Information about the Miss America System

With more than $40 million in cash and tuition scholarship assistance available this year, the Miss America Organization remains the world's largest provider of scholarships for young women. Scholarships are awarded at all levels of competition: local, state and national, and you don't have to win a title to win scholarships.

Here you can learn more about the phases of competition, what the judges are looking for, and other important facts that will help you in your participation in this program.

At the local level of the Miss America program there are five areas of competition: Interview, Talent, Physical Fitness in Swimsuit, Evening Wear and Overall Composite. We will explain each area of competition and what the judges are looking for during that particular phase. We will also attempt to explain the scoring process. Please let us know if you have any questions.

Private Interview (40%)

This phase of competition is held before the on-stage competition and carries the largest scoring percentage, 40%. During this portion the judges will have an opportunity to learn as much as possible about the contestant -- her "qualities and attributes"; her commitment to advance her platform issue as a role model; her ability to express and distinguish her beliefs; and her ability to fulfill the "job responsibilities". The judges will be evaluating each contestant on these specific areas:

Overall first impression
Qualities and Attributes
Knowledge and Understanding of her Platform Issue - in a manner of national public interest
Ability to fulfill job responsibilities
Sense of accomplishments (above and beyond statement of achievements on fact sheet)
Confident and commanding presence
Personality, appearance and attractiveness
Validated opinions and responses (in context)
Communication (speech, vocabulary and grammar)

Other important points to remember, each contestant will stand behind the podium and address the panel of five judges. The contestant will be given 45 seconds to make an opening statement of her choice. The judges will then begin asking contestants questions. The question and answer portion will be 10 minutes and 30 seconds. Then the contestant will be given 45 seconds to make a closing statement of her choice. Judges will then award the contestant an overall score on a scale from 1 to 10. The high and low score will be discarded for each contestant and the rest will be averaged.

Interview questions could be based upon the following:

Opening statement
Fact sheet
Relevant issues facing women
State issues relevant to the contestant
Role and responsibilities
Current events
Career goals and personal ambitions
Education
Talent
Platform

A contestant may respond to a question with "I don't know" and the contestant is to wear "business attire" that is appropriate for her age and for a job interview.

Talent (30%)

Talent is not an end in itself, but rather an insight into the contestant's preparatory and performance skills. The talent competition acknowledges the quality of the performance, the technical skill level, stage presence and the interest and entertainment value. The judges will score each contestant on a scale from 1 to 10 at the conclusion of her talent performance. The high and low scores will be dropped and the rest will be averaged by the auditor.

The following is a list of specific scoring criteria:

Selection & Performance (distinguishes personality & skill)
Interpretive ability: Technical skill level (execution, technique, synchronization, and control)
Stage Presence (on-stage personality)
Total of all elements (including costume, props, music, voice, use of body and choreography)
Did you enjoy the presentation?

Each contestant is allowed two minutes to perform her talent selection and talents should not exceed this time limit. Talent can include anything from singing, dancing, playing a musical instrument, baton twirling, gymnastics, acting, martial arts demonstration, magic acts, or any other type of performance. Props must be small enough for the contestant to carry herself. No talent that could inflict injury is allowed and no live animals are allowed onstage. If you have more specific questions, please contact the directors.

Physical Fitness in Swimsuit (10%)

This phase of competition is designed to see how well the contestant maintains a lifestyle of good physical fitness, emotional and intellectual health. Her sense of confidence, attractiveness, and presence must be considered in the scoring.

Here are specific criteria the judges will look for:

First impression
Attractiveness and presence
Lifestyle statement of strong physical, emotional, and intellectual health
Walk, posture, poise and grace
Sense of confidence and composure
Display of energy, charisma and expression
Qualities & Attributes

Contestants in the Miss division may choose to wear either a one or two piece swimsuit. Either type must be modest and all swimsuits are subject to the approval of the pageant committee. Contestants will be on-stage no longer than 35 seconds in their swimwear. The contestant should wear a shoe with a reasonable size heel for comfort. Contestants will not be on-stage in a group in their swimsuits. Judges will score each contestant immediately after she has modeled her swimsuit on a scale of 1 to 10. The high and low scores will be dropped and the rest will be averaged by the auditor.

