CONTESTANT & TITLE HOLDER Guidelines

CONTESTANT & TITLEHOLDER Guidelines

Note: Guidelines for contestants and titleholders are subject to change each year, as directed by The Miss America Organization.

CONDUCT FOR ALL CONTESTANTS

· Contestants will conduct themselves at all times with dignity, grace and good manners.

· During rehearsals, all contestants will remain in designated areas at all times.

· Contestants will not smoke or consume alcoholic beverages at any pageant activity.

· A contestant will not participate in any interview, photo session, press contact or any type of publicity

· Unless a chaperone is present or the press has been approved by the director, contestants should not speak to the press.

· A contestant will not be in the company of or speak to any judges until after the crowning.

· Contestants must be ready to go at the times indicated on the schedule.

· All rehearsals are closed rehearsals. No guests, parents or visitors permitted.

Those who do not follow the rules, may be dismissed.

TeenCompetition Guidelines

To compete, you must in our Teen OPEN PAGEANT

· Be a young lady between the ages of 13 (must be 13 by the Pennsylvania state pageant in June 2017) and 17 by state pageant (June 2017), and no more than a Junior in High School

· Be a Citizen of the U.S.

· Reside in the state of PA

· Meet character criteria as set forth by the Miss America's Outstanding Teen Organization

· Be in reasonably good health to meet the requirements

· Be able to meet the time commitment and responsibilities set forth

· Must not be eligible to compete in the Miss America Competition

Entry fee-$100

Competition Categories - subject to change

· Private Interview - 25%

· Total interview time is 6 minutes

· Talent Presentation - 35%

· Evening Wear & Onstage Question- 25%

· Lifestyle & Fitness in Activewear- 15%

Private Interview

· Contestants will wear a dress, (NO business suits, or pantsuits are allowed) that shows "teen stylish" clothing. Contestants should look fresh, hip and young.

· Questions from the judges will be asked "press conference" style-in no particular order.

· Interviews will be six(6) minutes in length, with no opening or closing statements.

Talent

· Talent presentations may not exceed90 seconds in length.

· Only the contestant will be permitted on stage during her talent presentation. No other person can be part of her presentation.

· Talent presentations must be performed live.

· Talent routines that are prohibited include the use of fire; fireworks; swords, knives, or machetes; bow and arrow acts; live animals.

· Any unusual presentations or those using props should be discussed with the Directors well in advance of the pageant. No scenery, microphones, or tech of any kind may be brought by the contestant. CD’s must be picked up immediately following the pageant.

Evening Wear

· Contestants wear floor length evening gowns, appropriate to the individual contestant.

Onstage Question

· Evening wear will be worn in this area of competition. Contestants will be asked one question onstage.

PLATFORM

The platform is an issue about which you have strong feelings which you want to communicate to others. All MissAmericacontestants are required to have such a "platform." If not already doing so, begin doing community service workrelated to the platform and document it.

The above scoring, which totals 100%, will result in the determination of the Top Five contestants. The names of the Top Five WILL NOT BE ANNOUNCED AT THE PAGEANT. The names of the Top Five will, however, be given to the judges in competition order. The judges will then rank the Top Five giving 10 points for a 1st place vote, 5 points for a 2nd place vote, 3 points for a 3rd place vote, 2 points for a 4th place vote and 1 point for a 5th place vote. The resulting totals will determine the pageant winners. (Information Subject to Change)

Miss Competition Guidelines

To compete, you must in ourMiss PAGEANT:

· Be a young lady between the ages of 17 and24 (must be those ages by the Pennsylvania state pageant - June 2017).

· Be a Citizen of the U.S.

