• The Miss America Organization has extended its trusted and celebrated 84-year-old brand to include a national teen program. State programs send their titleholders to the national competion, held in Florida.
  
  
• A sister company to the Miss America Organization, Miss America's Outstanding Teen promotes scholastic achievement, creative accomplishment, healthy living and community involvement for America's teens
  
  
• Miss America's Outstanding Teen is a scholarship based program. Through the efforts of thousands of volunteers across the country, the organization offers to accomplished teens the opportunity to win college scholarship funds.
  

The Miss Minnesota Outstanding Teen Competition
Thursday, June 14th, 7:00pm
Eden Prairie High School Performing Arts Center in Eden Prairie, MN
Tickets are $15, all General Admission

How much time is required?
Contestant will need to be at rehearsals and other pageant activities from Sunday, June 10th until the pageant is finished on the 14th. The winner will be required to perform her talent at the Miss Minnesota Pageant on Saturday, June 16th.

April 14, 2007 Spring Forum Orientation Meeting:
At this time you will turn in all of your Miss Minnesota Outstanding Teen paperwork, meet the other contestants, and choose your performance order. Because of the extent of information that will be discussed at this meeting, it is mandatory for all participants. There will be an optional informational session earlier in the year (November/December) for interested contestants and their parents. Please check this site for further information.

Pageant Week - Miss Minnesota’s Outstanding Teen:
Hotel accommodations will be included in your entry fees and it is mandatory that you stay at the host hotel.

The entry fee is $500. This fee goes towards the arts and academic scholarship for the winner ($1000), the scholarships for the 1st and 2nd runners up, and prizes for Miss Congeniality, Miss Photogenic, Community Service & Academic awards.

Miss America's Outstanding Teen
The winner of Miss Minnesota’s Outstanding Teen Competition will go on to compete at the national level in 2007. More details will be available soon.

Registration Deadline
Registration deadline is April 14, 2007

We will accept a maximum of 30 contestants. Entry is on a first-come first-served basis with your PAID sponsorship and completed application.

Are you eligible?
The eligibility requirements for Miss Minnesota’s Outstanding Teen are as follows:

• Resident of Minnesota for the last six months
• Must be 13 by June 13th, 2007.
• You cannot be older than 17 and you must not be eligible to compete in the Miss America Program.
• You must also be a U.S. Citizen

Please contact us if you have any questions or would like to sign up!

Phases of Competition

• Private Interview (30% of total score)

  Each contestant participates in an individual 8 minute interview at the state competition and 10 minutes at the national competition; both include 30-second openings and 30-second closings. There are typically 5 to 7 judges on a panel, and the interview is press-style, with the contestant standing at a podium. Contestants are questioned on their background as presented on their fact sheet, their educational and career goals, and their interests, hobbies and extracurricular activities.

  Scoring is based on overall communication skills, including personality, intelligence, validated opinions, emotional control, overall first impression and personal appearance. A community service platform is required and we will have more information available on our website later in the year regarding this. If you have immediate questions, please contact the executive director, Suzie Kearns, at missmnteen@yahoo.com

• Academic Achievement (5% of total score)

Academic Judges will review each contestant's resume and official transcripts. Scoring will be based on the following questions:
1. Has this student maintained at least a "B" average during the past academic year?
2. Would her academic achievements place her in the top 10% of your (the judges') institution?
3. Is she taking Advanced, AP, or IB courses?
4. Does she hold leadership positions in her school and extracurricular activities?
5. Based on the information before you, do you believe this student would meet the description of an "outstanding student"?

• On-Stage Question (5% of total score)

Questions will be of a general nature and will be neither platform-related nor something taken directly from the private interview. The objective is to evaluate the contestant's ability to think on her feet and answer a question of general interest to people her age, including, but not limited to, local, state, and national current events.
Scoring is based on overall first impression and extemporaneous response to an on-stage question, contestant's ability to answer the question in the context in which it was asked, contestant's ability to handle the pressure of speaking on stage in front of an audience, and if young people see her as a role model who is reflective of today's generation.

• Lifestyle and Fitness (10% of total score)

Each contestant briefly appears on-stage (up to 30 seconds) modeling sportswear (in character) of her choosing that represents something she does to stay fit. (No Swimsuits) (Example: if she is a cheerleader, she can model her uniform in character; if she rides horses, she can model her riding gear in character; if she jogs, she can model a jogging suit in character; if she takes karate, she can model her gi; if she plays tennis, she can model her tennis outfit; if she plays basketball, volleyball, softball, etc., she can model her uniform; if she is a dancer, she can model a costume or rehearsal outfit...all in character...the list goes on!) "In character" means acting out the activity. A jogger would jog a few steps; a tennis player would swing her racquet; a karate student would demonstrate a karate move...etc.

Scoring is based on overall first impression, statement of strong physical fitness and health, sense of attractiveness and presence, display of energy, charisma and expression, sense of confidence and composure. The fitness of the teen, by the shape of her body, is not being judged. Instead, her level of pursuit and dedication to maintaining a healthy lifestyle is being evaluated.

• Talent (35% of total score)

Contestants perform a 2-minute routine of their own choosing. Some possible talents include all types of singing, dancing, gymnastics, instrumental music, dramatic or comedy monologues, baton twirling and ventriloquism. Other talents that can be performed solo on a stage are also possible. Phone or e-mail us if you have a question about your talent presentation.
Scoring is based on contestant's skill and personality, interpretive ability, technical skill level, stage presence and the totality of all elements, including costume, props, voice, use of body and choreography.

• Personal Appearance/Poise in Evening Wear (15% of total score)

Each contestant appears on-stage in an outfit of her own choosing, representative of what she would wear to a prom or other formal event. Although contestants typically wear ball or evening gowns, pantsuits, tea-length dresses and cocktail dresses are all appropriate for this phase of the competition. You should be dressed appropriately for a TEEN.
Scoring is based on overall first impression, sense of confidence, personality and stage presence, walk, posture, carriage and grace, appropriateness of attire and sense of style, sense of attractiveness, beauty and charm.

• Top Five - Final Ballot

From the above 100%, the Top Five Finalists will be named. The Top Five Finalists enter the final round of competition with zero points. The judges will then rank the contestants in the order they individually believe the contestants should finish on a Final Ballot.
Each judge will rank the Top Five contestants on a Final Ballot. A first place vote is worth ten points, a second place vote is worth five points, a third place vote is worth three points, a fourth place vote is worth two points and a fifth place vote is worth one point. The total of the Final Ballots alone will determine the outcome of the pageant. The high and low scores on the Final Ballot will NOT be dropped. All judges' votes count on the Final Ballot.