Orientation Information for the 2013 Miss Philadelphia Pageant Saturday, March 2, 2012

Table of Contents Introduction 33 Organization Values4 Phases of Competition5  Interview & On-stage Question  Talent  Lifestyle and Fitness in Swimsuit  Evening Gown Judging66 Local / State / National Progression77 Participation Criteria 8 Why Miss Philadelphia? 1010 The Miss Philadelphia Family 11 Next Steps 1313 Key Dates and Contacts 1414

The Miss Philadelphia pageant is part of the Miss America Organization, the largest provider of scholarship assistance to women  The Miss America Organization is a not-for-profit organization that has maintained a tradition for many decades of empowering American women to achieve their personal and professional goals, while providing a forum in which to express their opinions, talent and intelligence.  The Miss America Organization is one of the nation's leading achievement programs and the world's largest provider of scholarship assistance for young women. Last year, the Miss America Organization and its state and local organizations made available more than $45 million in cash and scholarship assistance.

The organization focuses on both scholarship and service, with historical scholarship levels that match the state level and service that is recognized throughout the Philadelphia community  The Miss Philadelphia Organization places a high value on the educational scholarship value of the program  In years past, the Miss Philadelphia Organization has given over $15,000 to contestants, with the winner receiving ~$10,000  While Miss Philadelphia remains busy throughout the year, school comes first and the organization is fully focused of the academic success of our contestants, both current and past ScholarshipCommunity ServiceThe Value of a Network  Getting involved in the community is a key pillar of the Miss Philadelphia Organization  We have accumulated dozens of sponsors over the year and have established connections with some key players in the Philadelphia area, including Mayor Nutter and others  Past Miss Philadelphias and sponsors work with Miss Philadelphia throughout the year to help her achieve her service platform goals  The Miss Philadelphia family is just that…family. We have established a very strong network of supporters and do everything to make the experience the most fun and rewarding it can be  The organization holds annual reunions of prior winners to catch up on life and collaborate on community initiatives  We continuously participate in events to increase recognition of the organization within the Philadelphia community

As in all Miss America local pageants, the phases of competition include interview, on-stage question, talent, lifestyle & fitness and evening gown In-Person Interview (10 minutes) In-Person Interview (10 minutes) Talent Competition (90 seconds) Talent Competition (90 seconds) On-Stage Interview Question (2 questions) On-Stage Interview Question (2 questions) Lifestyle and Fitness in Swimsuit Evening Gown Prior to On-Stage Competition On-Stage Competition Phases  Questions focus on current events, service platform and resume:  Judges are looking to understand: (1) Is the contestant ready, willing and able to do the job of Miss Philadelphia? (2) What are the contestants’ core values? (3) Does she sell / market herself for the job of Miss Philadelphia?  Assessment of Technical / Entertainment Value of Talent as well as the energy and charisma of contestant  Can the contestant speak extemporaneously / connect with the audience?  Assessment of intelligence, articulation and confidence  Assessment of physical fitness / tone as well as stage presence, confidence and energy  This is an assessment of the girl, not the gown, and judges look for poise, presence and grace as well as energy and charisma

Judging is done by phase of competition and a ranking of the Top 5 candidates at the completion of all phases 35%Talent 25%In-Person Interview 20%Evening Gown 15%Lifestyle and Fitness in Swimsuit 5%On-Stage Question Top 5 Ballot  Top 5 contestant total scores are placed on a Top 5 ballot in random order  Judges are then asked to rank the candidates on who would make the best Miss Philadelphia

Miss Philadelphia 2013 will compete for Miss Pennsylvania in June, 2013 and potentially Miss America in January, 2014 National Pageant: Miss America January 2014 (Las Vegas, NV) State Pageant: Miss Pennsylvania June 9-15, 2013 (Pittsburgh, PA) Local Pageant: Miss Philadelphia March 2, 2012 (Philadelphia, PA)

In order to participate, women need to meet certain requirements and be either a resident or full-time student in one of the five Philadelphia counties  Must be between the ages of 17 and 24 o If 17, the contestant must be a senior in High School o If 24, the contestant must not turn 25 before December 31, 2013  Must be a U.S. Citizen  Must meet residency requirements for the pageant (see county map to the left)  Meet character criteria as set forth by the Miss America Organization  Be in reasonably good health to meet the job requirements  Be able to meet the time commitment and job responsibilities as set forth by the local program in which you compete Other RequirementsResidency Requirements  Contestants must live or be a full-time student (proof required) in one of the five Philadelphia counties:  Bucks  Delaware  Montgomery  Chester  Philadelphia

In addition, Miss America requires that each local contestant raise $100 for Children’s Miracle Network, the Miss America National Platform  The Miss America Organization is partnered with the Children’s Miracle Network to raise funds and awareness for children’s hospitals throughout the U.S.  Each local contestant is required to raise $100 for the cause through donations and sponsorships  Each contestant will have a personalized link through through which sponsors can donate funds

 Choose a platform that has meaning to you and get involved in the community: o Examples of past platforms include: Promoting child advocacy Raising awareness about breast cancer prevention and treat Helping teenagers and youth cope with depression The Miss Philadelphia Scholarship Organization provides not only an opportunity to represent the community while earning scholarship money but also to meet other women like you… Win Scholarship Money for School Make a Difference in the Community Build a Network of Women like YOU  Former Miss Philadelphias have used scholarship money to pay for undergraduate tuition, law school, medical school, business school and other professional degrees  Meet other like-minded women from the Philadelphia area  Help other women achieve their goals and allow them to help you achieve yours  Build relationships that will last a lifetime

Our current Miss Philadelphia, Lauren Bilski, has been featured in the press on multiple occasions Drexel Now Brain Injury Association of PA Times Leader Philadelphia Inquirer The Philadelphia Metro Drexel Triangle Fox News

The Miss Philadelphia Organization is truly a family that supports each other through all endeavors…

Interested in participating? Next Steps…  Complete application form  Submit application to by Thursday, December 6 th, 2012  Upon application submission, wait to be contacted for your audition time slot (Auditions will be held in Philadelphia the weekend of December 16 th )  Feel free to inquire at with any further questions you have; we are happy to put a former Miss Philadelphia in touch with you  Learn more about the organization by visiting our facebook page (Miss Philadelphia Scholarship Organization) and watching the YouTube video of the Miss Philadelphia Legacy: Miss Philadelphia Talent Legacy

The application form is posted on the Miss Philadelphia website and is due on Thursday, December 6 th, Application  The 2013 Application can be found online at  Please complete and return the form to by Thursday, December 6 h  Someone will contact you regarding a time for your auditions on Sunday, December 16 th, 2012 at the Union League, Philadelphia  Please note that whatever talent you list on your application is the one you will be required to perform at auditions as well as at the pageant o For example, if selected as a final contestant, a dancer who auditions with a tap dance will be required to perform a tap dance the night of pageant o Songs may be changed, but the genre of talent must remain the same

Key Dates and Contact Information Contact InformationKey Dates & Timeframes Website: Miss Philadelphia Scholarship Organization Key EventDate Submit ApplicationDecember 6, 2012 Pageant AuditionsDecember 16, 2012 Contestant WorkshopJanuary 2013 Miss Philadelphia Outstanding Teen Pageant March 3, 2013 Miss Philadelphia Pageant March 2, 2013 Miss Philadelphia Legacy Videos