What Career Development Events Are
FFA career development events (CDEs) are hands-on and knowledge contests where members show skills they could use in an agricultural career. National FFA describes career and leadership development events as competitions for members in grades 7 to 12 that build critical thinking and decision-making skills, run at the local, state and national levels. In Hawaii, the list of CDEs is broader than you might expect, because speaking, creed and meeting-procedure contests are also called CDEs in Hawaii sources. This guide covers the whole Hawaii list; the leadership events guide looks closer at the speaking and parliamentary events.
Events Hawaii State FFA Offers
A school CTE program page, Kalani High's FFA page, lists these Hawaii State FFA career development events:
- Agricultural Demonstration
- Commodity Display
- Educational Exhibit
- Extemporaneous Public Speaking
- FFA Creed Recitation
- FFA Essay
- Floriculture
- Job Interview
- Ornamental Plant Identification
- Parliamentary Procedure Demonstration
- Prepared Public Speaking
- Vegetable Judging
The Hawaii Department of Education's winners lists show the event slate in recent years. The 2026 list includes Junior and Senior Creed Recitation, Extemporaneous and Prepared Public Speaking, Employment Skills, Agriculture Demonstration, Plant Identification, Vegetable Judging, Floriculture, Parliamentary Procedure, High School Records, FFA Essay, FFA Quiz, Agriculture Issues, Commodity Display and Educational Display. The 2025 list is similar, with Chapter Records in place of High School Records and no Agriculture Issues. Event names and offerings shift from year to year, so check the current state schedule.
Where and When Contests Happen
- District level: The Oahu District FFA CDE competition was held December 14, 2024 at Kahala Elementary School, with 148 students and 26 guests. Contests included Prepared Public Speaking, Floriculture, FFA Creed and Parliamentary Procedure, along with knowledge contests, per a CTAHR report. Four CTAHR faculty members judged contests.
- State convention: In 2026 the FFA state conference was held at Konawaena High School on Hawaii Island, according to the Department of Education. In 2023 it was held on Oahu with more than 250 members from Hawaii Island, Maui, Molokai, Oahu and Kauai, per Hawaii Public Radio, with contests in public speaking, corsage making and agricultural science.
- An earlier convention: A student newspaper reported an April 3 to 5 state convention at McKinley High School whose CDE categories included Agricultural Demonstration, Plant Identification, Corsage Making, Prepared Speaking and Creed Recitation, per the Trojan Times.
Hawaii's FFA presence is growing. In 2023, Hawaii Public Radio reported about 22 high schools and one intermediate school with chapters, and said the number of schools with FFA had doubled over the past five years.
Categories at a Glance
Plant and food contests
Floriculture, Plant Identification, Ornamental Plant Identification, Vegetable Judging and the corsage contest fit well in an island setting, where flower and plant knowledge is a real career skill. Ask your advisor which plants or varieties are on your study list.
Presentation and exhibit contests
Agricultural Demonstration, Commodity Display and Educational Exhibit reward preparation: a clear topic, a practiced delivery and tidy materials.
Career skills
Job Interview and Employment Skills test the skills of applying for a job. The Hawaii Department of Education 2026 list includes Employment Skills, and the Kalani list includes Job Interview.
Written and knowledge contests
FFA Essay, FFA Quiz and Agriculture Issues are on the winners lists. Records contests ask chapters or members to show their record keeping.
What Results Look Like
The Trojan Times convention report shows how varied the contests are for one school. McKinley students placed first in Prepared Speaking, Plant Identification and Creed Recitation, took second in Agricultural Demonstration, and competed in Corsage Making without placing. Two students teamed up for Plant Identification and another pair entered both Agricultural Demonstration and Corsage Making. The lesson for new members is that you can enter more than one contest, and you can compete as a pair or team in some events.
The report did not explain how winners advance, so ask your advisor how district and state results connect to national competition.
Why Students Compete
The Kalani High page gives the FFA motto as "Learning to Do, Doing to Learn, Earning to Live, Living to Serve." It says Hawaii State FFA offers competitions, volunteering and more, and notes that chapter members have volunteered at the Hawaii State Farm Fair. A Kohala High student quoted by the Department of Education said FFA helped her build speaking skills and the ability to connect with people from many backgrounds.
