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Become
a Contestant |
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Miss
America Pageant contestants in Washington,
D.C. ©Miss
America Organization
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Requirements
It
does not cost a cent to compete in the Miss America
program — all you need is commitment, perseverance,
talent and ambition.
To compete you must meet the following requirements:
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Age. In order to be eligible to compete,
a contestant must be at least seventeen (17)
years of age at the time of her first appearance
in the preliminary round of the Miss District
of Columbia competition and be no older than
twenty-four (24) years of age on September
30th of the year in which she would compete
in the Miss America pageant (For 2006, a contestant
must have been born on or after October 1,
1981.). A copy of her birth certificate must
be provided to the Miss District of Columbia
Organization. |
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In order to participate in the Miss District
of Columbia competition, a contestant must
reside in; be enrolled in and attending classes
on a full-time basis at an accredited college
or university in; or be employed in on a full-time
basis, the District of Columbia. |
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- Residence. If she is claiming
eligibility to participate in the Miss
District of Columbia competition based
upon her residence in the District of
Columbia, a contestant must have been
a resident of the District of Columbia
for at least six (6) months prior to the
Miss District of Columbia competition.
A contestant must provide proof of this
residency in the form of a driver’s license,
automobile registration, current lease,
or other official document that establishes
residency. If her residency at this location
was established within six (6) months
preceding the Miss District of Columbia
competition, she must provide proof of
previous residency in the District of
Columbia. A contestant must agree to provide
the Miss District of Columbia Organization
with any additional information or documents
that may be required to determine her
residency in the District of Columbia
if her residence is relevant to her eligibility.
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- Student. If she is claiming eligibility
to compete based upon her status as a
student in the District of Columbia, a
contestant must have successfully completed
at least one semester as a full-time (at
least 12 credit hours) student, and presently
be enrolled and attending classes on a
full-time basis at an accredited college
or university in the District of Columbia.
She also must verify that no more than
six (6) months have elapsed between the
completion of her last full-time semester
and the beginning of the next full-time
semester that she is attending at a college
or university in the District of Columbia.
She must provide transcript(s) that show
these credits and a registration form
from the school that shows this enrollment.
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- Employment. If she is claiming
eligibility to compete based upon her
employment in the District of Columbia,
a contestant must have been employed in
the District of Columbia on a full-time
basis (usually 40 hours per week) for
at least six (6) months immediately prior
to the Miss District of Columbia competition
and at the present time. She must present
payroll statements or a letter from her
employer to this effect.
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If you are interested in receiving more information
about becoming a contestant in the Miss America
system please send an e-mail MissDCAmerica@aol.com.
Find more contact information here.
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Areas
of Competition
Contestants
in all Miss America preliminaries at the local and
state level compete in these areas: |
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Personal
Interview (25% of total score)
Each contestant participates in an individual
12-minute press conference-style interview
with our panel of judges. There are typically
5 to 7 judges on a panel. Contestants are
questioned on their background as presented
on their fact sheet, their educational and
career goals, their opinions on current events
and social issues, and their interests, hobbies
and extracurricular activities. Scoring is
based on overall communication skills, including
personality, intelligence, validated opinions,
emotional control, overall first impression
and personal appearance, and whether the contestant
possesses the overall qualities and attributes
of a Miss America. |
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On Stage Question (5% of total score)
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Talent
(35% of total score)
Contestants perform a 2-minute routine of
their own choosing. Some possible talents
include all types of singing, dancing, gymnastics,
instrumental music, dramatic or comedy monologues,
baton twirling and ventriloquism. Other talents
that can be performed solo on a stage are
also possible. Phone or e-mail us if you have
a question about your talent presentation.
Scoring is based on contestant's skill and
personality, interpretive ability, technical
skill level, stage presence and the totality
of all elements, including costume, props,
voice, use of body and choreography. |
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Therese Lizardo, Miss DC 2004©Miss
America Organization
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Evening Wear (20% of total score)
Each contestant appears on stage in an outfit
of her own choosing, representative of what
she would wear to a formal "after five"
social event. Pant suits, cocktail dresses
and evening gowns are all appropriate for
this phase of the competition. Scoring is
based on overall first impression, sense of
confidence, personality and stage presence,
walk and posture, appropriateness of attire
and sense of attractiveness. |
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Lisa
Ferris, Miss District of Columbia 2003 ©Miss
America Organization |
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Lifestyle
and Fitness in Swimsuit (15% of total score)
Each contestant briefly appears on stage in
a one or two piece swimsuit and footwear of
her own choosing. Swimsuits must be approved
prior to competition by the Executive Director
of the pageant. Scoring is based on overall
first impression, statement of physical fitness
and health, overall physique which is pleasing
to her height, weight and bone structure,
walk, posture and grace, sense of confidence
and presence on stage. |
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Shannon Schambeau, Preliminary swimsuit winner at Miss America©Miss
America Organization |
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| Judging
Process
The
Miss America competition judging system is designed
to promote diversity, individuality and overall
achievement among all contestants. Judges score
the individual contestants immediately following
each phase of competition. Contestants are scored
on a 1-to-10 point scale, in whole numbers, within
each category (more than one contestant may receive
the same score). There is one panel of judges
for all of final competition. All judges have
been educated about the Miss America judging system
and represent a variety of professional sectors
within their communities.
Preliminary Scoring
During competition the weighting of scores awarded
per category is distributed as follows:
25% - Interview
05% - On-Stage Question
35% - Talent
20% - Evening Wear
15% - Lifestyle and Fitness in Swimsuit
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100% - TOTAL
Then, based on above, top 5 are ranked 1-5. This final ranking ALONE
determines the winner. Contestant with highest number of points in top 5
ranking is new Miss DC.
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