The Five Pillars of the organization

Scholarship  Most young women who have competed or are planning to compete have done so to earn scholarships to further their education. It’s vitally important to remember the value of your education as you work through the pageant system. Dedication to academic studies is one way to prove scholarship is as important to you as it is to the Miss America Organization. MAO has maintained a decades-old tradition of empowering young women to achieve their personal and professional goals, while providing a forum in which to express their opinions, talent, and intelligence. Scholarships have been the cornerstone of the Miss America program since 1945, when Bess Myerson was the first Miss America to receive a scholarship from the organization.

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Success  Participating in the Miss America Organization not only helps young women pay for college and prepare for a career, it provides an opportunity to gain additional life experience, work on issues of importance to society, enhance their personal and professional skills, and develop their performance-related and other talents.

The pageant experience will instill in young women a deeper commitment and investment in their community and public service, which will strongly influence their education. 

Style  As a contestant, it’s important to develop a personal style. A contestant's personal style is like a signature—unique to them and easily recognizable to others, giving them that edge needed for pageant success. The finishing touch, for any style, is confidence. In the end, it’s the best addition to anyone's wardrobe.

Service  In 1989, the Miss America Organization founded the platform concept, which requires each contestant to choose an issue about which she cares deeply and that is relevant to our society. Once chosen, Miss America and titleholders across the country use their stature to address their platform issues with community-service organizations, business and civic leaders, the media, and others.  Miss America is about community leadership, not community “followership” and contestants and titleholders make a difference through their platform.  

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Sisterhood Every girl that has competed in this organization as gained a sister. This organization prides itself on being kind, and uplifting each other! The women you meet in this program are friends for life. ​