SIXTEEN-YEAR-OLD Tiffany Maestrale from Somerville was chosen to represent Victoria in the National Merino Fleece Young Judges Championships which were hosted by the Melbourne Royal Show at the start of October.

One of six chosen nationally, Tiffany is considered one of the most promising young judges of Merino fleece, with the year 11 student gaining experience in wool sheds classing and skirting Corriedale wool.

Participating in Young Judges competitions around Victoria, Tiffany credits these opportunities with building her confidence in public speaking.

Qualification to represent the state at a national is via success in these competitive regional and state competitions.

The Merino Fleece Young Judges competition is designed to determine who can most accurately rank four fleeces of a similar wool type in order from first to fourth.

Dr. Rob Wilson, chairman of Agricultural Shows Australia, said the competition recognises the best new talent in livestock judging nationwide.

"It's an extremely prestigious event, and positions at the nationals are keenly contested," Dr. Wilson explains.

"These young people are the future of agricultural show competitions, which are crucial to the continual improvement of Australia's food and fibre.

“The national competition is a coveted opportunity to grow personally and professionally by practising skills against the cream of the crop."

The Merino Fleece Young Judges competition is sponsored by Australian Wool Innovation.