Miss Central Pennsylvania Scholarship Pageant

"YOUR STEPPING STONE TO MISS AMERICA!"

PAGEANT INFORMATION PAGE

INFORMATION ON THE MISS CENTRAL PENNSYLVANIA SCHOLARSHIP PAGEANT
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The Miss Central Pennsylvania Scholarship Pageant is sponsored by the Miss Central Pennsylvania Scholarship Organization, a non-profit organization. The pageant is an official preliminary to the Miss Pennsylvania and Miss America Pageants. In the 2007 pageant held in October 2006 the pageant awarded $3150 in scholarships as well as numerous other awards. In addition, two young women, Miss Central Pennsylvania and Miss Greater Juniata Valley, were given the opportunity to participate in the Miss Pennsylvania Scholarship Pageant. No contestant in the pageant is charged a fee to enter. There is, however, a requirement to raise $100 in charitable contributions which are donated to the Childrens Miracle Network. The Miss Central Pennsylvania Pageant is held in Lewistown, PA, 30 miles southeast of State College on U.S. route 322.

ENTRY QUALIFICATIONS

AGE:

Contestant must be at least seventeen (17) years of age AND at least a senior in high school to compete in the current pageant season.

Contestant can be no older than twenty-four (24) years of age on December 31, 2008.

RESIDENCY/WORK/SCHOOL:

Contestant must satisfy at least ONE (1) of the following requirements:

1. Contestant must prove she is a Pennsylvania resident for the six (6) month period preceding the local pageant date.
OR
2. Contestant must prove she is a full-time employee in Pennsylvania for the six (6) month period preceding the local pageant date.
OR
3. Contestant must prove she has successfully completed at least one semester as a full-time (at least 12 credit hours) student and be presently enrolled and attending classes on a full-time basis at an accredited college or university in Pennsylvania. Also no more than six (6) months may have elapsed between the completion of last full-time semester attended and the beginning of the next full-time semester to be attended at a college or university in the Pennsylvania.

CHILDREN'S MIRACLE NETWORK DONATION:

A minimum donation of $100 must be made to the Children's Miracle Network for each local pageant ($400 makes a contestant eligible for ALL local pageants for the current year) entered. Although the Miss Central Pennsylvania Pageant awards two titles, Miss Central Pennsylvania and Miss Greater Juniata Valley, it is necessary to raise only $100 since it is considered to be one pageant.
The procedure for raising the $100 is as follows:

1. Go to www.missamerica4kids.org

2. Find the blue box entitled "New Contestants Click Here" Even if you competed at Miss Pennsylvania in June 2007 you will need to set up a new "ID" to use for ALL local pageants in which you participate in the year leading to the 2008 Miss Pennsylvania Pageant. You will use the same "ID" for all local pageants in which you compete.

3. Click on the box.

4. You will be taken to the Contestant Profile Page where you will fill in your First Name, Last Name, State (Pennsylvania), Pageant Year (2008), Title Competing For (Miss Central PA/Miss Greater Juniata Valley), Fund Raising Goal (at least $100), Email Address, Address, City and Zip. You will also create a User ID and Password. In addition, you may upload a small photo from your computer, if you wish. The picture, in blue, below shows you the page on which you are completing your profile.

5.When done with the page hit "save."

6.You will then be given directions on how to submit the funds to "Miss America 4 Kids." Please note that some contestants are choosing to raise the money themselves and then submitting it rather than sending many emails to family and friends. Also note that if extra money beyond the required $100 is raised that the extra can be "rolled over" to compete in other upcoming local pageants for the 2008 pageant year or, should you win a title, be applied to the $250 that state contestants are required to raise for the state competition.

6.Many other answers to questions can be found in the "Frequently Asked Questions" section of the Miss America 4 Kids website.

7. The information in orange below was received from Miss America and answers some questions about "rollover" of funds donated for one pageant to another pageant.

