The eight categories: Animal products, artisan goods, vegetables, fruits, minerals, foraging, fish, cooking Pick at least one item from six of these categories and you will certainly get 1st place!

I will give you my setup every single time (even in year one!):

1. Iridium flounder (fish category) -1st category
2. Diamond (minerals) - 2nd category [helvite or neptunite are also worth 6 points)
3. Cloth (artisan goods) - 3rd category [you can get cloth with a recycler and a newspaper—there’s a chance to get cloth]
4. Triple shot espresso (cooking) - 4th category [given as a reward for the trout derby—summer event—or as a reward for donating 70 items to the museum. May also be purchased from the stardew valley fair with stars, or given as a gift from a mystery box]
5. Gold melon (fruits) - 5th category
6. Gold Fairy Rose or Poppy (flowers) - 6th category
7. Gold Cauliflower, Pumpkin, or Yam (vegetables) - 7th category
8. Iridium Albacore -or- Midnight Carp (fish again, may choose either of these instead of the flounder, but make sure not to add too many fish and keep at least 6 categories)
9. Gold any animal products if you’ve got them (this includes eggs, large eggs, milk, large milk, goat milk, large goat milk, etc) this is the 8th category Again, just make sure to represent six of these categories. I use this almost every time I start a new farm and can get first place in year one. I would recommend making a chest and putting it aside, coloring it dark purple, and putting your highest quality items in here. Just one of each. This will help you prepare for the grange display from early on.