Miss Mission City Organization
Every state title starts on a local stage...
Each year, thousands of young women participate at the local, state and national levels, culminating in the selection of 51 national finalists who compete for the title of Miss America. One of them could be you!
To become Miss America, a candidate must first enter and win a local competition, and then compete to represent her state—a process requiring hard work, talent and personal commitment. As a state titleholder, a candidate may only compete once at the national Miss America Competition.
We're here to answer any and all questions to help you get your Miss America journey started!
Why Compete?
Deciding to compete in a local Miss America competition is an exciting and potentially life-changing experience!
By competing you can…
Gain valuable experience and develop life skills (e.g. interview skills, public speaking, interpersonal communication, social interaction, etc.)
Earn quality scholarship funds for college and graduate school, regardless of whether a title is won
Find new interests and discover new opportunities
Make lifelong friendships and relationships
Learn to set goals, follow them through and exceed your expectations
Develop a sense of responsibility for helping others
Foster a positive, self-motivated mindset to achieve your goals
Receive recognition for your efforts in bettering yourself and your community
What titles are available to compete for?
MISS COMPETITON
The Miss Mission City and Miss Santa Clara competition is open to young women between the ages of 18-26. Winners can compete for the chance to represent their community at Miss California. In addition to preparing for the Miss California competition, the titleholder leads her community through volunteering in various events and advocating for her social impact initiative.
Miss Santa Clara is a closed titled, eligible to young women who live/work/go to school in Santa Clara County.
Miss Mission City is an open title, eligible to any young women who live in the state of California.
TEEN COMPETITION
The Miss Santa Clara Outstanding Teen program is open to young ladies ages 12-17 years old. This program is a fantastic avenue to gain scholarships, community service hours, interview experience, and public speaking opportunities. Titleholders will also have the opportunity to compete for Miss California's Outstanding Teen in June.
Who is Eligible to Compete?
Miss Eligibility
MISS ELIGIBILITY INFORMATION
Be between the ages of 17 and 25
Be a United States citizen
Meet residency requirements
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 Miss Mission City committee
Miss Santa Clara is a closed titled, eligible to young women who live, work, or go to school in Santa Clara County.
Miss Mission City is an open title, eligible to any young women who live in the state of California.
Candidates must be 18 years of age by July 31, 2022.
*Must show proof of residence dating six months prior if competing for Miss Mission City Competition
**Full time is calculated as 12 credit hours. Contestants competing as full-time students must have completed at least one semester or two quarters prior to the Miss Mission City County competition.
Miss Outstanding Teen Eligibility
MISS OUTSTANDING TEEN ELIGIBILITY INFORMATION
Be 12-17 years old regardless of year in school or be an 18 year-old NON-graduate from high school
Be 13 years old by the first phase of competition for Miss California’s Outstanding Teen 2022
Be a United States citizen
Meet requirements for residency or school attendance for competing in a certain city or state
Meet character criteria as set forth by the Miss America’s Outstanding Teen Organization
Be in reasonably good health to meet the job requirements
What is the judging breakdown?
Miss Judging Criteria
1. PRIVATE INTERVIEW (25% OF TOTAL SCORE)
Each candidate participates in an individual 10-minute press conference-style interview with our panel of judges (10 minutes at the state and national competitions). There are typically 5 to 7 judges on a panel. Candidates are questioned on their background as presented on their fact sheet, their educational and career goals, their opinions on current events and social issues, and their interests, hobbies and extracurricular activities.
2. TALENT (40% OF TOTAL SCORE)
Candidates perform a 90-second routine of their own choosing. Some possible talents include all types of singing, dancing, gymnastics, instrumental music, dramatic or comedy monologues, baton twirling and ventriloquism. Other talents that can be performed solo on a stage are also possible. Phone or e-mail us if you have a question about your talent presentation.
3. ON-STAGE INTERVIEW (15% OF TOTAL SCORE)
4. EVENING WEAR/SOCIAL IMPACT INITIATIVE (20% OF TOTAL SCORE)
Each candidate appears on stage in an outfit of her own choosing, representative of what she would wear to a formal “after five” social event. Pant suits, cocktail dresses and evening gowns are all appropriate for this phase of the competition.
Miss Outstanding Teen Judging Criteria
1. PRIVATE INTERVIEW (25% OF TOTAL SCORE)
At the local level, each candidate participates in an individual 6-minute interview. Interviews are 8 minutes at the state competition and 8 minutes at the national competition. There are typically 5 to 7 judges on a panel, and the interview is press-style, with the contestant standing at a podium. Candidates are questioned on their background as presented on their fact sheet, their educational and career goals, and their interests, hobbies and extracurricular activities. Scoring is based on overall communication skills, including personality, intelligence, validated opinions, emotional control, overall first impression and personal appearance. Community Service is required on the local level.
2. TALENT (35% OF TOTAL SCORE)
Candidates perform a 90 second routine of their own choosing. Some possible talents include all types of singing, dancing, gymnastics, instrumental music, dramatic or comedy monologues, baton twirling and ventriloquism. Other talents that can be performed solo on a stage are also possible. Phone or e-mail us if you have a question about your talent presentation. Scoring is based on contestant’s skill and personality, interpretive ability, technical skill level, stage presence and the totality of all elements, including costume, props, voice, use of body and choreography.
3. LIFESTYLE AND FITNESS (15% OF TOTAL SCORE)
Each candidate briefly appears on-stage (up to 30 seconds) in the workout attire of her own choosing. The Executive Director of the competition must approve workout attire prior to competition. Workout attire must be age-appropriate, and typical of what a teenager would wear to workout at the gym. An example of workout attire includes shorts (above the knee) with a sleeveless top or half top and tennis shoes. Swimsuits and clothing specifically for dance, such as a leotard are not permitted. Scoring is based on overall first impression, statement of strong physical fitness and health, sense of attractiveness and presence, display of energy, charisma and expression, sense of confidence and composure.
4. ON-STAGE QUESTION IN EVENING WEAR (25% OF SCORE)
Each candidate appears on stage in an evening gown of her own choosing; something appropriate for her age. Each candidate will answer a question on-stage. Questions will be of a general nature and will be neither platform-related nor something taken directly from the private interview. The objective is to evaluate the contestant’s ability to think on her feet and answer a question of general interest to people her age, including, but not limited to, local, state, and national current events. Candidate will then model. Scoring is based on overall first impression, sense of confidence, personality, stage presence, walk and posture, appropriate of attire, sense of attractiveness, extemporaneous response to an on-stage question, candidate’s ability to answer the question in the context in which it was asked, candidate’s ability to handle the pressure of speaking on stage in front of an audience.