· Reside in the state of PA for the OPEN PAGEANT (Susquehanna Valley/First Capital) or reside in York, Adams, Cumberland, Dauphin, or Lancaster County for the CLOSED PAGEANT (York County/White Rose City)

· Meet character criteria as set forth by the Miss America Organization

· Be in reasonably good health to meet the requirements

· Be able to meet the time commitment and responsibilities set forth

· Must not be eligible to compete in the Miss America Competition

1) Contestant must prove she is aPennsylvaniaresident for the six (6) month period preceding the local pageant date.
OR
2) Contestant must prove she is a full-time employee inPennsylvaniafor the six (6) month period preceding the local pageant date.
OR
3) Contestant must prove she has successfully completed at least one semester as a full-time (at least 12 credit hours) student and is presently enrolled and attending classes on a full-time basis at an accredited college or university in thePennsylvania. Also no more than six (6) months may have elapsed between the completion of last full-time semester attended and the beginning of the next full-time semester to be attended at a college or university in th ePennsylvania.

Judging Consists of:

· Interview- 25%

· On-Stage Question - 20%

· Talent - 30%

· Evening Wear - 15%

· Lifestyle and Fitness in Swimsuit - 10%

All forms will be available on the website beginning in July of each pageant season. There is a limit to the number of contestants we accept. If more women apply for the pageant than we accept, acceptance will be in chronological order of the applications received and then a waiting list will be formed. In order to be considered a finalist contestant the Application, Fact Sheet, Critical Issue Essay, Photo, and Verification of Registration to Children's Miracle Network must have been received.

Private Interview:

· Contestants will wear a dress, business suit, or pantsuit which would be suitable for a job interview.

· Questions from the judges will be asked "press conference" style-in no particular order.

· Interviews will be ten (10) minutes in length.

· No opening statement, 30 second closing statement within the 10 minutes.

Swimsuit

· Contestants may wear a one or two-piece swimsuit.

· No thongs or string bikinis are permitted.

· No hose or jewelry may be worn during the Swimsuit Competitions.

· Contestants may not wear oil on their legs.

· Contestants will wear shoes or sandals of their choice.

Talent

· Talent presentations may not exceed90 secondsin length.

· Only the contestant will be permitted on stage during her talent presentation. No other person can be part of her presentation.

· Talent presentations must be performed live.

· Talent routines that are prohibited include the use of fire; fireworks; swords, knives, or machetes; bow and arrow acts; live animals.

Evening Wear

· Contestants wear floor length evening gowns, appropriate to the individual contestant.

Onstage Question

· Evening wear will be worn in this area of competition. Contestants will be asked one question onstage.

PLATFORM

Children's Miracle Network Information (MissContestants Only):

CHILDREN'S MIRACLE NETWORK DONATION

A minimum donation of $100 must be made to the Children's Miracle Network for each local pageant ($400 makes a contestant eligible for ALL local pageants for the current year) entered. We award two titles for Miss Susquehanna Valley / Miss White Rose City - Open Pageant, it is necessary to raise only $100 since it is considered to be one pageant.The procedure for raising the $100 is as follows:

1) Go to Miss America For Kids.

2) Find the blue box entitled "New Contestants Click Here" Even if you competed in locals previously, you will need to set up a new "ID" to use for ALL local pageants in which you participate in the year leading to the Miss Pennsylvania Pageant. You will use the same "ID" for all local pageants in which you compete.

3) Click on the box.

4) You will be taken to the Contestant Profile Page where you will fill in your First Name, Last Name, State (Pennsylvania), Pageant Year (2017), Fund Raising Goal (at least $100), Email Address, Address, City and Zip. You will also create a User ID and Password. In addition, you may upload a small photo from your computer, if you wish. See the first picture in blue below to see how to complete your profile.

5) When done with the page hit "save" and you will be taken to the second page.

6) On that page you will enter “Miss York County/Miss White Rose City" as a Closed Pageant contestant, or “Miss Susquehanna Valley/Miss First Capital” as an Open Pageant Contestant, and then click on "Add."

7) You will then be given directions on how to submit the funds to "Miss America For Kids." Please note that some contestants are choosing to raise the money themselves and then submitting it rather than sending many emails to family and friends. Also note that if extra money beyond the required $100 is raised that the extra can be "rolled over" to compete in other upcoming local pageants for the 2017 pageant year or, should you win a title, be applied to the $250 that state contestants are required to raise for the state competition.

8) Many other answers to questions can be found in the "Frequently Asked Questions" section of the Miss America For Kids website.