becoming a contestant
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 for a variety of reasons.
Whether you are seeking scholarship dollars to help finance your higher education, desire to expand your platform or personal career aspirations, or perform your talent -- 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 53 national finalists who vie for the Miss America title in Las Vegas. Thousands of volunteers across the country 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. There is no entry fee to enter the Miss America program – all you need is commitment, perseverance, talent and ambition. What are you waiting for?
If you are interested in receiving more information about becoming a contestant in the Miss Florida system, please contact one of our local pageants. You must win a Local Pageant before you are eligible to compete for the title of Miss Florida. The Miss Florida Pageant does not accept contestants at large for the state title.
Contestants in the Miss Florida Pageant must compete in Interview, Swimwear, Talent, On-Stage Question and Evening Wear. There is a time commitment when you become a local titleholder or state titleholder and you should ask questions if you feel you are unable to dedicate yourself to the job of Miss Local or Miss State.
We hope to see you in one of our local pageants this year – You could be on your way to the Miss America Pageant!
For additional information visit our pageant page and find a pageant that is nearest to where you live or attend school. Some of the local pageants are referred to as “open” – which means that they accept contestants from across the state. Take the first step to fulfilling your dreams today.
To compete you must:
· Must be at least seventeen (17) years of age at the time of her first competition and no older than twenty-four (24) years of age on December 31st of the year she is chosen to represent her state in the National Finals.
· Be a United States citizen.
· Must be a high school graduate or have successfully completed the GED testing program for high school equivalency or have successfully completed the academic requirements for entry into a four year college/university degree program by July 30th immediately preceding the National Finals.
· Meet residency requirements for competing in a certain town or state.
· 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.
· Must never have been married, nor had a marriage annulled.
· Must have never been pregnant.
· Must not be the adoptive parent of any child.