Here are the answers to a few ... 

                      FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

WHICH PAGEANT MAY I ENTER?

We sponsor pageants for girls and young women, ages 0-24 years.

We have pageants for girls who are new to pageantry and looking to gain more experience.  We also have pageants that are official local preliminaries for the Miss America and Miss America's Outstanding Teen national programs.

Our pageants include the Miss Gastonia Scholarship Pageant, Miss Gastonia’s Outstanding Teen, Little Miss Gastonia-Gaston County, and Little Miss Cleveland-Lincoln County.

We also sponsor a series of holiday/festival pageants: Miss Merry Christmas,

Miss Valentine Queen, Miss Easter on Parade, Miss Cherry Blossom Festival,
Miss Down Home Festival and Miss Fourth of July.
 

WHAT ARE THE AGE AND RESIDENCY REQUIREMENTS?

Young women ages 17-24 who live, work, or attend school in one of the following counties may enter the Miss Gastonia Scholarship Pageant: Gaston, Cleveland, Lincoln, Mecklenburg, Union, Rutherford, Catawba, Caldwell, Burke, or Polk.

Girls ages 13-16 may enter Miss Gastonia’s Outstanding Teen.  Outstanding Teen contestants must be N.C. residents – they do not have to live in a particular county. 

The Little Miss Gastonia-Gaston County Pageant and the Little Miss Cleveland-Lincoln County Pageant are for girls newborn to age 19 – contestants do not
have to live in a particular county.  These programs are local preliminaries for
the Miss North Carolina's Outstanding Little Miss Pageant.
 

Our holiday/festival pageants are for girls ages 0-19 years.  There isn’t a

residency requirement for our holiday/festival pageants.  These fun pageants
are great for girls who are new to pageantry and want to gain experience. 

WHAT IS THE ENTRY FEE?

We do not charge a fee to enter the Miss Gastonia Scholarship Pageant. 
Miss Gastonia contestants are required by the Miss America Organization to
raise a minimum $100.00 donation for the Children’s Miracle Network.

The entry fee for the Outstanding Teen program is $100.00. 

Entry fees for Little Miss Gastonia-Gaston County, Little Miss Cleveland-Lincoln County, and our holiday/festival pageants vary.  Proceeds benefit the Miss Gastonia scholarship fund.
 

WHAT DO I HAVE TO DO TO ENTER MISS GASTONIA OR MISS GASTONIA'S OUTSTANDING TEEN?

Entering the pageant is simple.  We hold contestant orientation in May to give interested young women and their parents the opportunity to learn more about our program. 

A contestants meeting is held in early July for young women who decide to enter.  Rehearsals are held in early August during pageant week. 

Young women interested in Miss Gastonia or Miss Gastonia’s Outstanding Teen should click on the Contact Us link and e-mail us your name, birthday, mailing address, and phone number. 

YOU HAVE ONE PAGEANT, BUT CROWN TWO WINNERS - HOW DOES THAT WORK?

The Miss Gastonia Scholarship Pageant is a “stacked” pageant, which means we conduct one pageant and crown two winners.  The two contestants with the highest scores become Miss Gastonia and Miss Gaston County.  This also applies to Miss Gastonia’s Outstanding Teen. 

AM I REQUIRED TO HAVE A COMMUNITY SERVICE PROJECT?

Miss Gastonia, Miss Gaston County, and the Outstanding Teens select a project, issue, or cause (often called a “platform”) to promote during the year.  Platforms may bring attention to topics such as mentoring, suicide prevention, healthy living, nutrition, adoption, and youth programs.   

We also have our Beauty Queens Can community service campaign, which is designed to show that pageant contestants can make a difference in the community.  We hold collection drives to gather canned goods, school supplies, teddy bears, and other items for charitable organizations.

We also support the Children's Miracle Network, which is the Miss America Organization's national charity.

 

WHAT ARE THE PHASES OF COMPETITION?

Contestants in the Miss Gastonia Scholarship Pageant participate in interview, talent, swimsuit, evening gown, and on-stage question.  The Outstanding Teen competition is similar to Miss Gastonia except for swimsuit - Teen contestants model fitness wear instead of swimsuits. 

The phases of competition for Little Miss Gastonia-Gaston County and Little

Miss Cleveland-Lincoln County are beauty, sportswear, photogenic, and

signatures for the ages 0-6 division and interview, beauty, sportswear, photogenic, talent, and signatures for the ages 7-19 division.

The phases of competition for our festival/holiday pageants vary, but usually include beauty, signatures, and photogenic.  Some phases are required and
others are optional.

DO THE WINNERS ADVANCE TO A STATE LEVEL PAGEANT?

Miss Gastonia and Miss Gaston County go on to represent us in the Miss North Carolina Scholarship Pageant.  The Outstanding Teens compete in the Miss North Carolina's Outstanding Teen Pageant.  The pageants are held in June in Raleigh. 

Girls who participate in Little Miss Gastonia-Gaston County and Little Miss Cleveland-Lincoln County may go on to compete in the Miss North Carolina's Outstanding Little Miss Pageant.  Contestants must meet age and eligibility requirements.

IF I WIN, WHAT DO I RECEIVE?

Miss Gastonia and Miss Gaston County receive a $1,000 scholarship, a $250 wardrobe/travel allowance, gift certificates, and other prizes.  The runners-up

and non-finalists also receive a scholarship.

For the Outstanding Teens, we pay a portion of their state pageant entry fee.  The Teens also receive gift certificates and other prizes.  The runners-up and non-finalists receive a savings bond.

The awards for contestants in Little Miss Gastonia-Gaston County, Little Miss Cleveland-Lincoln County, and our festival/youth pageants vary, but every child receives a tiara or crown.

 

HOW MAY I HELP?  MAY I CONTRIBUTE TO THE SCHOLARSHIP FUND?

The people who make the Miss Gastonia program possible are volunteers who

give of their time, talent and resources. We encourage those individuals interested in promoting this program to consider serving as a volunteer. 

We also encourage individuals, organizations, and businesses to consider making
a monetary contribution to the Miss Gastonia scholarship fund.  For more information, call Delores Cox, executive director, at (704) 827-7277.

WHY SHOULD I PARTICIPATE IN A PAGEANT?

There isn’t enough space to list all of the reasons why you should enter a pageant. Our program can make a significant difference in your life. The young women who participate earn scholarships, gain self-confidence, sharpen their public speaking skills, showcase talent, make new friends, and the list goes on.   

YOUR CROWN AWAITS ...