Evening Wear (10%)

This competition is designed for the contestant to make an on-stage statement of her compelling charm, presence and personality. Her beauty, sense of style, composure and allure must be projected across the footlights. The contestant's total look is to be considered. The evening wear (not the value of it) should compliment the young woman.

Judges will be evaluating on the following criteria:

Overall first impression
Sense of Confidence
Personality and Stage Presence
Walk, posture, carriage and grace
Sense of style and appropriateness of the evening wear
Beauty, sense of attractiveness and charm
Qualities & Attributes

On-Stage Question (10%)

The On-Stage Interview phase of competition is designed for the contestant to make an on-stage statement of her interests, opinions and aspirations. The judge is to only consider the answer to the question. The question should be relevant to the contestant's personally selected platform issue or fact sheet.

Judges will be evaluating on the following criteria:

Overall “First Impression”
Extemporaneous responses to on-stage interview question (relevant to her personally selected platform issue or fact sheet)
Pay special attention to whether or not the contestant answered the question in the context in which it was asked and whether or not she has the charisma
Will young people see her as a role model who is reflective to today’s generation?

Once the scores have been calculated, the winners and runners-up will be named. Ties will be broken as follows: The contestant with the highest score in Interview will be given the higher placement, if both contestants are tied in interview then talent scores are used to break the tie, followed by on-stage question, then evening wear and then swimsuit. Unless a tie exists in all phases of competition judges do not reballot. Should a tie exist in all five phases of competition each judge is to be given a listing of the contestants who are tied and each judge indicates individually who they feel should be awarded the higher position.

This section is to give you some insight into what we call "Miss America jargon". These are terms and phrases that may not be familiar to someone who is new to the Miss America system. If you have any questions about these, please let us know.

Qualities & Attributes

These are characteristics that judges use to determine whether or not a young lady would be an effective titleholder. Essentially, these are qualities that "Miss America" should possess and they are evaluating participants based upon that. Qualities & Attributes are taken into consideration by the judges during the Private Interview, Swimsuit, Evening Wear and Overall Composite phases of the competition. Talent is judged strictly on the criteria outlined to the left of this page.

Here are the specific "Qualities & Attributes" judges are looking for:

Role Model
Accomplished (Distinguished Achievements)
Leader (Mobilizes and Inspires)
Communicator (Courage of Convictions)
Beauty (Attractive with Confident and Commanding Presence)
Talent and Intelligence
Energy Including Charisma and Expression

These are "ideals" that each contestant should strive to attain.

Job Responsibilities

This term is pretty much as it sounds, it outlines what is expected of each titleholder. Anyone who wins a title in the Miss America system should be considered qualified to handle the following job responsibilities:

Serve as a program ambassador and P.R. rep
Articulate platform position and personality in a manner of public interest
Champion an institutional platform
Represent commercial sponsors
Make appearances, travel, and be graceful under pressure
Encourage other young women to challenge their own talents

"Platform"

This is an issue of national importance for which a contestant chooses to become a spokesperson. Types of platform issues include: AIDS Awareness, Breast Cancer Awareness, Literacy, Child Abuse, Mentoring, Character Education, Voter Awareness, Music Education, and any other issue that faces our nation today. A good platform should be something that the contestant can not only volunteer with in her community, but can also become a spokesperson for on the national level. Contestants should strive to become involved in their platform on a local, state and national level. They should also align themselves with a national non-profit organization that they could partner with should they become Miss America. The most important thing about a platform is that a contestant should be extremely passionate and dedicated to her platform. A contestant should not choose an issue just because it is a "hot topic" in the headlines. Contestants should choose an issue they care about deeply and are personally affected by in some way. A platform should become an extension of the contestant herself, it is really the most important aspect of the Miss America system because it is the issue that the contestant will champion during her year of service.