CHILDREN’S MIRACLE NETWORK - QUESTIONS/ANSWERS ABOUT DONATIONS

MAO National Platform Donation Roll-Over Information

Donations, in excess of the minimum amount required for each pageant, collected by a contestant, may be rolled-over for use in multiple Local Pageants, State and National pageants within a pageant cycle. A pageant cycle starts with the Local pageant that leads to State, which leads to the National pageant for a title leading to Miss America within that pageant cycle. When a contestants starts a new pageant cycle at the Local level (which could involve several Local pageants for that cycle, no funds are rolled over from the prior pageant cycle (Miss America title) and everyone is at the same starting place for fundraising.

Local Level

All contestants must register at MissAmerica4Kids.org.

Dual local pageants only require each contestant to have a minimum expected goal of $100 (not $200).

Any donations collected in excess of the $100 for Pageant 1, will automatically roll-over into the contestant’s excess account and will be used toward their fundraising goal for Pageant 2. Any excess funds from Pageant 2 will automatically roll-over and will be used toward their fundraising goal for Pageant 3, etc.

The maximum donation required to enter all local pageants for the current year is $400.

If a contestant does not go on to compete at the State level, any excess funds over the $100 per pageant entered will be equally distributed among all the local pageants the contestants competed in.

State Level:

Should the contestant win a local pageant, any excess donations will automatically roll-over and be applied to the $250 minimum required for the State Pageant.

Should contestant collect donations during her state competition, then the “borrowed” excess funds from the local level will be returned to the local level for allocation under the local accounts.

National Level:

Should the contestant win the State pageant, any excess donations will automatically roll-over and be applied to the $500 minimum required goal for the National Pageant.

For additional questions about any entry qualifications contact John Metzger, Executive Director.

JUDGING CONSISTS OF:

(Information Subject to Change)

Interview- 25%

On-Stage Question - 5%

Talent - 35%

Evening Wear - 20%

Lifestyle and Fitness in Swimsuit - 15%

The above scoring, which totals 100%, will result in the determination of the Top Five contestants. The names of the Top Five WILL NOT BE ANNOUNCED AT THE PAGEANT. The names of the Top Five will, however, be given to the judges in competition order. The judges will then rank the Top Five giving 10 points for a 1st place vote, 5 points for a 2nd place vote, 3 points for a 3rd place vote, 2 points for a 4th place vote and 1 point for a 5th place vote. The resulting totals will determine the pageant winners.

Click Here for the 2008 Contestant Handbook

IMPORTANT DATES FOR CONTESTANTS IN THE 2008 MISS CENTRAL PENNSYLVANIA SCHOLARSHIP PAGEANT

Applications, Fact Sheets, Talent Request Forms, General Information and Critical Issue Essay Instructions are now available. You may download them from the website or request them by email or by regular mail. If you wish to have the forms sent by email or regular mail please contact us. Please keep in mind that there will be a limit to the number of contestants whom we can accept. If more women apply for the pageant than can be accepted, acceptance will be in chronological order of the applications received with those whom we cannot accept being placed on a "waiting list." In order to be considered a contestant the Application, Fact Sheet and Critical Issue Essay must have been received.

Entry Applications Available - July 16,2007

Deadline for Entry Applications - We Will Continue Accepting Applications Until We Have Reached a Total of 25 Contestants (Includes Both "Miss" and "Teen" Contestants)

Deadline for Fact Sheets and Critical Issue Essays - We Will Continue Accepting Applications Until We Have Reached a Total of 25 Contestants (Includes Both "Miss" and "Teen" Contestants)

Program Book Photos Due - As Soon As Possible

Talent Request Forms - As Soon as Possible (In the event of Duplicate Requests the Form Received First from a Contestant will Take Priority)

Photo Copy of Birth Certificate and Eligibility Documentation - November 1, 2007

Program Book Ads (Commercial and Patrons)* - November 1, 2007

Program Book Information Form* - November 1, 2007

Housing Information Form* - November 12, 2007

Contestant Talent Introduction* - November 12, 2007

Verification of Charitable Contributions to Children's Miracle Network - November 12, 2007

