Describe your event.
Beauties of America is a traditional beauty pageant with five decade-based age divisions: Teens (13-19), 20s (20-29), 30s (30-39), 40s (40-49), and 50s & Up (age 50 plus).

How does someone qualify to compete?
We currently have state preliminaries in Ohio, Indiana, Kentucky, North Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Virginia, Alabama and Georgia. Delegates from all other states submit an application and photo for consideration.

What are your judging criteria?
Delegates compete in the categories of Private Panel Interview, Fitness, Evening Gown and Photogenic. Interview comprises 40% of their score, Fitness and Evening Gown comprise 25% each, with the remaining 10% coming from Photogenic. In the Fitness category, delegates compete in attire that is specific to their age division. Teens and 20s delegates compete in swimwear for the Fitness portion, 30s and 40s compete in aerobic wear, and the 50s & Up age division compete in active sportswear.

Are there optional events?
Beauties of America offers the following optional awards: Overall Photogenic, Fitness Award, Program Appreciation Award, Achievement Award, People’s Choice Award.

What can delegates expect to learn at your event?
The decade-based age divisions allow women to compete with other women in their own age decade, which adds a tremendous level of comfort to the experience. All of the women learn from each other, with the younger women gaining some valuable life perspective from the more mature delegates, while the ladies in the 30s, 40s, and 50s & Up age divisions have often said that they feel reenergized by the Teens and 20s ladies.

Does your event support any particular values, social concerns, or non-profit program?
Many years ago Beauties of America used to be a registered, non-profit fund-raiser for breast cancer research. It was at that time that Beauties of America adopted the color “pink” as its signature color. While no longer an official fund-raiser for any specific charity, Beauties of America continues to keep its signature color in honor of the many women who have been impacted by breast cancer. Beauties of America doesn’t require delegates to have an official platform, but supports the efforts of its state and national titleholders in promoting the causes of their choice.

Why do you feel competitive events are important for participants?
Competition is a part of every day life. Learning how to compete in a healthy and productive way can have a tremendously positive impact on ladies in the pageant industry. The Beauties of America Pageant strives to provide a fair and well-organized event so that the women who participate can enjoy their competitive experience. By having well-defined categories and judging criteria, Beauties of America delegates can properly prepare for competition and expect consistency from the judging process. These are all key ingredients to assure that delegates gain the most benefit from their pageant experience.

Why do you enjoy being a part of the competition event industry?
Having been a successful pageant competitor for 25 years is what led me to becoming a pageant director. Pageants have been instrumental in shaping my life in such a positive way, and to say that I love this industry would be an understatement! I have learned skills through pageantry that I probably couldn’t have learned elsewhere, and definitely not learned as well. It is a privilege for me to now be the national director for a fabulous system like Beauties of America. It is a joy to provide a great pageant experience to the women who compete in Beauties of America, and to give many of them the opportunity to experience personal and professional growth through the competitive experience like I have.