Become A Contestant

The search is on for Miss Mohawk Valley 2008 and you are invited to be a part of the pageant excitement. If you are a single young woman between the ages of 17 (and at least a senior in high school) and 24 (not older than 24 by December 31, 2008) who lives, works or goes to school full-time in the Mohawk Valley (Oneida, Herkimer, Fulton or Montgomery Counties) then you are eligible to compete in this year's Miss Mohawk Valley Scholarship Pageant. The pageant will be held on Saturday, March 29, 2008 at Ilion High School. Please read on for more details and see the links below for an application and information. If you would like to be a contestant contact Laurie Jean Britton or call 315-717-6288 by February 13 to reserve your spot in the contest.

Key Dates to know:

Pre-register by phone or e-mail before February 11th to reserve your spot in the competition
Contact Laurie Jean at 315 717-6288 by February 13
Contestant Meeting: February 16, 2008 from 1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.¹ at the Century Club in Amsterdam This is an opportunity for contestants and parents to come and learn more about the competition, this year's theme and have a chance to ask any questions you may have. The meeting will be held following the Caring Crowns for a Cause pageant which is a fund raiser for Miss Mohawk Valley and also the Children's Miracle Network – Miss America Partnership. Each Miss Mohawk Valley Contestant will be asked to set-up a Children's Miracle Network partnership fund raising page and participate in fund raising for this cause. You may begin the process by visiting www.missamerica4kids.com and clicking on the "new contestant" button. Each contestant is asked do a minimum of $100 fund raising prior to the Miss Mohawk Valley pageant. If you participate in the Caring Crowns pageant as a contestant or volunteer a portion of the funds raised will be credited to your fund raising goal. The application may be downloaded from www.missmohawkvalley.com. Ask for details if you are interested in helping or being in the fund raiser pageant (which is just for fun and to support the cause -- it is entirely separate from the judging for Miss Mohawk Valley).
Dress Rehearsal: Friday, March 28, 2008 - 6:00-10:00 P.M. at Ilion High School. You do not need your competition clothing, but you should bring your shoes to practice in.
Pageant Day: March 29 - arrive at Ilion High School at 9:00 A.M. with everything you will need for the day. We will rehearse in the morning, each contestant will have a 10 minute private interview during the early afternoon, more dress rehearsals to follow and then the show will begin at 7:00. Tickets for the public will be $12 at the door. Lunch and dinner will be provided to you. You may want to bring a snack, however all food MUST be kept in the hallway. ABSOLUTELY NO FOOD is allowed in the auditorium or dressing rooms.

There are five phases of competition during which you will be judged:

Private Interview
Talent (not to exceed 2:00 minutes in length)
Lifestyle and Fitness in Swimsuit
Evening Wear
On-Stage Question

You will also need to select a platform issue. This should be a social issue of relevance that you would like to promote if you were awarded the Miss Mohawk Valley title. There are instructions and a sample attached of how to present your platform in writing. Below is a checklist of the paperwork you will need to submit.

Contestant Fact Sheet (we advise this should be typed) _______
Contestant Resume (instructions and sample included) _______
Platform Issue Statement (instructions and sample included) _______
Photo for the program book______
Suggested Talent Introduction (for the emcee to read on stage) _______
Talent music on CD (if needed) ______
Community Service application and submission (optional, but encouraged) _______
Contestant Contract (signed and notarized)_______
Proof of Eligibility (2 forms of proof i.e. copy of driver's license, birth certificate, employment proof to verify your age and that you live, work or go to school in one of the four counties listed above)____
OPTIONAL: Salute Pages _______

Salute pages are support ads from your family, friends and neighboring businesses that would like to print a good luck photo or message to you in our program book. This is COMPLETELY OPTIONAL and does not affect the scoring in any way regardless of whether or not you choose to purchase an ad. It is purely for fun and the money raised benefits the scholarship program.

Salute Pages are available in the following sizes and amounts. Checks may be made payable to the Miss Mohawk Valley Scholarship Program. Ready to print pages and checks must reach me by February 24th:

Full Page (8 1/2 x 11 inches) - $100
Half Page (8 x 5 inches - horizontal) - $60
1/4 Page (5 x 4 inches - vertical) - $40
Business Card (standard horizontal business card) - $25

PAPERWORK DEADLINE: Bring as much to the February 16th contestant meeting as you possibly can. Consider that your deadline. However, if pieces of your paperwork are missing at that point you will have until February 24th to get them to me so long as you have already reserved your spot in the pageant.

Scholarships and Awards (details about these awards will be discussed at the contestant meeting):

Miss Mohawk Valley 2007. We will award the top scholarship to the winner of the Miss Mohawk Valley title. She will also receive the crown, additional awards and the opportunity to advance to the Miss New York State Pageant. The winner at the Miss New York State Pageant then goes on to the Miss America Pageant.
Runner-Ups. We will also award scholarships to the top placing contestants. How many runner-ups are named will be determined by the number of contestants.
Community Service. One community service entry will be selected to receive an additional scholarship. This category is optional, but very much encouraged.
Miss Congeniality. This award is selected by the contestants themselves. You will vote for the girl who you feel has been the friendliest and most deserving of this recognition.

Below are downloadable copies of the paperwork and documents you will need. If you have any questions or problems or need to have paperwork sent to you in the mail please do not hesitate to call me at 315-717-6288.

Sincerely,
Laurie Jean Britton
Executive Director, Miss Mohawk Valley Scholarship Program

The following documents are in the Rich Text Format and will work on Macintosh, Windows and Linux based computers.

¹ This meeting time was changed on 09 February 2008.