2027 NCA National Specialty

06/25/2026

Bigfoot Challenge Stickers in the house! They’ll start going out in the mail next week - watch for them coming your way. Want to get in on the action? Post your pictures to the Bigfoot Challenge - download the NCA member app or post in the NCA National Specialty Facebook Group

06/22/2026

Kick off the 2027 NCA National with Iron Newf!
Like IronMan competitors, IronNewf entrants tackle three disciplines — each one showcasing the unique qualities that define the Newfoundland breed as described in the standard. Dogs qualifying in all three sports earn the honorary title of “IronNewf.”

Conceived by Kevin and Laura Gallagher and previously offered at the 2017 Oregon National, IronNewf returns — bigger and better than ever.

• Crystal-clear lake perfect for water exercises
• Expansive grass areas for obedience
• Scenic paths, gentle slopes & varied terrain for draft
• Community building with fireplace
• Hotels, RV parks & dining nearby
• Approx. 1 hr 15 min from the National site

Reach out to event chairs Kathy Mitchell & Laura Gallagher - [email protected]
for advice, training tips and more information.

06/19/2026

🎉 Thank You for Making the 2026 NCA National Specialty a Success! 🎉

From exhibitors and competitors to volunteers, sponsors, vendors, and spectators—thank you for being part of an incredible week celebrating the Newfoundland Dog and our community.

Now we'd love to hear from you!

Your feedback will help us build on this year's successes and make future National Specialties even better. Tell us what you enjoyed, what could be improved, and what you'd like to see in the years ahead.

Every response helps us create an even more memorable experience for our members, participants, and future attendees.

📝 Take the survey today: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/L82KQ8Z

Thank you for your time, your support, and for helping shape the future of NCA National Specialties!

06/16/2026

🎩✨ Where the Curious Becomes Extraordinary — Honoring Our Standouts! ✨🎩

Tick, Tock, Wonderland is calling! The Newfoundland Club of America invites you to join us for the 2027 Top 20/10 celebration, themed "Through the Looking Glass" — inspired by the whimsical world of Johnny Depp's Alice in Wonderland. Think top hats, pocket watches, and a Mad Hatter's flair worthy of our magnificent Newfs. More details from chairs Kathy Wortham and Debbie Paxton on costumes, décor, and festivities to come — but start dreaming up your looks now for this night to remember!

And what better way to set the mood than with this breathtaking artwork by the incredibly talented Bianchi Nicoletta of Maleopaint! 🎨 In this gorgeous watercolor illustration, a magnificent black Newfoundland leaps boldly through the looking glass while a sleepy Landseer puppy dreams of Wonderland below. Every detail is intentional, every brushstroke pure magic. We are so honored to have such extraordinary artistry representing our event!

But first — what IS the Top 20/10?

The Top 20/10 celebrates the year's most accomplished Newfoundlands in both the conformation and obedience rings. Points and scores are tabulated from November 1 through October 31 each year.

🏆 TOP 20 CONFORMATION

Points are earned at every AKC-licensed show where Newfoundlands compete — all-breed shows and specialties alike:

🐾 Best of Breed earns points equal to the total number of Newfoundlands in competition at that show, minus one.

🐾 Best of Opposite S*x earns points equal to the number of Newfoundlands of that s*x in competition, minus one.

🐾 Selects at the National Specialty earn points calculated as: (total Newfoundlands of that s*x in competition, minus one) ÷ (total number of selects of that s*x) — with a cap of 50% of the points earned by the BOB or BOS winner of the same s*x.

🐾 AKC Selects at Regional Specialties earns points equal to the number of Newfoundlands of that s*x in competition, minus two.

🏅 TOP 10 OBEDIENCE

🐾 The Top 10 honors our most dedicated performance Newfs. Rankings are determined by the average of each dog's three highest scores earned in regular AKC obedience shows during the competition year.

06/11/2026

ANNOUNCING: THE INAUGURAL AKC AND NCA ART SHOW
WEDNESDAY MAY 19 AT 3:30 PM 2027
RESORT AT MT. HOOD • WELCHES, OR

The Newfoundland has inspired artists for as long as the breed has been known. Edwin Landseer made the breed immortal on canvas. Potters, sculptors, watercolorists, photographers, and needleworkers have returned to that
great black form again and again — drawn to the water in the fur, the patience in the eyes, the sheer presence of a dog that seems to understand something the rest of us are still working out.

In 2027, we are giving that creative community a stage. The Newfoundland Club of America is proud to announce the inaugural NCA National Specialty Art Show and Competition, held during the week of the National at the Resort at Mt. Hood — and presented in partnership with the AKC Museum of the Dog in New York City.

The reception is the heart of the event. On Wednesday the gallery opens for an afternoon of wine, appetizers, and the company of fellow artists and breed enthusiasts.

