diff --git a/src/routes/events/[event_id]/(badges)/badges/ae_comp__badge_search.svelte b/src/routes/events/[event_id]/(badges)/badges/ae_comp__badge_search.svelte
index 1c304a12..7fff0840 100644
--- a/src/routes/events/[event_id]/(badges)/badges/ae_comp__badge_search.svelte
+++ b/src/routes/events/[event_id]/(badges)/badges/ae_comp__badge_search.svelte
@@ -56,7 +56,10 @@ let effective_min_chars = $derived.by(() => {
 
 function handle_search_trigger() {
     const qry = (badges_loc.current.fulltext_search_qry_str ?? '').trim();
-    if (qry.length < effective_min_chars) return;
+    if (qry.length < effective_min_chars) {
+        document.getElementById('badge_fulltext_search_qry_str')?.focus();
+        return;
+    }
     badges_loc.current.search_version++;
 }