THE PROGRAM

The Miss Grays Harbor Scholarship Program is a preliminary to the Miss Washington and Miss America Programs. The Miss America Organization is one of the nation’s leading achievement programs and is the world’s largest provider of scholarship assistance for young women today. The program provides young women with the opportunity to pursue their professional and educational goals through the awarding of monetary grants for education. Scholarship funds are contributed by corporate and individual sponsors who commit their support to the personal advancement of these young women. The scholarship program is based on scholastic tradition that has been the cornerstone of the Miss America program since 1945. Today, personal growth, educational advancement, and community service continue to be the primary objectives of the organization. The Miss Grays Harbor Scholarship Program offers awards to each participant.

The first Miss Grays Harbor was crowned in April of 1948. Miss Grays Harbor 1948, Lorraine Lowder won the state title and was crowned Miss Washington 1948. On April 25, 1949, Lorraine crowned Mary Hansmann, Miss Grays Harbor 1949. Mary went on to compete in the Miss Washington Pageant in June of that year, however Miss Cowlitz County, Libby Aldrich was crowned Miss Washington 1949. There was then a 10 year hiatus where no pageant was held, although financial problems with the State program in 1949 may have led this hiatus. The pageant returned again in 1959 and Lynne Ross was crowned Miss Grays Harbor. Miss Grays Harbor 1961, Gail Hannuk of Aberdeen went on to become Miss Washington 1961 . There was no titleholder for 1963, but the program has continued virtually without interruption since 1964. Sometime in 1990 or 1991 there was a change of pageant dates so Miss Grays Harbor would serve the year following her crowning in the same style as Miss America. Therefore Miss Grays Harbor 1990, Melinda Reynvaan extended her reign into 1991.

In 2004 a second title was added as Miss Pacific Coast. This title was held until 2007.

Miss Grays Harbor’s Outstanding Teen was started in 2007 as the junior competition to the Miss Grays Harbor Program and a preliminary to Miss America’s Outstanding Teen and as such aims to “promote scholastic achievement, creative accomplishment, healthy living and community involvement for America’s teens.”

The first competition was held in 2007 with Connie Morgan winning the title.

THE COMPETITION

The Miss Grays Harbor Scholarship Program is open to women between the ages of 17-25 in Grays Harbor County who are interested in serving in a leadership role that fosters community service.

If selected as Miss Grays Harbor, you will enjoy a busy year of engagements and appearances throughout the county meeting with city and state officials, community leaders and a myriad of volunteers who give their time and talents to this organization.

As a contestant in the Miss America Organization, you will choose a social impact initiative to work with and advocate for in your community and compete for a total score in these four phases of competition:

  • Private Interview (25% of total score)  Each contestant participates in a private 10-minute press conference-style interview with a panel of judges. There is a panel of five judges. Contestants are questioned on their background as presented on their fact sheet, their educational and career goals, their opinions on current events, social issues, and their interests, hobbies and extracurricular activities. Scoring is based on communication skills, including personality, intelligence, validated opinions, emotional control, overall first impression and personal appearance, and whether the contestant possesses the overall qualities and attributes of Miss Grays Harbor.
  • Talent (40% of total score)  Contestants perform a routine of up to 90 seconds of their own choosing. Possible talents might include singing, dancing, gymnastics, instrumental music, dramatic or comedy monologues, speed painting and more.  Contact 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.
  • Presence & Poise in Evening Wear with Social Impact Statement (20% of total score)  Each contestant appears on stage in an outfit of her own choosing, representative of what she would wear to a formal “after five” social event. Pantsuits, cocktail dresses and evening gowns are all appropriate for this phase of the competition. Scoring is based on the overall first impression, sense of confidence, personality and stage presence, walk and posture, appropriateness of attire and sense of attractiveness. Each contestant will make an 8 second statement regarding her social impact initiative.
  • On Stage Question (15% of total score) Each contestant appears on stage and will answer a question, in front of the audience, written by one of the judges as an extension of the personal interview they participated in previously.

The scoring for the Teen Program is as follows:

  • Private Interview (25%): You will have a private interview with five judges who are looking for the qualities and attributes of Miss America’s Outstanding Teen. Judges are looking for strong communication skills, validated opinions, sense of accomplishment, poise and presence.  Contestant should have knowledge and understanding of her platform.
  • Talent (35%):  The Talent Competition provides the contestant another venue to show her personality and stage presence. The judges will look for entertainment value, quality of the talent presentation, stage presence and that overall “first impression.”   (Talent length – 90 seconds)
  • Evening Wear/On-Stage Question (20%): This phase of competition allows the contestant to show her beauty, poise, grace and stage presence.  The contestant should project her personality and self-confidence. The evening gown should complement the Contestant’s individuality.  The total image and “first impression” are what the judges will be looking for not the value of the evening wear!  The On-Stage Question Competition is designed for the contestant to make an on-stage statement of her interests, opinions and aspirations.  The judges will look for overall “first impression”, charisma and stage presence.
  • Lifestyle & Fitness in Sportswear (10%):  Lifestyle and Fitness in Sportswear allows the contestants to show how she maintains a lifestyle of fitness and good physical health, sense of confidence, drive and energy.  This phase of competition gives the audience and the judges a glimpse of her daily routine and lifestyle. Overall “first impression” and stage presence will be what the judges will look for in this phase of competition.
  • Scholastic Achievement (10%): Scholastic Achievement Phase of Competition allows the contestants to show their academic accomplishments through their transcripts (report cards -7th & 8th grades) as well as their resume.  The judges will be looking for at least a maintained “B” average, contestants that are taking advanced, AP or IB courses as well as taking on leadership positions in her school and extracurricular activities.  The judges are looking for the description of an “outstanding student.”