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AREAS OF COMPETITION AND METHOD OF SCORING
For the 2009-2010 competition year, contestants in all Miss America preliminaries at the local level will compete in the following areas:
35% - - - Talent
25% - - - Interview
20% - - - Evening Wear
15% - - - Lifestyle and Fitness in Swimsuit
5% - - - On-Stage Question
Competitions are scored on a scale of 1 through 10 using whole numbers only.
Interview Competition (25% of total score)
Each contestant participates in an individual 10-minute press conference-style interview with our panel of judges. There are typically 5 to 7 judges on a panel. Contestants are questioned on their background as presented on their fact sheet, their educational and career goals, their opinions on current events and social issues, and their interests, hobbies and extracurricular activities. Scoring is based on overall communication skills, including personality, intelligence, validated opinions, emotional control, overall first impression and personal appearance, and whether the contestant possesses the overall qualities and attributes of a Miss America. Each interview begins with a 45 second introduction by the contestant. This is followed by a question and answer period. The interview concludes with the opportunity to make a final statement to the judges. This is optional; a contestant need not take this opportunity. They may end the interview at that time.
Talent Competition (35% of total score)
Contestants perform a 2-minute routine of their own choosing. Some possible talents include all types of singing, dancing, gymnastics, instrumental music, dramatic or comedy monologues, baton twirling and ventriloquism. Other talents that can be performed solo on a stage are also possible. Phone or e-mail us if you have a question about your talent presentation. Scoring is based on contestant's skill and personality, interpretive ability, technical skill level, stage presence and the totality of all elements, including costume, props, voice, use of body and choreography.
Lifestyle and Fitness in Swimsuit Competition (15% of total score)
Each contestant briefly appears on stage in a one or two piece swimsuit and footwear of her own choosing. Scoring is based on overall first impression, statement of physical fitness and health, overall physique and proportion, walk, posture and grace, sense of confidence and presence on stage.
Evening-Wear Competition (20% of total score)
Each contestant appears on stage in an outfit of her own choosing, representative of what she would wear to a formal, black tie social event. Pant suits, cocktail dresses and evening gowns are all appropriate for this phase of the competition, though gowns are most often worn. Scoring is based on overall first impression, sense of confidence, personality and stage presence, walk and posture, appropriateness of attire and sense of attractiveness.
On-Stage Question (5% of total score) Each contestant will be asked an on-stage question during evening-wear competition, with the score factoring how well she answered the question.
Scoring After each phase of competition, each judge awards the contestant a score of 1 to 10, with 1 being low and 10 being high. Only whole numbers are used. When tabulating scores, the auditors will drop the high and low score for each contestant, then add up the sum of the remaining scores. The score is then multiplied by the correct factor (for example, since talent is worth 35%, a contestant's talent score would be multipled by 3.5). After all competitions are completed, the sum of each contestant's individual scores will determine her placement. The 5 contestants with the highest scores will then be added to a final ballot for the judges to determine the final placement (see below).
Top Five Final Ballot
Once all On-Stage competitions are completed - Talent, Swimsuit, Casual Wear, Evening Wear and On-stage Questions - the auditors will determine the Top Five contestants. At this point, all previous points will be discarded and each of the Top Five contestants will have zero points.
Each judge will then be provided a Final Ballot. He/she will then rank the contestants in the order he/she believes the contestants should finish. A 1st place vote will be worth 10 points, a 2nd place vote worth 5 points, a 3rd place vote worth 3 points, a 4th place vote worth 2 points and a 5th place vote worth 1 point. These points will be totaled (the high and low scores are not dropped) and these points alone will determine the outcome of the pageant.
Judges will be reminded to vote their conscience and to accurately place the contestants in the order in which they individually believe the contestants should finish without any consideration to any other factors.
Click the link below for additional information on eligibility requirements and how to apply.
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