To: State Executive Directors

March 2012

To: State Executive Directors,

As we continue our leadership position and iconic status, it isessential that the integrity of the Miss America Organization’s judging process continues to be the cornerstone of our organization and the benchmark in our industry.

In our continuing effort to provide clear communications of MAO policies, MAO’s judging information is now organized in this comprehensive Judges Manual. While there are no changes to the judges rules or procedures, this manual serves as a complete reference and training guide for the Miss America judging process and will assist you in the orientation of judges prior to your competition.

The Miss America local and state competitions are the most important components of the Miss America Organization. The titleholders selected to represent each state organizationin the National Finals characterize the values and integrity which embody the role of Miss America today. The instructions included in this manual will assist you as you educate your judges for selecting the young woman who possesses the necessary qualifications to fulfill the demanding role of a local and state spokesperson and future Miss America.

As you know, this process begins with the formation of your judging panel which should be a diverse group of individuals from a variety of backgrounds. Assembling a panel with various backgrounds enhances the selection process and ensuresthattheassessmentof the qualifications is applicable to the job description for your state and local titleholders.

The Miss America Scholarship Program is a unique pageant system which is directly linked to the four points of the crown that represent the goals inherent in attaining the Miss America title – Style, Scholarship, Success and Service. Since all competitions within the MAO program are actual preliminaries to crowning Miss America – the outstanding young woman who represents and becomes the ambassador of the entire organization – it is important that your titleholder’s job description mirrors that of Miss America’s job description.

The following Judges Manual will assist you as you share the qualities of the Miss America program and the importance of selecting the right person for the titleholder role. Even though the Miss America Organization does not “certify” judges, this manual serves as a reference for the planning and presentation of the judging materials at your Judges Orientation, as well as, preparing and training your local organizations.

We appreciate your commitment to the Miss America Organization and wish you continued success. We are available to help with any additional support you need.

Sincerely,

Marc AngeliKirk Ryder

Director of Field MarketingDirector of Field Marketing

The Miss America Organization is the world’s largest provider of scholarship assistance for young women and over $45 million inscholarship assistance was made available this past year through our state and local organizations.
Miss America started in 1921 by businessmen in Atlantic City as a way of extending the summer season and celebrated 91 years in 2012.
Today’s Miss America Organization is a not for profit organization dedicated to empowering young women to achieve their personal, professional and educational goals.
Miss America is proud of its heritage andan enormous opportunity for some of the most intelligent, outgoing, multi-faceted and accomplished women today.
The Miss America Organization provides young women an opportunity to further their personal and professional goals and instills a spirit of community service through a variety of unique nationaland community based programs.
The young women who compete in the Miss America system are intelligent, articulate, highly motivated, caring, talented, ambitious and hard working. They are passionate about their platform issues and are major contributors to public service. They exemplify leadership skills, strength of character and spirit – they touch lives.
The dedicated young women who compete for the coveted Miss America title donate more than 500,000 hours each year to make Miss America one of the largest community service organizations in the country.
Previous Miss America titleholders have gone on to accomplish great things in all aspects of their lives from business to family and community, and they continue to embody everything the Miss America Organization represents.
After Miss America is selected she embarks on a year-long national speaking tour. As the national spokesperson and advocate, Miss America travels the country addressing diverse audiences, increasing awareness and promoting the national platform, as well as her personal platform.