Eligibilty
A young woman must be between the ages of 18 – 26 and a high school graduate by the time of the state competition. She may not be older than 26 on December 31, 2023.
She must be a resident of the State of Missouri, be employed full time in Missouri or be a full time college student in the state (a minimum 12-hour class load).
If she has moved to Missouri from another state, she must be a resident of Missouri for a minimum of 30 days, or be enrolled at a college or university in the state of Missouri before the local competition. Or if working in the State of Missouri , she must have had sixty (60) days of continuous full-time employment.
Participation
Prior to participating at a local competition, she must register With the Miss America Organization at the following link: : https://members.missamerica.org/register
She must enter a local competition. Our local competitions are listed on our website, www.missmissouri.org and on the Miss America registration site. An Open competition means she may be from anywhere in the state to enter as long as she meets the eligibility requirements listed above. A Closed competition has certain criteria for participation. The individual local competition will explain the specific criteria.
The winners of our local competitions participate in the state finals in June.
Each candidate is to have a "Social Impact Initiative”. This is an organization and/or cause that she supports through service.
Competition
All candidates compete in the following areas and are judged by a panel of 5 – 7 impartial judges:
- Interview – each candidate will be privately interviewed by the judges.
- Talent – each candidate will present a 90 second talent on stage.
- Eveningwear- each candidate will be judged for poise and presence on stage.
- On Stage Interview Question – each candidate will answer one question on stage before the audience that was written by one of the judges as a continuation of her private interview.
- Social Impact Initiative Pitch –Each candidate will be judged on her ability to explain and express the need for her Social Impact Initiative to the audience and judges.
Winning
The winners of the local competitions will be the Miss Missouri Candidates for the next state competition. From them, one young woman will be crowned Miss Missouri.
Miss Local is expected to follow the regulations set by the local competition board. This could include making appearances in the local community; preparing for the Miss Missouri Competition; realizing that there will be extra expenses related to preparation for which she will be responsible; being a role model to others, and always honoring the crown in her behaviors.
She will be expected to meet deadlines established by the Miss Missouri Organization for paperwork and will attend Winter Workshop in March and Candidate Orientation which is typically on a Saturday in April.
She will compete at the Miss Missouri Competition representing her Local Organization.
This is an exciting opportunity – one in which over 12,000 young women participate nationwide each year. While we can't promise you that you will win, we can promise you that you will meet some wonderful people, will grow as an individual, and will have a good time.
