Angus Llewellyn trusted his instincts in the state beef young judges competition at the Royal Adelaide Show, which proved to be effective for the 17-old from Keith, who was crowned champion of the senior class.
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"You have to trust those first thoughts, and not second guess yourself," he said.
"For the first animal that catches your eye, look into it, but don't look too hard because you might find something that plays with your mind, so trust your instincts and go with your initial thought."
Mr Llewellyn was named champion in front of second-placed Jacqui Palk, Eden Valley, and third-placed Rebekah Rushton, Angaston.
He has been taking part in the beef cattle young judges competition since he was just 12 years old, winning the junior class when he was 14 and 15, but this is the first time he has placed first in the senior section.
This year, the entrants had to class four Santa Gertrudis bulls, four Speckle Park heifers and four Simmental heifers, and present a summary of their reasonings for the Simmental line up.
Judge Daniel Shikes, Illinois, United States, judged the entrants on their accuracy when classing the cattle, their speaking ability, and their ability to make comparisons between the cattle.
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He said Mr Llewellyn "saw the cattle well".
"His description of the cattle was accurate," Mr Shikes said.
"In terms of placings, I think he only had one pair switch. Two of the classes he got right, and one class he just had a two point switch.
"He saw the cattle very similarly to me, and he did a really good job."
Mr Llewellyn has grown up around beef cattle, with his family running Keith's Jillangolo Red Angus stud.
He said he would like to be involved in beef cattle for years to come.
Mr Llewellyn will head to New Zealand next year to compete in the national finals for young judges and paraders.
The junior category was won by Rachel Palk, Eden Valley, who Mr Shikes predicted to have "an exciting future ahead of her".
The Landmark Achievement award, presented to a non-placegetter who makes a significant achievement in the competition, was awarded to Kingston's Emmeline Vivian.
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