Orientation Information for the 2013 Miss Philadelphia Pageant

Saturday, March 2, 2012

Table of Contents

Introduction 3

Organization Values 4

Phases of Competition 5 Interview & On-stage Question

Talent

Lifestyle and Fitness in Swimsuit

Evening Gown

Judging 6

Local / State / National Progression 7

Participation Criteria 8

Why Miss Philadelphia? 10

The Miss Philadelphia Family 11

Next Steps 13

Key Dates and Contacts 14

The Miss Philadelphia pageant is part of the Miss America Organization, the largest provider of scholarship assistance to women

The Miss America Organization is a not-for-profit organization that has maintained a tradition for many decades of empowering American women to achieve their personal and professional goals, while providing a forum in which to express their opinions, talent and intelligence.

The Miss America Organization is one of the nation's leading achievement programs and the world's largest provider of scholarship assistance for young women. Last year, the Miss America Organization and its state and local organizations made available more than $45 million in cash and scholarship assistance.

www.missamerica.org

The organization focuses on both scholarship and service, with historical scholarship levels that match the state level and service that is recognized throughout the Philadelphia community

The Miss Philadelphia Organization places a high value on the educational scholarship value of the program

In years past, the Miss Philadelphia Organization has given over $15,000 to contestants, with the winner receiving ~$10,000

While Miss Philadelphia remains busy throughout the year, school comes first and the organization is fully focused of the academic success of our contestants, both current and past

Scholarship Community Service The Value of a Network

Getting involved in the community is a key pillar of the Miss Philadelphia Organization

We have accumulated dozens of sponsors over the year and have established connections with some key players in the Philadelphia area, including Mayor Nutter and others

Past Miss Philadelphias and sponsors work with Miss Philadelphia throughout the year to help her achieve her service platform goals

The Miss Philadelphia family is just that…family. We have established a very strong network of supporters and do everything to make the experience the most fun and rewarding it can be

The organization holds annual reunions of prior winners to catch up on life and collaborate on community initiatives

We continuously participate in events to increase recognition of the organization within the Philadelphia community

As in all Miss America local pageants, the phases of competition include interview, on-stage question, talent, lifestyle & fitness and evening gown

In-Person Interview (10 minutes)

In-Person Interview (10 minutes)

Talent Competition(90 seconds)

Talent Competition(90 seconds)

On-Stage Interview Question

(2 questions)

On-Stage Interview Question

(2 questions)

Lifestyle and Fitness in Swimsuit

Lifestyle and Fitness in Swimsuit Evening GownEvening Gown

Prior to On-Stage Competition

On-Stage Competition Phases

Questions focus on current events, service platform and resume:

Judges are looking to understand:

(1) Is the contestant ready, willing and able to do the job of Miss Philadelphia?

(2) What are the contestants’ core values?

(3) Does she sell / market herself for the job of Miss Philadelphia?

Assessment of Technical / Entertainment Value of Talent as well as the energy and charisma of contestant

Can the contestant speak extemporaneously / connect with the audience?

Assessment of intelligence, articulation and confidence

Assessment of physical fitness / tone as well as stage presence, confidence and energy

This is an assessment of the girl, not the gown, and judges look for poise, presence and grace as well as energy and charisma

Judging is done by phase of competition and a ranking of the Top 5 candidates at the completion of all phases

35% Talent

25% In-Person Interview

20% Evening Gown

15% Lifestyle and Fitness in Swimsuit

5% On-Stage Question

Top 5 Ballot

Top 5 contestant total scores are placed on a Top 5 ballot in random order

Judges are then asked to rank the candidates on who would make the best Miss Philadelphia

Miss Philadelphia 2013 will compete for Miss Pennsylvania in June, 2013 and potentially Miss America in January, 2014

In order to participate, women need to meet certain requirements and be either a resident or full-time student in one of the five Philadelphia counties

Must be between the ages of 17 and 24

o If 17, the contestant must be a senior in High School

o If 24, the contestant must not turn 25 before December 31, 2013

Must be a U.S. Citizen

Must meet residency requirements for the pageant (see county map to the left)

Meet character criteria as set forth by the Miss America Organization

Be in reasonably good health to meet the job requirements

Be able to meet the time commitment and job responsibilities as set forth by the local program in which you compete

Other RequirementsResidency Requirements

Contestants must live or be a full-time student (proof required) in one of the five Philadelphia counties: Bucks Delaware Montgomery Chester Philadelphia

In addition, Miss America requires that each local contestant raise $100 for Children’s Miracle Network, the Miss America National Platform

The Miss America Organization is partnered with the Children’s Miracle Network to raise funds and awareness for children’s hospitals throughout the U.S.

Each local contestant is required to raise $100 for the cause through donations and sponsorships

Each contestant will have a personalized link through www.missamerica4kids.com through which sponsors can donate funds

www.missamerica4kids.org

Choose a platform that has meaning to you and get involved in the community:o Examples of past platforms include:

• Promoting child advocacy• Raising awareness about breast cancer prevention and treat• Helping teenagers and youth cope with depression

The Miss Philadelphia Scholarship Organization provides not only an opportunity to represent the community while earning scholarship money but also to meet other women like you…

Win Scholarship Money for School

Make a Difference in the Community

Build a Network of Women like YOU

Former Miss Philadelphias have used scholarship money to pay for undergraduate tuition, law school, medical school, business school and other professional degrees

Meet other like-minded women from the Philadelphia area Help other women achieve their goals and allow them to help you achieve yours Build relationships that will last a lifetime

Our current Miss Philadelphia, Lauren Bilski, has been featured in the press on multiple occasions

Drexel Now

Brain Injury Association of PA

Times Leader

Philadelphia Inquirer

The Philadelphia Metro

Drexel Triangle

Fox News

The Miss Philadelphia Organization is truly a family that supports each other through all endeavors…

Interested in participating? Next Steps…

Complete application form

Submit application to missphiladelphiaorg@gmail.com by Thursday, December 6th, 2012

Upon application submission, wait to be contacted for your audition time slot (Auditions will be held in Philadelphia the weekend of December 16th)

Feel free to inquire at missphiladelphiaorg@gmail.com with any further questions you have; we are happy to put a former Miss Philadelphia in touch with you

Learn more about the organization by visiting our facebook page (Miss Philadelphia Scholarship Organization) and watching the YouTube video of the Miss Philadelphia Legacy:

Miss Philadelphia Talent Legacy

The application form is posted on the Miss Philadelphia website and is due on Thursday, December 6th, 2012

2013 Application

The 2013 Application can be found online at www.missphilly.org

Please complete and return the form to missphladelphiaorg@gmail.com by Thursday, December 6h 2012

Someone will contact you regarding a time for your auditions on Sunday, December 16th, 2012 at the Union League, Philadelphia

Please note that whatever talent you list on your application is the one you will be required to perform at auditions as well as at the pageant o For example, if selected as a final

contestant, a dancer who auditions with a tap dance will be required to perform a tap dance the night of pageant

o Songs may be changed, but the genre of talent must remain the same

Key Dates and Contact Information

Contact InformationKey Dates & Timeframes

Email:missphiladelphiaorg@gmail.com

Website:www.missphilly.orgwww.missamerica.org

Miss Philadelphia Scholarship Organization

Key Event Date

Submit Application December 6, 2012

Pageant Auditions December 16, 2012

Contestant Workshop January 2013

Miss Philadelphia Outstanding Teen Pageant

March 3, 2013

Miss Philadelphia Pageant

March 2, 2013

Miss Philadelphia Legacy Videos