Junior National Outdoor Championships 2025: New round created

A new 900 round, which is 90 arrows in total, 30 at each distance, all shot on a 122cm face.

There will be handicaps, classifications, national records, and new award badges available for the new 900 round.

The St George, Albion, and Windsor rounds, which are 36 arrows per distance, are all shot on a 122cm face. 

Changing the format of the Junior National Outdoor Championships is not a decision we have taken lightly. The current format has a long history and hasn't been changed for many decades. However, the event has developed a reputation as an endurance test, with both days often running around 12 hours long. With it taking place in term time, and with many of the juniors back at school on Monday, we have received ongoing feedback that the number of hours is too demanding for many of the archers, especially those at the younger end.

Therefore, we’ve decided to create shorter rounds that allow for a slightly later start and an earlier finish each day, which hopefully will be a more enjoyable experience for all the participants. A group of volunteers have been working on this change for two years, and have explored a number of possible alternatives. They've been searching for the best option that strikes a balance between endurance and brevity, while also keeping things relevant for older, more competitive archers, and accessible for younger, less experienced archers.

This year's format remains in some ways an experiment, and one we would like to invite you all to join us in. We will be actively seeking feedback after the event and will review the plans for 2026 accordingly.

The new 900 family of rounds will be added to the Archery GB rule book, gaining handicaps, classifications (up to Bowman 1st class by age group), and national records. At this stage, neither round will be eligible for Junior Master Bowman claims, however this will be reviewed next year as part of the first formal review of the new classifications due for the 2026 summer season. We will be introducing a new Bronze Target Award, with scores for junior archers shooting the 1440, 720, and 900 family of rounds. These badges will be available to claim on the Saturday of the competition. Score thresholds will be published in due course.

There will also be a new Junior National Ranking system for 2025, and rounds shot on both days of JNOC will be eligible for the rankings. Exact details of the system are still being confirmed - watch out for an announcement before the end of March.