crop.
Winning crops can be given a custom brand name. One winning crop does not brand every crop. The page does not invent Diamond, Platinum or Rainbow tiers.
Review crop seasons, growth and sell valuesThese multipliers are primarily for crop quality testing. Do not apply the 2.00× branded-crop figure automatically to every animal product or processed item.
Livestock Division
Enter the animal itself, not its egg, milk, wool or other product.
Check the Barn Before Day 27
If the Cow Ghost is affecting your livestock barn, animal Mood cannot stay at maximum. Resolve the problem before entering an animal you want to earn S Rank with. Do not rely on an unverified exact purification timing formula.
Review Night AnomaliesPet once per day and maintain regular feeding and care. Shrine friendship skills such as 動物仲良し術 and 動物仲良し術＋ can make preparation easier by accelerating interaction gains, but this page does not duplicate their costs or invent a multiplier.
Contest-Linked Unlocks
Animal prices, growth, products and color variants remain on the Livestock and Shops guides.
Livestock unlock
Participate in a Livestock Contest; the result does not need to be A or S Rank.
Chinana sends mail before the animal becomes available.
Livestock unlock
Earn A Rank or higher in a Livestock Contest, then wait for Chinana's mail.
Livestock unlock
Earn S Rank with a Chicken in the Livestock Contest.
Patch-sensitive
Current patched guidance requires two Livestock S-Rank results.
Earlier versions had an unlock bug on some platforms. Check the latest game update if the animal does not appear.
Animal color variants such as brown, black and kinako are not listed as contest rewards unless the canonical Livestock data explicitly assigns that relationship.
Branding and Delivery
A contest result helps the delivery chain; it does not directly award the Greenhouse.
01
Contest S Rank
02
Brand crop or animal
03
Branded product
04
High-Quality Delivery Catalog
05
Greenhouse
High-Quality Crops
High-Quality Livestock Products
High-Quality Animal Fiber
The crop group is Branded Rice ×5, Tea ×5 and Soybean ×5. Livestock products are Branded Milk ×5, Egg ×5 and Truffle ×5. Animal Fiber is Branded Wool ×5, Cashmere ×3 and Horse Tail ×5. Rare Gems are part of the same delivery category but do not come from contests.
Day 26 / Day 27
Day 26
Day 27 morning
System Boundary
The four major seasonal festivals remain on their own calendar.
Cherry Blossom Viewing, Summer Festival, Harvest Festival and Year-End Festival are separate from the recurring 品評会. For festival dates and limited stalls, use the Festivals Guide.
FAQ
Contests are held on Day 27 of every season from 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM at the Village Plaza.
No. Each contest lets you choose one division: Crops, Livestock or Horse. Because there are four contest dates per year, planning your entries matters.
Current testing shows that submitting a Gold-star crop secures S Rank and brands that crop.
Your animal needs maximum Mood and Affection level 5. With maximum Mood, Affection 0–1 gives B Rank, 2–4 gives A Rank and 5 gives S Rank.
Check Mood. Livestock need maximum Mood as well as maximum Affection. The Cow Ghost can prevent animals in the barn from reaching maximum Mood.
Winning a contest can brand a crop or animal. Branded crops reach the highest quality tier, while branded livestock produce branded higher-quality products.
Participate in a Livestock contest. The result does not need to be A or S Rank.
Earn A Rank or higher in a Livestock contest, then wait for Chinana's mail.
Current patched guidance requires two Livestock S-Rank results. Earlier versions had an unlock bug on some platforms, so update the game if the animal does not appear after meeting the requirement.
Earn S Rank with a Chicken in the contest.
Yes. The High-Quality Goods delivery chain requires branded crops and branded livestock products, and completing that delivery category is part of unlocking the Greenhouse.
After participating and leaving the Village Plaza, the clock advances to 4:00 PM, so finish important morning tasks before entering.
Related Guides
Follow the canonical system guide instead of duplicating its records here.
Written by: Village in the Shade Guide Editorial Team
Last updated: August 27, 2026
Sources: Official publisher and storefront pages, released-game research and linked source notes.