First Time On Stage
How To Compete In Your First NPC Show
To compete in an NPC bodybuilding show you need a current NPC athlete membership, a division, and an entry in a specific show. In that order. You do not need experience, an invitation, or a qualifying result: NPC shows are open to first-time competitors, and every division has a Novice class for athletes who have not won one before.
This page covers the sequence and what show day looks like. It links the federation's rulebook rather than summarising it, because a summary that drifts out of date is how someone gets a deduction on stage.
Get your NPC card
Every competitor needs a current NPC athlete membership before they can enter. You buy it directly from the federation at npcusamembership.com. The NPC sets that price and collects it, not us, so check it there rather than trusting a number on any promoter's site.
Pick your division
The division you enter decides how you are judged, so this is the decision to get right first. We contest 9 divisions: Men's Bodybuilding, Classic Physique, Men's Physique, Figure, Bikini, Wellness, Women's Physique, Fitness and Fit Model. Each has classes split by height, weight or age. Read the judging criteria for each before you commit.
Register for the show
Registration for the 2027 season is not open yet, and we would rather tell you that than send you to a form that cannot take your entry. Registration runs through Muscleware when it opens. Join the waitlist and you will be emailed the day it does.
Learn the rules for your division
Posing requirements, suits, tanning and music are set by the federation and differ by division. They also change. We link the official NPC rulebook rather than paraphrasing it here, because a summary that drifts out of date is how someone gets a deduction on stage.
Show up ready for a long day
A show is a full day, not an evening. Doors open at 8:00 AM, prejudging starts at 9:00 AM, there is a break from 2:00 PM to 5:00 PM, and finals begin at 5:00 PM. Prejudging is not the warm-up: it is where placings are decided. Finals are the presentation.
Next show
Ronnie Coleman Classic — April 2, 2027 at Round Up Inn, Fort Worth, TX.