The figure skating season is the period of time in which competitions are contested in the sport of figure skating. The skating season begins on July 1 of one year and lasts until June 30 of the next year, thus spanning a full 12 months. The seasons are referred to by the years they span; for example, the 2017–18 figure skating season began in July 2017 and ended in June 2018. Fall internationals Fall international events have existed for decades. In 1995, the International Skating Union brought five of the most popular senior events together into a series offering prize money in response to the then-success of professional skating. The events were Skate America, Skate Canada International, Trophée de France, Nations Cup (later known as Sparkassen Cup and Bofrost Cup), and the NHK Trophy. They comprised the Champions Series, since renamed the Grand Prix of Figure Skating, and took up the fall. They concluded with a Final held in the spring before the World Championships in which the top six skaters in each discipline compete against each other. In 2001, the Final was moved to December. This led to the confusion of having two Finals within one calendar year. In 1996, a sixth event was added: the Cup of Russia. The event in Germany was replaced in 2003 with the Cup of China. Other internationals traditionally held in the fall exist independently of the Grand Prix circuit. In 2014, the ISU created the Challenger Series, a circuit of 10 senior events below the Grand Prix series, but above other international events. The series includes long-existing events such as the Nebelhorn Trophy, and offers prize money for the top three skaters or couples in the series. In 1997, the ISU instituted the ISU Junior Series, since renamed the ISU Junior Grand Prix, which contains more competitions than its senior counterpart. The Final was originally held in March, but was moved to December in 1999. The Junior Grand Prix currently holds its first competition in August and so kicks off the ISU calendar of competitions for the season. National championships Most countries hold annual national championships, often referred to informally as "nationals". There is no set specific time in which national championships must be held. While some countries rely on the results of their nationals to choose the teams for the ISU Championships, others have more varied criteria depending on international placement