Some of the country's best beef bulls will enter the virtual show ring from next Tuesday to vie for a prize pool worth $8000 and the chance to catch the attention of potential buyers from around the world.
A total of 83 bulls have entered Australian Community Media's Sire Shootout, which will be broadcast from 7pm on July 7-9 across the North Queensland Register, Queensland Country Life, The Land, Stock and Land, Stock Journal and Farm Weekly websites.
Bos indicus and tropically adapted bull judge Brett Nobbs of NCC Brahmans, Qld, will have his work cut out selecting his top five from a class of 47 bulls on Tuesday night while Steve Crowley, Tycolah Poll Herefords, NSW, will pick a top five in each of the British and European bull classes on Wednesday.
Respected cattlemen David Bondfield, Palgrove, Qld, will then award the $5000 supreme bull winner sponsored by GDL and the runner up bull who will win $2000 in Riverina products.
The public will also have a chance to vote for their favourite in the viewer's choice competition with the winning bull to receive $1000 in ACM advertising credit.
GDL's Harvey Weyman-Jones said the competition was about more than winning prizes and was a great new marketing opportunity.
In a similar style competition, more than 40,000 people tuned into The Land's 2020 Beef Battle earlier this year from at least 50 different countries and many entrants reported private sale offers or interest in semen and egg collection.
Mr Weyman-Jones said the Sire Shootout had the potential to grow into a big feature of the stud stock sale year.
"It provides a new opportunity for buyers to sit at home and watch on their laptops or computers a broad mix of breeds showing the top lots from each stud that are coming up for sale over the next few months," he said.
"I don't see this as just a one off competition.
"As the sales progress throughout the year there will be an opportunity for us to mention particular bulls that might have been entered in the competition and be able to draw attention to the fact that this bull was nominated for the Sire Shootout or this bull won the Sire Shootout.
"I see this as good exposure and marketing over quite a good amount of time. For the next few months there will be mention of it throughout the sales."
GDL is the largest independent livestock agency in Australia based on cattle numbers with 20 branches throughout Queensland and also in Alice Springs. Competing at Dalby, Roma, Blackall and Gracemere selling complexes, GDL has the greatest market share of saleyard numbers.
ACM livestock advertising representative Sheree Kershaw said the industry was buzzing with excitement ahead of the live judging.
"This is a new marketing solution and opportunity for our clients given the current COVID-19 environment," she said.
"We know it's not perfect timing for everyone with bull sales but the aim is to get eyes on these bulls and generate that interest before they hit the sale ring."
ACM national livestock manager Brett Tindal said off the back of The Land's 2020 Beef Battle, there was an opportunity to build on the exposure.
"We saw an opportunity to create an event that gave those selling bulls into the spring exposure before they went to sales in various states," he said.