Eligibility

Be a Full-time student, physically attending classes at an accredited college or university within the license area of the local competition OR be employed full-time within the license area of the local competition.

Must be a citizen of the United States of America.

For Misses: Be between the ages of 18 to 28. One must be 18 by state competition, and no older than 27 at state competition.

For Teens: Be between the ages of 14 to 18. One must be 14 by state competition and no older than 18 at state competition.

Miss America HQ is reinstating the option for 18-year-old contestants to have a ‘pivot’ year to decide whether they would like to compete in the Teen or Miss divisions.

A Teen must not be more than 18 years old on the FIRST DAY of the State competition and must be at least 14 years of age. To clarify, the date of determining this age criterion remains the first day of the published State competition schedule.

Additionally, once an 18-year-old decides on the division she may compete in, she may not change divisions until the next cycle. Please proceed to your applicable State online application.

Reside within the designated licensed area of the local competition.