We want the person who has spent thirty years painting in oil and the person who just finished their first needlework portrait of their first Newf to feel equally welcome. Seven categories make room for every medium:
• Fine Art (2D) — oil, acrylic, watercolor, pastel, ink, charcoal, mixed media
• Sculpture & 3D Work — clay, bronze, wood, stone, wire, felting, ceramic, stained glass
• Photography — print, digital, photographic manipulation
• Textile & Fiber Arts — needlepoint, embroidery, quilting, knitting, weaving, hooking
• Jewelry & Decorative Arts — wearable art, enamel, metalsmithing, decorative objects
• Digital & Graphic Arts — digital illustration, graphic design, printmaking
• Junior Artist Category — all media welcome, open to artists under 18 (free entry)
Works need not be recent — a painting from ten years ago, a quilt that took three years to finish, a photograph from a beloved working dog's career, all are eligible. The only requirement is that a Newfoundland appears in the work.

Every accepted artist receives a Certificate of Exhibition bearing the NCA and AKC Museum of the Dog logos. Best in Category ribbons honor the strongest work in each medium. And the two highest honors —
Judge's Choice (selected by a juror appointed jointly by the NCA and the Museum) and People's Choice (voted by attendees at the reception) — carry an honor with no equivalent in the purebred dog community: display at the AKC Museum of the Dog in New York City, with the artist's name and the 2027 NCA National Specialty acknowledged in the exhibition.

What to do now

The official call for entries opens this summer with full submission guidelines, deadlines, and category specifications. In the meantime: start creating. Pull out the painting you set aside last winter. Finish the needlepoint piece in the drawer. Photograph your dog in the light you love. Watch this this space and the National Insider newsletter for the entry announcement — and start thinking about what you would most like see at the Museum of the Dog.

THE INAUGURAL NCA ART SHOW
A NEW TRADITION, IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE AKC MUSEUM OF THE DOG
A competition designed for everyone The Art Show is not a sideshow to the National Specialty. It is an argument for what a National Specialty can be — and we cannot wait to see what you bring.

06/09/2026

A look at the
2027 NCA National Specialty Logos

The visual identity for the 2027 National Specialty roots the event in the landscape of Mount Hood through two deeply American artistic traditions — and extends an open invitation to everyone who has ever walked a dirt path beside a great dog.

The logo's arrowhead silhouette — the National Park Service's iconic badge since 1951 — frames everything inside it as belonging to a specific, protected piece of American wilderness. Its interior is rendered in the style of WPA-era National Park travel posters: flat areas of saturated color, crisp silhouettes, and the graphic boldness that made those 1930s and 40s images feel less like advertisements than mythology. Mount Hood rises in clean grays and whites against a Pacific-blue sky. The still water below is unmistakably Trillium Lake, whose mirror-surface reflection of Hood's peak is one of the most iconic vistas in the Pacific Northwest — pinning the image to a specific square mile of Oregon near Welches. At the base, a spray of soft pink rhododendron blossoms completes the sense of place: the Pacific rhododendron is Oregon's state flower, blooming on Hood's lower slopes in exactly the season of the National Specialty.

The companion banner image opens up the frame and brings the story to life. Where the logo presents the landscape as emblem, the banner puts us inside it — at the edge of Trillium Lake, with Hood reflected in the water beyond the tree line. A Newfoundland strides in the foreground, nose forward, fully at home on the sandy shore. Beside him, a child walks in easy companionship, the posture of someone who has gone exactly where they intended to go.
To their right, a classic National Park routed-wood sign reads: Adventure Awaits.

The tagline earns its place. It speaks to the dog show, yes — to the rings and the titles and the anticipation of the week ahead. But it speaks just as directly to the trail around the lake, the reflection of the mountain at first light, and the particular joy of arriving somewhere magnificent with a Newfoundland at your side. The entire visual identity says the same thing the sign does: come to Oregon, bring your dog, and see what happens next.

06/06/2026

Mark your calendars for May 15-22, 2027! The 2027 NCA National Specialty at Mt. Hood promises an unforgettable week filled with events tailored for every Newfoundland enthusiast. From conformation shows to the whimsical "Through the Looking Glass" celebration, there's something for everyone. Plus, join our year-long Bigfoot Adventure Challenge and explore the great outdoors with your dog. Don’t miss this chance to connect with fellow lovers of the breed and create lasting memories.

https://conta.cc/4dTOJgV

Email from Newfoundland Club of America Stay up to date on what we have planned for the 2027 National Specialty!   Adventure Awaits May 15- 22, 2027 • The Resort at Mt Hood • Welches, Oregon   A look

06/03/2026

The 2027 NCA National Specialty - Mount Hood, Oregon

A Landmark Destination for a Landmark Event

We are thrilled to share the breathtaking beauty of Mount Hood as the backdrop for the 2027 Newfoundland Club of America National Specialty. Rising more than 11,000 feet above the Columbia River Gorge, Oregon's crown jewel is one of the most iconic peaks in the Pacific Northwest — and the perfect setting for a gathering of the country's most iconic dogs.

Year-round glaciers sweep down ancient volcanic slopes into valleys laced with wildflower meadows and old-growth forest. Alpine trails wind through some of the most spectacular scenery in the American West, offering everything from gentle lakeside strolls to rewarding summit-view hikes — the kind of wide-open terrain Newfs were born to explore.

May 15-22, 2027 - The Resort at Mt Hood - Welches, OR