Miss Competition
Participating in the Miss Wisconsin Rapids Scholarship Organization is one of the most rewarding and beneficial experiences available to young women in the area.
Being a contestant requires hard work, talent, and personal commitment, but there are countless benefits of participating!
Benefits of the Program
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Gain valuable experience and develop skills that will benefit your everyday life (i.e. interview skills, public speaking, interpersonal communication, social interaction, etc.).
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Earn quality scholarship dollars for college and graduate school. Every candidate earns a scholarship!
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Uncover your potential strengths and enhance your self-confidence.
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Find new interests and discover new opportunities.
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Make lifelong friendships and build relationships with community members
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Gain a sense of accomplishment by using your free time in a positive and constructive manner.
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Learn to set goals, follow them through, and exceed your own expectations.
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Develop a sense of responsibility for serving others
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Foster a positive, self-motivated mindset to achieve your goals
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Receive recognition for your efforts in bettering yourself and your community.
Eligibility
To become a contestant, you must:
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Be a United States citizen
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Must be between 19 to 28-years-old (by 12/31/2024)
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Live in, work full time in, or go to school/college in Wisconsin Rapids and surrounding areas, including Nekoosa, Port Edwards, Vesper, Rudolph, Pittsville, Rome or Grand Rapids.
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Have permanent residency in Wisconsin Rapids, Nekoosa, Port Edwards, Vesper, Rudolph, Pittsville, Rome or Grand Rapids if a student at UWSP (i.e., your permanent address is still your parents' or guardians' home).
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Meet character criteria as set forth by the Miss America Organization
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Be in reasonably good health to meet the job requirements
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Be able to meet the time commitment and job responsibilities as set forth by the Miss Wisconsin Rapids Scholarship Organization
The Process
Every spring, we will hold a general informational meetings about our organization for any contestants who wish to compete. Follow us on social media for news about upcoming meetings and events!
We want to make sure all of our candidates feel 100% ready for the competition, no matter their experience level. The summer before the competition, we will offer opportunities to be connected with a volunteer and other resources if you want to being your preparations on your time. Then in the fall, we hold workshops on Wednesday evenings for candidates to develop the skills necessary to be fully prepared for the competition. Workshops include social impact initiative and resume building, talent rehearsals, mock interviews, opening number practice, styling and public speaking practice. Each candidate is also assigned a hostess or "host mom" that will help her throughout the workshops and competition.
Competition Day
The morning of the competition, each contestant will meet with a panel of five judges for a private, ten-minute interview. Interviews are designed for the judges to gain insight into the contestant’s personality, intelligence, communication skills, ability to fulfill the job requirements and her commitment to the community. Interview questions cover a range of topics from past experience, to career goals, to current events, and social impact initiative knowledge.
The remaining phases of competition are judged on-stage the night of the pageant. The talent phase of competition is designed to determine a contestant's overall skill level and entertainment value. This is often a favorite for contestants and audience members alike! Contestants prepare a 90-second routine that best reflects their technical skill and personality. Contestants can sing, dance, play an instrument, recite a monologue or even perform a unique talent like a karate routine or a science experiment like Miss America 2020, Camille Schrier!
In the Evening Gown Competition, contestants are able to show their poise, confidence, beauty, charm, and elegance. Candidates choose an evening wear outfit (typically a long gown) that best reflects their personal style and elevates their presence. During this phase of competition, each candidate will also make a statement about her Social Impact Initiative (formerly known as Platform).
The On-Stage Question Competition is designed to determine a contestant’s public speaking skills and ability to think on her feet. Each contestant answers one current event question that is asked by the panelists and is given twenty seconds to share her opinion on the topic.
In each phase of competition, the judges will score the contestants on a scale of 1 to 10. Based on the areas of competition above, the delegate with the highest overall total score will become the next Miss Wisconsin Rapids!