Performance CD's Due - Bring Two Copies to Rehearsal on November 16, 2007 (If not Previously Submitted)

Contestant Contracts* (Winners Only - However, All Contestants Should Become Familiar with the Contract Prior to the Pageant) - November 18, 2007

Ticket Order Forms (For Advance Sale Tickets)* - To Be Announced

Rehearsal (Mandatory) - Friday, November 16, 2007 at 4:30 p.m. at Lewistown Area High School in Lewistown, PA

Interviews - Saturday, November 17, 2007 at at a time to be announced at Lewistown Area High School in Lewistown, PA

Rehearsal (Mandatory) - Saturday, November 17, 2006 at 9:00 a.m. at Lewistown Area High School in Lewistown, PA

Pageant - Saturday, November 17, 2006 at 7:00 p.m. at Lewistown Area High School in Lewistown, PA

Meeting with Pageant Winners - Sunday, November 18, 2007 at a time and place To Be Announced

Contestant Contracts* (Winners Only - However, All Contestants Should Become Familiar with the Contract Prior to the Pageant) - November 18, 2007

*Forms are a part of the 2008 Contestant Handbook which is now available

DOWNLOADABLE FORMS

Forms now Available!

The forms listed below are available as both Microsoft Word and Adobe Acrobat files. To download the Microsoft Word files to your computer either left click and choose either "Open" or "Save" or right click and select "Save Target As." If you "Save" or "Save Target As" remember the folder to which you have saved the file so you can open the it later. If you open the Microsoft Word file, you can save it when you have finished working on it or looking at it. If you click on one of the Adobe Acrobat files it will open in either Adobe Acrobat or Adobe Reader provided you have one of them installed on your computer. If you do not have either installed, Adobe Reader is a free download by clicking the link below the files. After your downloads are complete, you may then open the files in Microsoft Word and complete and edit the form or print the Adobe Acrobat form and complete it using a typewriter. You are not permitted to alter the spacing of the Fact Sheet. You may, however, add extra lines between the lines you were given on the forms in order to increase the amount of information you provide. Please note the instructions contained in the Fact Sheet Instruction file below. After you have completed the forms, send them to the pageant. This may be done as email attachments, by fax, or by conventional mail.

Open the 2008 Letter to Prospective Contestants (Adobe Acrobat)

Open the 2008 General Information for Contestants (Adobe Acrobat)

Download the 2008 Pageant Application (Microsoft Word)

Open the 2008 Pageant Application (Adobe Acrobat)

Open the 2008 Fact Sheet Instructions (Adobe Acrobat)

Download the 2008 Fact Sheet (Microsoft Word)

Open the 2008 Fact Sheet (Adobe Acrobat)

Open the 2008 Critical Issue Essay Instructions (Adobe Acrobat)

Download the 2008 Talent Request Form (Microsoft Word)

Open the 2008 Talent Request Form (Adobe Acrobat)

IMPORTANT INFORMATION FROM MISS AMERICA REGARDING TALENT PRESENTATIONS (EFFECTIVE SEPTEMBER 7, 2005)

"In recent years, many contestants have taken advantage of the rule which allows for BACKGROUND vocals, instrumentation, etc. That "taking advantage" includes instrumentalists and tap dancers using the instrument they play as well as tap dancers using additional taps on their accompaniment tape to enhance their performance. Regardless of the talent performed, the background tape cannot have voices, instruments, or other noises which mimic the talent of the contestant. (Example: A vocalist may have background vocals with "oohs and aahs" or other background lyrics, but cannot have a tape with a voice singing the melody line for the contestant to sing along with. The same would be said for instrumentalists, dancers, and any other talent which could provide for an unfair advantage if a judge could not delineate from the talent on the track versus the live performance of the contestant.)"

INFORMATION ON THE MISS CENTRAL PENNSYLVANIA PRINCESS PROGRAM WILL BE AVAILABLE LATER IN OCTOBER 2007 BY PHONING MIRIAM DALBY AT (717) 667-2075.

fOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION CONTACT: