Scholarships for Beauty Pageants in Mississippi
Beauty pageants can launch a career in public relations, provide the chance to travel and meet new friends and award contestants with scholarships to help finance a college education. In Mississippi, there are a wide variety of pageants with many open to women, boys and girls in a wide age range. While there is controversy over the physical and mental impact of these contests, they can be a resource for funding a college degree.
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International Pageants
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Pageants that have an international circuit often have regional competitions with winners gaining entry to a finals competition. These pageants can provide tremendous travel opportunities for winners, in addition to competing for scholarships and/or cash prizes. The Cinderella International Scholarship Pageant, for example, was established in 1976 and offers scholarships to pageant winners from tots through age 26. While international finals are held in Las Vegas, Nevada, there is a regional competition held in Mississippi to select finalists.
Miss America Beauty Pageant
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Perhaps the most recognizable beauty pageant in the U.S. is the Miss America competition. Miss America awards more than $40 million annually in scholarships. The road to becoming Miss America starts with state or local competitions. In Mississippi, hopeful Miss Americas must first become Miss Mississippi. The Miss Mississippi competition awards scholarships not only to the winner but to Miss Mississippi alternates, semifinalists and non-finalists. In 2010, $97,700 in scholarship funding was awarded. In addition, several local colleges offer their own scholarships to Miss Mississippi contestants. Itawamba Community College awards the Miss Mississippi Scholarship, granting $2,500 to Miss Mississippi and $1,000 to the top 10 finalists who attend ICC.
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Charitable Fundraising Pageants
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Local pageants that support nonprofit organizations can be a scholarship resource and a way for contestants to give back to their communities. The Magnolia Angels Beauty Pageant donates competition proceeds to organization such as 4-H clubs. Contestant compete for either a cash prize or savings bond ranging from $200 to $1,000 as of September 2011. The Mississippi Miss Heart of America competition requests contestants to bring non-perishable food items for donation in addition to the entry fee. Pageant contestants compete for scholarships ranging from $1,000 at county and city level to $3,000 at the nationals as of September 2011.
Local Festivals
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Town and county festivals often have a pageant component where contestants compete for titles and prizes, including scholarships and savings bonds. The Mississippi Watermelon Festival is staged annually in Mize. Part of the festival includes the Mississippi State Watermelon Queens Scholarship Pageant. In its 33rd year as of 2011, the winner in the Miss division is awarded a $500 scholarship.
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References
- Pageant Center: Pageant History 1920s
- National Center for Biotechnology Information; "Eating Disorders;" Childhood Beauty Pageant Contestants: DM Ackard et al.; 2005
- The Daily Herald; Pageant Benefits Student Help Work: June 2011
- Cinderella International Scholarship Pageant: History
- Cinderella International Scholarship Pageant: Prizes and Awards
- Cinderella International Scholarship Pageant: Mississippi Cinderella Pageant
- Miss America: Become a Contestant
- Miss Mississippi: Scholarship Awards
- Itawamba Community College: Scholarship Programs
- Magnolia Angels Pageant: Welcome
Resources
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