Become a Contestant! It all begins at the local level...
"You have ideas and plans and goals - so much to offer the world - but how? Each year young women just like you choose to compete in the Miss America system. That's right! Many of them are just like you - yet they know that the Miss America Organization is one of the largest providers of scholarships for young women in the world.
Whether you want to become a doctor or a dancer, an accountant or an architect, the Miss America Organization has an opportunity that will help bring you closer to achieving your goals. To become Miss America, a contestant must first win a local competition and then compete to represent her state, a process requiring personal commitment, hard work and talent. A woman may compete as a state titleholder only once at the national Miss America competition. More than twelve thousand young women participate each year in the local and state events, culminating in the selection of 52 national finalists who vie for the Miss America title in Atlantic City. Tens of thousands of volunteers organize the local and state preliminary competitions, promoting community involvement throughout the United States and furthering scholarship and achievement among young women in their communities. It does not cost a cent to compete in the Miss America program - all you need is commitment, perseverance, talent and ambition." -MissAmerica.Org
Residency requirements for competing in the Miss Rochester Pageant:
Miss Rochester is a closed title and therefore only women who live, work, or attend school in the Rochester area and fit the criteria below are welcome to compete.
Residency requirements for competing in the Miss Olmsted County Pageant:
Miss Olmsted County is an open title and therefore all women who live, work, or attend school in the state of Minnesota who fit the criteria below are welcome to compete.
To compete for either title, you must...
~Be between 17 and 24. ~Be a United States citizen. ~Meet residency requirements: **Contestants must have residency for six months prior to competing in their first local pageant. Residency is defined as the primary address where you physically live. Verification of residency include a drivers license, automobile registration, property mortgage or lease in your name, etc. ~Meet character criteria as set forth by the Miss America Organization. ~Be in reasonably good health to meet the job requirements. ~Be able to meet the time commitment and job responsibilities as set forth by the local program in which you compete.
Miss America National Platform - Children's Miracle Network
Contestants are required to raise a minimum of $100 for the Miss America National Platform, Children's Miracle Network.
Contestants may go online to http://www.missamerica4kids.org and search for the 2016 Miss Rochester/Miss Olmsted County pageant to begin fundraising. Registration instructions can be found in the resources section at the bottom of this page. For more information about our national platform, please visit the Children's Miracle Network page and learn more about our partnership with this noteworthy organization.
Areas of Competition
Private Interview: 25% The judges’ panel will meet each contestant for a private interview. The judges will ask questions for 10 minutes. After the ten minutes are complete, the contestant will have 30 seconds to “add” additional information, expand on an area of the interview, or highlight something that did not get covered in the interview (optional).
Criteria for Scoring: Overall “First Impression” “Naturalness” and relevance that would be of interest to her peers and to the Miss America constituents and markets Strong communication competencies (speech, vocabulary, grammar Validated aspirations, opinions and responses Personality, personal appearance, attractiveness and physical beauty Leadership and sense of accomplishment Knowledge of and commitment to a community service advocacy issue Qualities, abilities and sincere desire to be Miss America
On-Stage Question: 5% Criteria for Scoring: Overall “First Impression” Ability to articulate both a sincere, engaging personality and her opinions Confidence and stage presence Ability to answer question in the time allotted and in context Do people want to listen to her? Potential spokesperson for the Miss America Organization
Talent: 35% Criteria for Scoring: True talent and entertainment abilities Interpretive ability Technical skill level (execution, technique, synchronization, control) Stage presence and on-stage personality Totality of all elements (including costume, props, voice, use of body, choreography)
Evening Wear: 20% Criteria for Scoring: Overall “First Impression” A beautiful demeanor and presence Sense of confidence and stage presence Walk, posture, carriage and grace Style and personality Appropriate, contemporary evening wear The contestant’s total look
Lifestyle and Fitness in Swimsuit: 15% Criteria for Scoring: Overall “First Impression” Physically fit Sense of confidence and presence Drive, energy, charisma and composure The swimsuit and the young woman should complement each other
Contestant Documents
Contestants must complete the following documents:
Resume
Platform Statement
Notarized Contestant Contract
Mailing Information Form
Talent Request Form
Head shot
All forms must be completed electronically and sent to: [email protected] Forms must be filed by January.
Instructions for these documents and examples are available in the resources section under the COMPETE MISS OR TEEN tab.