Have you received a letter in the mail?
National American Miss (NAM) is one of the largest pageants in the United States, serving thousands of young women and girls annually. In fact, they’re many contestants first ever pageant because of their extensive mailing list.
NAM conducts all of their live state pageants around the country during the summer months in what we refer to as the Summer Tour. In true NAM style, every state pageant runs (almost) the exact same program. So this article will be helpful no matter which state you’re competing in.
Contestants that live in states without pageant directorship (no live pageant) may still compete through the Appointed Representatives Program (ARP). This is a virtual program that allows young women and girls from across the country to represent their city or state at the National competition hosted by the IAM Pageant Powerhouse in November.
In this post, we will be breaking down the areas of competition and providing tips on how to prepare for the live and virtual pageants.
Areas of Competition for the Live Pageant
If your state pageant is held live, the scoring will remain the same. Your overall score will be made up of Evening Gown, Personal Introduction, and Interview. Each area of competition is worth 30% of your score with the remaining 10% coming from the contestant’s donations towards the pageant’s community service project. Optional competitions will remain the same.
Areas of Competition for Appointed Representatives Program (ARP)
The scoring for the ARP has been updated to better mirror the areas of competitions at the live pageant. The areas of competition are Video Interview, Personal Introduction Video, Resume, and Photograph.
Personal Introduction Video (25%)
The Personal Introduction Video is extremely similar to the live Personal Introduction competition. State finalists will submit a video of them delivering their personal introduction. State finalists should be dressed in interview attire and the video should be no longer than 30 seconds. You should still expect to memorize your personal introduction, but the pressure to deliver it 100% perfect every time is lessened due to the video format.
We offer personal introduction writing services for state pageants, you can learn more about those here. If you’d life to write your own, check out our posts explaining the process of writing your personal introduction here (part 1) and here (part 2).
Video Interview (30%)
Similarly to the live pageant, the video interview will be a casual conversation between the judges and state finalist. Unlike live pageants, video interviews can range anywhere from 10 to 30 minutes (mine was 30). Contestants only interview with one judge, so this competition truly resembles a conversation.
You should continue preparing for the interview competition as you would for a live pageant.
Resume (15%)
This resembles the Resume competition which is only offered at the national pageant. State finalists’ resume should include: name, grade, school, work experience, hobbies, interests, activities, awards and accolades, interesting facts about yourself, and pageant experience. Judges are looking for an “outgoing, well-rounded, fun individual that will be a positive role model to her city, state, and community.”
Photograph (20%)
This area of competition seems to closely resemble Photogenic, an optional competition offered at the state and national level. State finalists will submit a headshot through the official application. Photos will be judged on professionalism, quality, and overall presentation.
What You Should Do Now
The first thing you should do is finish paying your sponsorship fee, as only finalists who have fully paid their sponsorship fees by time their live pageant is canceled are able to compete through the ARP.
You should prepare for all areas of competition: evening gown, interview, personal introduction, resume, essay, and photograph. Continue to practice your routines, but also prepare your headshot, resume, and essay in case your pageant is canceled. The ARP personal introduction and interview competitions are very similar to their live counterparts, so prepare for those areas of competition as you normally would.
If you need help preparing for your next pageant, don’t be afraid to reach out to us for coaching. You can learn more about our services here.
Stay Updated
As a competitor in National American Miss 2020, I’m closely following the system and will do my best to update you all, but here are some important links: