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Become a Miss Oshkosh Contestant

Steps to Become a Miss Oshkosh Contestant

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  • Work, live or attend school in Winnebago County, Wisconsin

  • Be between the ages of 17 and 25.​

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Candidates compete in the following areas of competition: private interview, talent, on-stage question/social impact pitch, and evening wear.  Each candidate chooses a personal social impact initiative she will promote during her year of service, as well as supporting the STEM.

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Participating in the Miss America Organization is one of the most rewarding and beneficial experiences available to young women in the United States. The Miss Oshkosh Scholarship Organization is a local preliminary competition that advances to the Miss Wisconsin Competition.

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Benefits of the Program

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  • Gain valuable experience and develop life skills that will benefit your everyday life (i.e. 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;

  • Create awareness of your potential strengths and increase your self-confidence;

  • Find new interests and discover new opportunities;

  • Make lifelong friendships and relationships with your peers, as well as other generations;

  • Gain a sense of accomplishment by using your free time in a positive and constructive manner;

  • 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; and

  • Receive recognition for your efforts in bettering yourself and your community.

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Where to Start

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PROGRAM REGISTRATION​

To compete in the Miss America Organization, a candidate must register at members.missamerica.org/register to set up an account and pay the $35 membership fee. Membership is valid for one competition season. Additional fees may apply for local, state and national competitions.


Benefits of MAO registration include:

  • Access to compete in a local Miss or Teen competition

  • Chance to win one of 51 $1,000 scholarships

  • Access to MAO's exclusive Professional Development Series with experts in areas such as:

    • Social media training​

    • Public speaking

    • Media/press training

    • Advocacy & Fundraising

    • Financial literacy

    • Health & Wellness/peak performance training

    • Resume building

    • Career opportunities and networking events

    • Exclusive Miss America merchandise and discounts

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BECOMING MISS OSHKOSH/MISS OSHKOSH'S OUTSTANDING TEEN

 

Step 1: $35 Annual Miss America Membership Fee, applicable to Miss and Teen

register at members.missamerica.org/register to set up an account and pay the $35 membership fee. Candidates must email a copy of their receipt to info@missoshkosh.com to confirm the completion of registration. 

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Step 2: $75 Local Competition Fee

MISS: Candidates must register and pay a $75 local competition fee for each local competition in which she competes. Once your MAO account is set up, candidates will see available competitions within Wisconsin and register for one or more local competitions. Candidates must email a copy of their receipt to info@missoshkosh.com to confirm payment of the local competition fee.

TEEN: Teen candidates will have no MAO local competition fee, but still must complete local competition registration and email confirmation to info@missoshkosh.com. NOTE: Miss Oshkosh's Teen competition has a $100 local entry fee payable to the Miss Oshkosh Scholarship Organization and is due by the second rehearsal. 

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Step 3: Spotfund

SpotFund fundraising is not required for participation in the local or state program. However, candidates are still required to set up a profile. Note: A new profile must be created each competition season. 

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Step 4: Compete at Miss Oshkosh in early March!

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Step 5: State Compeition

For local Miss titleholders to compete in the state competition, an additional amount of $325 is due. The Oshkosh Area Women's Association assists Miss Oshkosh with funding this requirement. The teen entry for state competition is $350 and is paid for by the Oshkosh Area Women's Association.  

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2023 Wisconsin Miss/Teen Eligibility Requirements

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Requirement 1: Age Eligibility

Based on the candidate's age on December 21, 2023

  • Age 19-26, qualifies for the Miss competition

  • Age 14-18, qualifies for the Teen competition

  • Age 13, qualifies for the Teen competition if she will be 13 by the first day of the state competition, June 2023

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Requirement 2: Jurisdiction

Candidate must live or work or go to school in the qualifying region (as identified in the current Local License Agreement) or the state of Wisconsin (for an open competition), as defined below

 

Residency (section 2.4.1 of Candidate Agreement)

  • Primary residence where the candidate physically lives

  • For at least 30 days prior to the local competition

  • Required documents to prove residency: driver's license, automobile registration, voter registration, property mortgage or lease, or tax filing

  • Must show both the candidate's name AND the qualifying address

 

Employment (section 2.4.3 of Candidate Agreement)

  • Minimum of 32 hours per week

  • For at least 60 days prior to the local competition

  • Required documents to prove employment: W-2 form, income tax filing, or other relevant document showing name and qualifying employer address

 

Student Status (section 2.4.2 of Candidate Agreement)

  • At least 12 credit hours

  • Required documents to prove student status: enrollment document from school showing full-time status or transcript

 

ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS

  • Must be a citizen of the United States of America

  • Female | Never Married | Not pregnant or a parent

  • MISS: must graduate high school by July 31, 2023

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Areas of Competition for Local Competitions

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PRIVATE INTERVIEW – 35%

The private interview is 10 minutes long: 9 min 30 seconds of open questions and 30 seconds at the end for the candidate to make statements on issues/subjects that she wants the judges to know about that has not been previously discussed. If the discussion ends before the 30 seconds are up, then the interview ends. If a podium is used the candidate may stand behind it, or on either side of it, but not in front of it.

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TALENT – 35%

Talent will be a maximum of 90 seconds. Any talent presentation over 90 seconds is unacceptable. Anything longer will be not be accepted, and this will be strictly enforced! Candidates should plan a performance that will not exceed this limit. Judges will be informed immediately if a candidate runs over her allotted time. Each judge will then use this information to assist in determining his/her score of the candidate’s talent competition. Talent may not consist of more than two songs from any one piece or medley of songs. Judging of talent will also take into consideration the qualities and attributes of Miss Local.

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EVENING WEAR – 15%

Evening wear should express a sense of style and appropriateness for young women ages 17 to 25. The evening wear phase of competition is designed for the judge to assess the candidate’s poise, grace and commanding stage presence. The candidate’s total look is considered. Her evening wear (not the value of the evening wear) should complement the candidate’s individuality. It is permissible to wear cocktail dresses, evening pant suits, or long gowns.

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ONSTAGE QUESTION/SOCIAL IMPACT PITCH – 15%

The judges will write and ask the Onstage Question as a continuation of the private interview. Following the candidate’s answer to the question, she will give a short statement promoting her Social Impact Initiative.

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For more information:

Email: info@missoshkosh.com

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