10 Facts About Miss America for Newcomers

​If you have never watched the Miss America competition, or if you've only seen it once and awhile, here are 10 facts for newcomers that you might not be aware of!

10 Facts About Miss America for Newcomers

By Kathryn Kueppers

1. Miss America awards only scholarships. There are no cash prizes, TV, or modeling contracts. Women compete for scholarships to help them succeed in their educational and career pursuits.
2. Miss America is service based. Each candidate advocates for a platform or Social Impact Initiative of her choosing.
3. Miss America must be talented. Each candidate performs a talent of her own choosing.
4. Miss America must be able to communicate. Each candidate will have a 10-minute private interview with the judges; she will be asked an on-stage question during the competition; and she will be asked to speak on stage about her Social Impact Initiative during evening wear competition.
5. To compete for Miss America, you must first enter and win a local competition in your state. Your local title is your ‘ticket’ to compete for your state title. If you win your state title you then compete for Miss America! As Miss Coon Rapids, I competed for the title of Miss Minnesota in June of 2019.
6. Miss America retired the swimsuit competition. In 2018 after Gretchen Carlson became the new Chairwoman of the Miss America Organization, one of the first actions taken by the Board was to eliminate this phase of competition. With emphasis being service and scholarship, the Board believed women should not have to model swimsuits to win a scholarship. 
7. Miss America is NOT winner takes all. Miss America wins a $50,000 scholarship; the top 15 finalists win scholarships; there are preliminary talent and interview scholarships, STEM, academic achievement, and community service scholarships. Scholarships are awarded at every local and state competition, and of course the national competition!
8. Miss America is a Sisterhood. Once you enter a local competition you become connected to the Miss America 'sisterhood.' This sisterhood spans previous generations and connects future generations with like-minded women who are passionate, motivated, talented, and want to make an impact in their communities.
9. Miss America is run by volunteers. The backbone of this organization is the countless numbers of volunteers who fundraise, present their annual competitions (and all that it entails), prepare the candidates, garner sponsors, and so much more. There would be no Miss America without these selfless, dedicated individuals.
10. You will know a Miss America candidate by their 4-point crowns. You will know a Miss America candidate by her beautiful, unique crown. The crown worn by local, state, and the national titleholder has 4 points, and each point stands for a Miss America trait:  service, style, scholarship and success. 

Of Note:
Miss America was the original national pageant.
Founded in 1921, Miss America will celebrate its milestone 100th anniversary with the crowning of Miss America 2021. The Miss America Competition is sometimes confused with the Miss USA Pageant, which was at one time owned by Donald Trump. The Miss USA Pageant is a beauty pageant and the winner competes for Miss Universe. There is no talent competition in the Miss USA Pageant.​