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NFAA Indoor National Championships 2026
The NFAA Indoor Nationals brings together the top NFAA archers from around the U.S. to shoot the iconic 40 cm, blue and white face. The tournament, now in its 45th year, was started in 1980 in Omaha, NE with just 500 attendees. It has called several cities home, including Kansas City, Tulsa, Louisville, and Chicago.
The 2026 Indoor Nationals will take place March 6–8 at the Renasant Convention Center, a modern venue located in the heart of downtown Memphis. Read more about this new venue here.
The event will be held exclusively at the convention center, with dedicated space for competition ranges, practice, a full trade show, and secure equipment storage—all under one roof to create a seamless experience for archers and attendees alike.
Coming Soon!
registration CANCELLATION POLICY
All registrations are subject to a $25 cancellation fee. Cancellations must be made in writing on or before the Early Registration Deadline. No refunds will be issued after the Early Registration Deadline. Please email all cancellation requests to info@nfaausa.com.
PROOF OF MEMBERSHIP
All archers must have proof of NFAA membership at the tournament site. All memberships are subject to verification at any time during the tournament.
AWARDS
The NFAA's iconic silver bowls and National Champion patches will be awarded to division champions, and medallions will be awarded for 2nd and 3rd place. Cash prizes will be awarded to Professional divisions and scholarships will be awarded to Collegiate division winners.
Equipment rules
All equipment must adhere to NFAA rules as stated in the NFAA By-Laws, Article II.
Event rules
1. Two whistle blasts = archers to the line. One whistle blast starts shooting and the clock. Three blasts = retrieve arrows and score. Five or more blasts = Emergency; stop shooting. STOP IMMEDIATELY.
2. You, the archer, are responsible for your equipment to comply with NFAA rules. It is also your responsibility to confirm you are shooting in the correct style and division. If you are registered in the wrong division or style, this must be corrected prior to shooting your first arrow for score. Archers may only register in ONE division, ONE style, and ONE location and will remain in the same division for the duration of the event. Archers that register in more than one location or division will have the additional registrations disqualified and will forfeit any registration fees paid.
3. Maximum arrow shaft diameter allowed in NFAA competition will be 0.422 inches, with point diameter not to exceed 0.425 inches. The shaft diameter will include any wrap placed on the arrow and will include the size of the nock and the nock insert. If the arrow wrap, nock, or nock adapter exceed 0.422 inches in diameter and are embedded in the scoring area of the target, the arrow shall not be scored and will be reshot.
4. Target pins cannot be larger than 1.5” in any dimension from the surface of the target face. Archers will be provided x1 set of four (4) target pins in their registration packet. Additional target pins will not be supplied in the shooting halls.
5. No archer shall draw a bow in any manner that if accidentally released could fly beyond a safety zone or a safety arrangement over shoot area, backstop, etc. A warning will be given on the first instance. Second instance will require removal of archer from event.
6. All protests must be in writing and turned in to the Tournament Chairman within one hour after the finish of the shooting line where the protest happened. The protest must be accompanied by $50 cash, which will be refunded if the protest is upheld.
7. Any individual wishing to file a protest against another archer must inform that individual in the presence of a tournament official that a protest will be filed. Both individuals have the right to be present during the meeting of the protest committee. All protests must be submitted within one hour after the line on which the alleged offense occurred.
8. Electronic scoring will be utilized for all archers. Electronic scoring will be considered an official form of scoring and failure to comply may result in disqualification of that day’s scores. Event staff will be available to assist with electronic scoring.
9. An archer’s age will be determined by their actual birth date and their physical age as of the first day of the originally scheduled competition.
10. Any equipment that impairs the hearing of the competitor will not be allowed on the shooting line. This is a safety issue and will be enforced.
11. Pro Division Dress Code applies to all NFAA Pro Sanctioned Events.
SCORING RULES
1. Each archer will shoot one standard NFAA Indoor Round each day, for two days during their registered event dates. Each standard round will consist of 60 arrows shot at a distance of 20 yards. Cubs will shoot at 10 yards. Each round shall consist of twelve ends of five arrows per end.
