Compete

Getting to the State Competition

If you would like to compete for the title of Miss New York or Miss New York’s Teen, there are two ways of getting to the stage; win a local competition or apply for an open title.

Eligibility

If all of the following are true, then the candidate is eligible to compete in a Miss New York local competition:

• Age
  • For the 2024 Season (Compete at Miss New York/Miss New York’s Teen in July 2024) – To be a TEEN contestant, you must be no less than thirteen (13) years old and no older than eighteen (18) years old in 2024 (born in or between 2006 and 2010). To be a MISS contestant, you be no less than 18 years old and no more than 28 years old in 2024. (Born in or between 1996 and 2006). If you are or will be 18 years old in 2024 (born in 2006), you can choose to compete in the ‘Teen’ or ‘Miss’ age division.
  • For the 2025 Season (Compete at Miss New York/Miss New York’s Teen in Summer 2025) – To be a TEEN contestant, you must be no less than thirteen (13) years old and no older than eighteen (18) years old in 2025 (born in or between 2007 and 2011). To be a MISS contestant, you be no less than 18 years old and no more than 28 years old in 2025. (Born in or between 1997 and 2007). If you are or will be 18 years old in 2025 (born in 2007), you can choose to compete in the ‘Teen’ or ‘Miss’ age division.
• Residency based on
  • Home Address – Must be a legal resident in a qualifying county (varies by local competition) for no less than 30 consecutive days prior to the local competition. For an open title, you must be a legal resident of New York State for no less than 30 consecutive days prior to the open competition.
  • Student Status – Registered for classes with full-time status at an accredited institution in a qualifying county (varies by local competition) prior to the local competition. For an open title, you must be registered for classes with full-time status at an accredited institution in New York State for no less than 30 consecutive days prior to the open competition. Classes must be attended in person.
  • Employment Status – Must be a full time employee for no less than 60 consecutive days in a qualifying county (varies by local competition) prior to the local competition. For an open title, you must be a full time employee in New York State for no less than 60 consecutive days prior to the open competition. You must maintain your full time status through to the State Competition.
• Must be female
• Must be a United States Citizen

Eligibility requirements are subject to change as updated guidelines from the Miss America Organization are released.

Time Commitment

Each local organization will have it’s own rehearsal schedule and attendance requirements leading up to the competitions. Additionally, each local will have its own expectations for your year of service, should you win a title. Some programs will encourage you to find your own appearances, others will have a calendar of events ready for the new titleholder and a schedule for preparing you for state. Please see the ‘Local Organizations‘ page to identify which locals you are eligible for and contact their representative for information about time commitments before and after the competition.

2024 State Workshop

All titleholders are required to attend the State Workshop in the spring in person March 16-17 in the Hudson Valley area. This is a packed weekend that includes paperwork turn in, video filming, photos, choreography, and State Week overview. Nearly all of the information you need to compete at the state competition will be discussed here. Missing this workshop without pre-approval will have you removed from the competition.

2024 State Competition

The State Competition is tentatively scheduled for July 2-6 (Miss) and July 3-6 (Teen) 2024. Miss Delegates will check in on Tuesday July 2nd in Peekskill NY and Teen Delegates will check in on Wednesday July 3rd. Our current schedule (subject to change) includes:

• July 4th – 4th of July Parade, Miss Preliminary Night I
• July 5th – Miss Preliminary Night II, Summer Soiree
• July 6th – Teen Competition, Miss Final Night

All titleholders, Miss and Teen, must be present for their entire scheduled competition week. If you have unique circumstances which restrict your attendance you must get them cleared with the State Team (sloane@miss-newyork.org) prior to winning a local title or applying for an open title. 

Miss New York / Miss New York’s Teen

The roll of a State Titleholder is a commission-based part time service experience. Your year can be as active as you can reasonably muster, however there are a number of required appearances to which Miss New York/Miss New York’s Teen are committed to attend. This list of required appearances will be available to delegates prior to the state competition. In addition to pre-booked appearances, Miss New York and Miss New York’s Teen are required to compete in the National level competitions and attend any and all workshops or preparatory meetings required by Miss America/.Miss America’s Teen as a  condition to compete.

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2024 Financial Commitments

Fees

All contestants pay a $39 annual fee to Miss America in order to compete. This fee can be paid here. If you are registering for the 2025 season, do NOT pay this fee until August 1, 2024

Each local competition has the option to charge an entry fee, varying from $0 to $250. See the local competitions page for more information

Wardrobe

Contestants are responsible for their own competition wardrobe at all levels of competition. For nearly all phases of competition the choice of wardrobe is yours, and you can borrow, bargain-hunt, buy new, reuse, recycle, and repeat for your wardrobe. The cost or perceived value of your wardrobe is not considered in the scoring.

For the fitness competition, the Miss America organization has partnered with Rebel Athletics to provide an affordable line of exclusive Miss America + Rebel fitness apparel. All Miss and Teen delegates are required to wear both a top and bottom piece of Rebel athletic wear for the health and fitness competition. The combination will range in price from $72 – $170, depending on the items selected. This same wardrobe is used in every local and every State Competition for this season, so there is no requirement to purchase this outfit multiple times. You can see and purchase the Miss America + Rebel Athletics styles here. 

The state competition has previously required a specific outfit for the opening number production. If there is a single piece all contestants are expected to use, ordering information will be shared at workshop. Generally we do our best to keep any required non-competition wardrobe purchases under $100.

Lodging and Travel

Contestants at the local level are required to cover their own lodging and transportation costs as necessary to compete. Local organizations do not generally have a stipend or reimbursement policy for travel during your year as a titleholder so you should expect to cover these costs as well, unless told otherwise by the local director.

Attendance at workshop and State week are required and transportation to and from workshop, as well as lodging, is the responsibility of the titleholder, though some local organizations may have coverage for some or all of these expenses. During state week, Miss delegates will stay at a designated host hotel which historically has a rate of ~$135/night, and this is split between you and your roommate. If you are a local titleholder, this may be covered by your board of directors. Teen delegates can stay in whatever hotel they wish and will stay with a parent/guardian. 

Fundraising

There are a number of fundraisers our delegates participate in. You can use your own money to cover your participation, or fundraise/crowdsource for your contribution. The following are required of every contestant competing for Miss New York or Miss New York’s Teen.

• Provide (2) full pages of content for the competition magazine. These are valued at $350 each but with a little salesmanship you can sell this space as an ad for a local business or raise the money from family and friends for a page focused on you!
• Recruit at least one participating business for Miss New York’s Restaurant Week
• Provide an auction/raffle item valued at no less than $100 for our Summer Soiree during state week. This can be anything, from a certificate for a wine-tasting experience to a basket full of family-friendly board games. You can also use your business savvy to get this contribution donated at no cost to yourself.

Ready to Compete?

To get started on your Miss New York (and perhaps your Miss America) journey you will need to compete in a local competition or apply for an open title.

STEP 1

Join Club Miss America for $39.99 (required annual fee)

STEP 2 – LOCAL COMPETITION OR OPEN APPLICATION