Getting Started
- Join your school's FFA chapter and tell your advisor which events interest you.
- Ask for the current state event list and handbook, because event offerings change.
- Start with a district contest. Oahu's December CDE day is a low-pressure first step.
- Practice with timed runs; many contests are scored on preparation, accuracy and delivery.
- Invite local professionals to judge practice rounds, as chapters have done with university faculty.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who can compete in FFA events?
National FFA describes its career and leadership events as open to members in grades 7 to 12.
Where was the 2026 Hawaii FFA state conference?
At Konawaena High School on Hawaii Island, the only one of the five career and technical student organization conferences held outside Honolulu that year.
Are speaking contests CDEs in Hawaii?
Hawaii sources list public speaking, creed and parliamentary procedure with the career development events. See the leadership events guide for more.
Where can I see past winners?
The Hawaii Department of Education posts yearly FFA winners lists.
Hawaii Listings Covered by This Guide
- Campbell High School FFA Chapter
FFA chapter at Campbell High School whose students competed in the 2026 Hawaii FFA state contests alongside 20 other chapters from across the islands.
HI - Hawaii FFA Association
Statewide FFA chapters in Hawaii public schools; the 2026 state convention was hosted by Konawaena High School on Hawaii Island, with career development contests and service projects.
Kealakekua, HI - Honokaa High School FFA Chapter
FFA chapter at Honokaa High School whose students competed in the 2026 Hawaii FFA state contests alongside 20 other chapters from across the islands.
HI - Kalani High School FFA Chapter
FFA chapter at Kalani High School whose students competed in the 2026 Hawaii FFA state contests alongside 20 other chapters from across the islands.
HI - Kapolei High School FFA Chapter
FFA chapter at Kapolei High School whose students competed in the 2026 Hawaii FFA state contests alongside 20 other chapters from across the islands.
HI - Kauai High School FFA Chapter
FFA chapter at Kauai High School whose students competed in the 2026 Hawaii FFA state contests alongside 20 other chapters from across the islands.
HI - Keaau High School FFA Chapter
FFA chapter at Keaau High School whose students competed in the 2026 Hawaii FFA state contests alongside 20 other chapters from across the islands.
HI - Kealakehe High School FFA Chapter
FFA chapter at Kealakehe High School whose students competed in the 2026 Hawaii FFA state contests alongside 20 other chapters from across the islands.
HI - Kohala High School FFA Chapter
FFA chapter at Kohala High School whose students competed in the 2026 Hawaii FFA state contests alongside 20 other chapters from across the islands.
HI - Kohala Middle School FFA Chapter
FFA chapter at Kohala Middle School whose students competed in the 2026 Hawaii FFA state contests alongside 20 other chapters from across the islands.
HI - Leilehua High School FFA Chapter
FFA chapter at Leilehua High School whose students competed in the 2026 Hawaii FFA state contests alongside 20 other chapters from across the islands.
HI - McKinley High School FFA Chapter
FFA chapter at McKinley High School whose students competed in the 2026 Hawaii FFA state contests alongside 20 other chapters from across the islands.
HI - Mililani High School FFA Chapter
FFA chapter at Mililani High School whose students competed in the 2026 Hawaii FFA state contests alongside 20 other chapters from across the islands.
HI - Molokai High School FFA Chapter
FFA chapter at Molokai High School whose students competed in the 2026 Hawaii FFA state contests alongside 20 other chapters from across the islands.
HI - Waipahu High School FFA Chapter
FFA chapter at Waipahu High School whose students competed in the 2026 Hawaii FFA state contests alongside 20 other chapters from across the islands.
HI - Waipahu Intermediate School FFA Chapter
FFA chapter at Waipahu Intermediate School whose students competed in the 2026 Hawaii FFA state contests alongside 20 other chapters from across the islands.
HI
Guide checked Nov. 11, 2026. Rules and dates change; confirm with the organizer.