2. Target:
a. The target shall be 40 cm. in diameter and shall be of a dull blue color. The spot shall be two white rings with blue X in center ring. All inscribed scoring rings shall be white.
b. The bullseye shall be 8 cm. in diameter with a 4 cm. X-ring.
c. If using the NFAA Indoor Five Spot Target: An archer may shoot any of the 5 spots in any order and shoot as many arrows into any one spot as the archer desires, not to exceed the prescribed number of arrows per end. Scoring shall be five points for the combined 4 cm. X-ring and 8 cm. white ring and four points for the combined 12 cm. and 16 cm. blue rings.
3. An archer must straddle the shooting line. A disabled archer shooting from a chair or wheelchair will place the chair legs or wheels straddling the shooting line.
4. The time limit shall be four minutes per end.
5. In the event of equipment failure, the archer will have fifteen minutes repair time without holding up the tournament. One practice end will be allowed. The archer shall be allowed to shoot any arrows he or she did not shoot during the fifteen minutes repair time, after the final end.
6. Prior to each shooting line there will be 2 ends of official practice on your assigned target. Scoring begins immediately after the two practice ends; no additional practice ends will be shot.
7. Scoring:
a. The scoring is 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 from the spot out.
b. X-rings shall be counted and used as tie breakers and will be considered part of the official score. Ties for first, second and third place in the Professional Divisions will be determined by shoot off. Shoot offs will be one practice end, followed by one end where only the x ring scores 5. Then additional ends where
only the x ring scores 5, scored inside out, until ties are broken. All ends are sudden death.
Ties for first place only, in the Junior, Adult & Senior (not professional) divisions, will be determined by shoot-off. Same shoot off format as above. All other ties will receive duplicate awards.
c. Archer shall record X’s and the numeric value of each arrow in each scoring box before touching or drawing any arrows from the target. No archer may touch the target face before all arrows are scored.
d. An arrow cutting two rings shall be scored in the ring of greater value. Scoring is determined by the position of the shaft. In all NFAA Rounds, an arrow shaft need only touch the line to be counted in the area of next higher value.
e. In the event the scoring ring has become distorted due to torn or missing paper, the scorer shall visually reconstruct the natural arc of the scoring ring to determine the value of the arrow(s).
f. Witnessed bounce outs or arrows passing completely through the target will be re-shot.
g. Hits on the wrong target will be scored as misses.
h. When an arrow is dropped while the archer is in the act of shooting, he/she may shoot another arrow in place of the dropped arrow if any portion of the dropped arrow is within ten feet of the shooting line.
i. If an archer shoots more than the prescribed number of arrows in an end, the excess arrow or arrows of higher value will not be scored. A penalty of one scoring ring (1 point and 1 X if applicable) will be assessed for each arrow shot over the prescribed number of arrows.
j. If an archer shoots less than the prescribed number of arrows in one end he/she may shoot his/her remaining arrows if the omission is discovered before the end is officially completed; otherwise they shall be scored as misses.
k. The target group, which generally consists of four archers, will select a score caller, two scorekeepers, and a target captain. The target captain shall be the judge of disputed arrows on his/her target. When a captain’s arrows are in question, the majority of the group shall decide the status of the target captain’s arrows. When a line judge has been appointed and an appeal is made to the line judge, the line judges call will be final.
l. Scorecards must have all totals correct and in the proper place. Both scorekeepers and the archer must sign the scorecard. A scorecard submitted with incorrect total(s) may be disqualified.
m. Scorecards and tablets should be turned in within 30 minutes of the end of the assigned round. All scoring on the official scorecards must be completed in INK. Any changes on the official scorecard must be agreed upon and initialed by all archers in the scoring group. Any archer turning in an incorrect scorecard will be subject to disqualification.
registration to open in fall 2025
The Early Registration Deadline is February 23, 2026. A $50 late fee will apply after this date.
Late registrations will be accepted onsite until March 6, 2026. The late registration fee will apply.
All registrants must be NFAA members in good standing through the date of the event.
