Rules & Regulations

MILLION DOLLAR BREAKAWAY - OFFICIAL RULES & REGULATIONS

1. GENERAL RULES
All contestants must be female. No membership is required to compete. All contestants must have qualified through an approved qualification pathway (VRQ Leaderboard, First Chance Qualifier, Summer Qualifier, Fall Qualifier, Oklahoma's Richest, Last Chance Qualifier, Buy Back Round, or PWR). Breakaway roping: a calf is loaded inside the roping chute, and the roper positions themselves on the right side (heeler's side) with the objective to lasso the calf around the neck in a bell-collar catch.

2. QUALIFICATION PATHWAYS

For 2026, all 20 finalists advance from the Semi-Finals and Qualifier Finals Performances.

Semi-Finals (211 total competitors):
- 20 from the First Chance Qualifier
- 20 from the Summer Qualifier
- 20 from the Fall Qualifier
- 60 from Oklahoma's Richest
- 40 from the Last Chance Qualifier
- 5 from the Buy Back Round
- 20 from the Kimes VRQ Leaderboard
- 26 from PWR (Premier Women's Rodeo: 5 from each main qualifier plus 1 from Buy Back)

Finals (20 finalists):
- 17 advance from the Semi-Finals
- 3 automatic berths — winners of the Summer Qualifier, Fall Qualifier, and Oklahoma's Richest Finals Performances

VRQ Leaderboard: The top 20 on the Kimes VRQ Leaderboard earn Semi-Finals positions with no additional entry fees. Nominate at vrqapp.com.

3. ENTRY & NOMINATION FEES
VRQ Nomination: $150. Last Chance Qualifier Entry: $500 (70% payback). Buy Back Round: $500 per entry, may enter twice (50% payback). Semi-Finals Entry: $750 (70% payback). WRWC Challenger Sidepot: $150 per entry. Finals: No additional entry fee after semi-finals.

4. FORMAT
The Finals consist of 10 go-rounds. All 20 finalists compete through Round 6; after Round 6, the field is cut from 20 athletes to 15 based on money won and average. The remaining 15 finalists compete in Rounds 7-10.

Final standings are determined by aggregate time across all rounds. The High Money title is determined by cumulative earnings across all qualifier events and the Finals.

5. PAYOUT STRUCTURE
Per Go-Round (10 rounds): 1st $25,000 / 2nd $20,000 / 3rd $15,000 / 4th $10,000 / 5th $7,500 / 6th $5,000. Go-round total: $82,500 x 10 = $825,000. Aggregate: 1st $60,000 / 2nd $40,000 / 3rd $30,000 / 4th $20,000 / 5th $15,000 / 6th $10,000. Aggregate total: $175,000. Grand total: $1,000,000.

6. TIMING & PENALTIES
Official times recorded by electronic eye. Bell-collar catch required. A 25-second time limit per run.

7. LIVESTOCK
All livestock is provided by the Million Dollar Breakaway. No personal cattle will be used. Stock draw is random and conducted under the supervision of arena judges.

8. ARENA RULES
Contestants must be mounted and ready when called. Failure to report when called will result in a no-time. Unsportsmanlike conduct will result in disqualification. All judges' decisions are final.

9. STALL & ENTRY CHANGES
Stall and entry changes accepted until the published deadline with full refund. Late entry fees: $50 online, $100 on-site.

10. ANIMAL WELFARE
The Million Dollar Breakaway is committed to the humane treatment of all animals. All livestock handling follows professional rodeo animal welfare guidelines. Any contestant found to be mistreating animals will be immediately disqualified.

11. MEDIA & BROADCAST
The Million Dollar Breakaway retains all broadcast and media rights. The event is broadcast on FOX Sports. Contestants grant the MDB the right to use their name, image, and likeness for promotional purposes.

12. AMENDMENTS
The Million Dollar Breakaway reserves the right to amend these rules at any time. Contestants will be notified of any changes prior to competition.