How To Choose the Right Pageant System For You

With so many different pageants to choose from, how do you pick the right one for you? Arriving at the answer for you will take answering these eight questions. [Read more…]

Understanding How Pageant Judges’ Score and Make Comments for NAM and MAC Pageants

Not all pageant systems release their scores or make the judges’ comments available to the contestants. This is typical. However, National American Miss (NAM) and Miss American Coed (MAC) are two systems that do provide feedback to their contestants. Many of you are receiving your score sheets in the mail and have been emailing me tons of questions about what they mean. Today I’ll share my insight from a judge’s perspective. [Read more…]

Pageant Tips for Girls Under The Age of 18

Here are some general tips for young girls competing in natural pageant systems such as Miss American Coed (MAC) , National American Miss (NAM), and Pure American Pageants, that have formal wear, personal introduction, interview and fun fashion modeling as the areas of competition. [Read more…]

Should I compete in another pageant?

We are coming to the end of the summer pageant season, and one of the most frequently asked questions I am receiving in my email is should I compete again?

The answer [Read more…]

An Interview With Miss Ohio 2011 – Ellen Bryan

At the suggestion of one of her college professors, Ellen Bryan competed in her first pageant when she was a sophomore in college. He thought the Miss America system would be good experience for the telecommunications major. With her eyes set on the goal of becoming a news anchor, this future TV broadcaster began her three year journey to the Miss America stage.

In preparation for the 2008 Miss Lake Festival preliminary, she [Read more…]

Review of the Miss America 2012 Pageant

Miss Wisconsin Laura Kaeppeler from Kenosha, Wisconsin was crowned Miss America 2012 at the Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino in Las Vegas. The final night of the 2012 Miss America Pageant was broadcast live from Las Vegas on ABC.
Laura’s triumphant walk across the stage was just the beginning of a journey that will take her to [Read more…]

American Royal Beauties Pageant

This week I chose to feature a new pageant system that will be debuting May 3-5, 2013 at the Embassy Suites Hotel in Dublin, Ohio. I interviewed pageant director, Theresa Bucklew about her new system. [Read more…]

5 Helpful Tips for A National Pageant

Your expectations lay the groundwork for how positive your national pageant experience will be. Today I share 5 tips that will help you at your national pageant. [Read more…]

Creating Your Pageant Press Kit

You’ve just had your crowning moment. Suddenly, you dream of being a celebrity, going to glamorous events, and making countless appearances. Great! How are you going to make that happen? Yes, I said YOU. Your primary responsibility is [Read more…]

Pageant Preliminaries: How Important Are They?

Your appearance and performance during pageant preliminaries are very important to your chances of winning the overall title. Preliminaries serve as the “weeding out” process. Usually, preliminary competitions take place a day or two before finals. All of the contestants receive scores during preliminaries; however only the Top 5 are watched, ranked or scored during finals.
What is so important to remember is that you can’t hold anything back during the preliminary competitions. Your hair, makeup, gown, suit, interview and overall energy level must be at its best during preliminaries. The first impression judges get of you is very difficult to change and you might not be given a second chance.
Most of the time, the judges have already chosen their favorite contestant before finals begins. If you haven’t got ten their attention before then, having your hair and makeup styled to perfection on the night of finals only, or saving your show stopping gown to wear during finals, isn’t going to make a difference. If you didn’t make the list of semi-finalists, you’re not going to be scored on finals night, no matter how flawlessly you perform or look.
Here’s how it typically works. There are basically three ways to score a pageant:

  • Numeric Scoring. Each pageant system has their own numeric scale but each contestant receives a number somewhere on the scale.
  • Ranking. In ranking, no numeric score is given. The judges are asked to put the contestant number of their favorite contestant on line #1, their second favorite on #2, and so one.

 

  • Mentions. On the ballot are the state names or contestant numbers. The judges are asked to simply circle a set number of their favorite contestants in the pageant. During preliminary judging, they may be asked to circle their top 15 names; but on finals night told to only circle their favorite 3 contestants and finally the top one.

There is a fourth way of scoring that isn’t used much and it is by consensus.Consensus is where the judges talk among themselves after they’ve seen all the contestants and they must all agree on the winner. Oh yes, you can see how difficult consensus scoring would be.


The scores from the preliminary competitions are used to get the semi-finalists.The only names or numbers on the judge’s ballot on the night of finals is typically the top five. Usually the final ballot cast is a ranking ballot. Now, once you’re a semi-finalist, you need to continuing being spot on. At that point, the judges are looking for the girl who is a “stand out”.
So the moral of the story is this, you must be at your very best each and every time you are in front of the judges. Preliminaries are not to be treated as “warm up”. They are the deal breaker. The very first time the judges see you, is THE MOST IMPORTANT, because first impressions are hard to change.

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Pageant Season Is Here!

Now’s The Time to Brush Up On Your Interview Skills

INTERVIEW CARD

The ability to answer questions about you, your purpose, current events, and controversial topics in a clear way is an important life skill that everyone can benefit from. The more you practice, the better you will get. These handy interview cards are a great way to practice with a partner or use by yourself to get you thinking about the topic.
The Beginning 10 Questions are the staple interview questions everyone must know the answers in an interview situation. Then each month you will receive a new card in the mail with fresh questions.

Now preparing for your interview is easy and for a limited time FREE.

Rhonda

Rhonda Shappert is an expert pageant coach, an iPEC Certified Professional Coach, an Energy Leadership Index Master Practitioner, and a member of the International Coach Federation.

She created Winning Through Pageantry® to partner with pageant contestants and their support people to provide complete pageant preparation, achieve winning results in life through pageantry, and to Succeed From The Inside Out®.

She has over 30 years experience in the pageantry world as a contestant, judge, emcee, staff member, mother of daughters who compete, Mrs. Ohio America 2005, and has held multiple titles at the local, state and national levels.
Rhonda graduated Cum Laude with a Bachelors degree in Musical Theater from The Ohio State University and has performed on stage in 15 countries on the Asian, European and American continents. This mother of three home educates their children and has been married 22 years to her husband Stephen, is the former mayor of her community, and serves on the Board of Trustees for the Ohio Virtual Academy. She and her husband perform original contemporary Christian music. For more information on Rhonda, visit  www.WinningThroughPageantry.com .