Junior Divisions
Cub (11 & under)
Youth (12-14)
Young Adult (15-17)
Barebow
Barebow Recurve
Bowhunter Freestyle
Freestyle
Freestyle Limited Recurve
Junior archers who wish to compete in a higher age class than his/her birthdate would normally dictate are required to have a parent/guardian complete the one-time Parental Authorization form.
Adult & Senior Divisions
Adult (18+ years)
Senior (50+ years)
Silver Senior (60+ years)
Master Senior (70+ years)
Barebow
Barebow Recurve
Bowhunter Freestyle
Freestyle
Freestyle Limited
Freestyle Limited Recurve
Longbow (Adult Division Only)
Traditional
Crossbow (Adult Division Only)
Professional Divisions
Professional*
Professional Senior (50+)
Professional Silver Senior (60+)
Professional Master Senior (70+)
Freestyle
*Archers under the age of 18 are required to have a parent/guardian complete the one-time Parental Authorization form to become a NFAA Professional.
Collegiate add-on
Bowhunter Freestyle
Freestyle
Freestyle Limited Recurve
Recurve Barebow
Collegiate archers will compete in their regular division and scores will also count toward their collegiate placement. Winners in each divisions will earn a $250 scholarship! Additional scholarships may be available for 2nd and 3rd place winners dependent on participation.
IMPORTANT! To be eligible for the collegiate competition, the archer must first hold a valid NFAA Collegiate Membership or NFAA Collegiate Add-On Membership (for Professional/Life members). Learn more on the NFAA Collegiate Program page.
REGISTRATION CANCELLATION POLICY
All registrations are subject to a $25 cancellation fee. Cancellations must be made in writing on or before the Early Registration Deadline. No refunds will be issued after the Early Registration Deadline. Please email all cancellation requests to info@nfaausa.com.
collegiate divisions!
Collegiate archers can purchase an add-on to their Indoor National Championships registration to be eligible for collegiate awards and scholarships! Scores will be pulled from the archer's division for Indoor Nationals into the respective collegiate division.
Collegiate divisions
Collegiate Male Barebow Recurve
Collegiate Female Barebow Recurve
Collegiate Male Bowhunter Freestyle
Collegiate Female Bowhunter Freestyle
Collegiate Male Freestyle
Collegiate Female Freestyle
Collegiate Male Freestyle Limited Recurve
Collegiate Female Freestyle Limited Recurve
requirements
Must hold either a NFAA Collegiate Membership or NFAA Collegiate Add-On (for Professional and/or NFAA Life Members) prior to registering.
To be eligible for this membership, archers must meet the collegiate eligibility requirements.
scholarship details
First place in each collegiate division will win a $250 scholarship!
Additional scholarships may be awarded for 2nd and 3rd place winners dependent on participation.
tradeshow registration & details coming soon
book & WIN!
All attendees who book through an NFAA room block will be entered to win a $50 prepaid Visa card! Two winners will be chosen. See you there!
Courtyard - memphis downtown
75 Jefferson Ave, Memphis, TN 38103
ROOM BLOCK RATE (available until February 5 or until full)
King / Double Queen Rooms: $179/night + taxes & fees
Springhill suites - memphis downtown
85 Court Ave, Memphis, TN 38103
ROOM BLOCK RATE (available until February 5 or until full)
King / Double Queen Rooms: $179/night + taxes & fees
moxy - memphis downtown
40 N Front St, Memphis, TN 38103
ROOM BLOCK RATE (available until February 5 or until full)
King / Double Double Rooms: $179/night + taxes & fees
Aloft - Memphis Downtown
63 N B.B. King Blvd, Memphis, TN 38103
ROOM BLOCK RATE (available until February 25 or until full)
King Room: $149/night + taxes & fees
Double Queen Rooms: $159/night + taxes & fees
register for the pro-am team event
Join us Saturday, March 6, 2026 at 5:30pm for the annual Indoor Pro-Am. All Amateur archers will be evenly divided among the Professional participants and will compete as pairs. Space is limited to 3 Amateur shooters per Professional. Please help us maximize the Amateur registrations by pre-registering for the Professional division!
Must be 14 or older by March 6, 2026 to register. All Professional registrants must have a current NFAA Professional membership. All cancellations are subject to a $10 administrative fee.