5 Things to Know About Miss America 2.0

In September of 2018, the Miss America Organization debuted its new competition: Miss America 2.0.  Local and state pageants have been transitioning to this new format so that by the 2020 Miss America Competition, each program will use the 2.0 format as they crown their new titleholders. So what is new? Let's take a look!

5 Things to Know About Miss America 2.0

By Kathryn Kueppers

1. New Verbiage
With any change, comes new terminology that more accurately describe the new elements of the Miss America competition. Here are some of the changes:
​Contestants are now Candidates; Pageant is referred to as Competition (this change was actually made a few years back.) The Platform Statement is more descriptively called the Social Impact Initiative; and the Evening Gown Competition is now referred to as Evening Wear with Social Impact Statement.

2. Swimsuit competition has been retired.
Women will no longer be judged while wearing a swimsuit and heels. This has been a welcome change as women are pleased not to have to model a swimsuit to be awarded scholarships. 

3. Evening Wear with Social Impact Statement.
This elegant phase of the competition has been improved in two ways:  Each candidate now wears anything she would like as if walking the red carpet - pants, cape, gown, dress, whatever it is that makes you thrilled to step onto the stage. In addition, Candidates make an 8-second Social Impact Statement in their evening wear. What do you say? Take key points of your Social Impact Statement and condense them into 2-3 sentences. This is your moment to articulate what you will do as Miss America OR share the impact you hope to make as a titleholder.
 
4. Talent Competition is now worth 50% of your scoring.*
Talent has been a cornerstone of the Miss America Competition. The only change is that now the scoring percentage has increased to 50% at the state and national levels, and 40% at the local level. Your talent presentation cannot be longer than 90-seconds and should reflect who you are. Consider challenging yourself as you prepare for this exciting phase of competition.
 
5. Private Interview 25% and On Stage Question 15%.*
Both of these phases of competition combined just got a whole lot more important, totaling 40% of your score! They are meant to focus on who you are authentically and whether you are that person confidently in front of people. The private interview is 10 minutes long with your judges. The on stage question is an extension of the judges interview, and you have 20 seconds to answer one question. It would certainly come in handy to start practicing answering questions in 20 second bites!

Nia Franklin, Miss America 2019

These are five new changes of Miss America 2.0. There is also more emphasis on the fact that winning a state or the national title will be considered a job. All of these changes are geared to make Miss America more relevant to today's young woman. The changes also allow the judges to get to know the contestant much better since there is much more focus on interview and speaking ability. Those who have competed in 2.0 have reported they love this new format. You should find a local and give it a try as well!

*For the complete list of scoring percentages and judging criteria, follow this link