Qualification and Competitions

 

To Qualify:

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If you are a United States citizen, a resident, full-time college student or have family in your state, and between the ages of 7 and 25, we invite you to APPLY TODAY! All age divisions are calculated based on the contestant's age the year of the national pageant. For Nationals held July 2024, contestant age is calculated as of January 1st, 2024.

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• To compete for the title of ANTSO TWEEN NATIONAL TEENAGER, you must be 7 – 9 years of age.

• To compete for the title of  ANTSO PRETEEN NATIONAL TEENAGER, you must be 10 – 12 years of age.

• To compete for the title of  ANTSO JUNIOR NATIONAL TEENAGER, you must be 13 – 15 years of age.

• To compete for the title of  AMERICA’S NATIONAL TEENAGER you must be 16 – 18 years of age.

• To compete for the title of  ANTSO NATIONAL MISS, you must be 19 – 25 years of age.

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Mandatory Competitions:

Contestants will be provided a fillable template prior to the pageant and must submit this “All About Me” form (in place of a formal résumé) to derive their score in the categories of Community Service and Leadership/School Activities. Academic Achievement will be scored solely on the submitted school transcript. 

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Academic Achievement (10%) 

ANTSO titleholders must promote the idea of strong scholastic achievement. All contestants must submit their most recent school transcript/report card. The panel of judges will score the contestant’s academic achievement based on commitment to academic excellence, overall academic performance, repeated scholastic success, and dedication to academics.

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Community Service and Leadership/School Activities (10%) 

ANTSO titleholders must be leaders in their schools and communities.We are looking for a contestant who can represent our organization as a role model of leadership, scholastic aptitude and service. No matter what activities or interests you have, we want to see you excel! We take great pride in giving back to the community, and encourage all of our contestants to share their passions through volunteering. We encourage all of our contestants to pursue leadership roles in their schools, communities, and even at home. We are looking for a girl who shares her passions, talents, and dreams with the world through involvement in activities, clubs, sports, employment, or other organizations.

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Interview (25%)​

ANTSO titleholders must be articulate with excellent social and conversational skills. Contestants engage in a “Round-Robin” style personal 2-minute interview with each judge. Questions will be a combination of generic age-appropriate questions, and questions generated from the contestant’s paperwork. In the Senior and Miss age divisions, the interview may include opinion questions that require general knowledge of social and current events. The atmosphere is upbeat and lighthearted, no political nor controversial questions will be asked. The panel of judges will score the contestant’s interview based upon conversational skills, personality, articulation, demeanor and  grooming.

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Onstage Question (5%) 

ANTSO titleholders must be able to express themselves clearly, diplomatically and must project a pleasant personality at all times. Each contestant will be asked a personalized question onstage derived from her paperwork. A sound will chime at 30 seconds indicating the contestant should conclude her answer. Points will be deducted if the contestant does not conclude her answer within 45 total seconds. Judging criteria includes content of response, stage presence, articulation, and overall impression.

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Fun Fashion (25%)

ANTSO titleholders must have a strong sense of individuality. They must carry themselves with confidence and be proud to be a teen. This competition is designed to provide each contestant an opportunity to express her own personal sense of style. In this high-energy competition, contestants will model an outfit of choice. It can be a cocktail dress, high/low gown, or any other fun, fashionable wear. Judges will score contestants on stage presence, confidence, walk, engagement of facial expression, modeling skills, and overall presentation. Contestants will follow a “T” walking pattern outlined in the Contestant Handbook and practiced at rehearsals.

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Evening Gown (25%)

ANTSO titleholders must carry themselves with dignity, grace, poise and elegance. Judges will not evaluate the cost or designer of the gown, but rather how well it suits the delegate (e.g. fit, color, style) as well as the delegate’s on-stage presentation. In this upbeat and elegant competition, contestants will be scored on their confidence, poise, grace, stage presence and overall presentation while modeling an evening gown. There are no escorts onstage. Contestants will follow a “Lollipop” pattern outlined in the Contestant Handbook and practiced at rehearsals.

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Onstage Optional Competitions:

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Participation in optional competitions has no effect on the outcome of the pageant. A separate panel of judges will score the optional competitions. Awards will be provided for each of the top scores in the onstage competitions per age division, with the overall top score awarded the prize scholarship. Off-stage competitions are awarded one prize per competition per Junior (Tween, Preteen, and Junior Teen) and Senior (Teena and Miss) age categories.

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Talent

Wow us with a performance in any of the following categories;  Singing, Dance, Gymnastics/Acrobatics, Instrument, Magic, Monologue (including spoken word poetry), Miscellaneous.

 

Speech

Inspire, inform, and entertain by delivering an original speech on any age-appropriate topic within a 90 second time limit.  

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Supermodel

Judges will be looking for a contestant who is spirited with a sense of fun and energy, whose sense of style is wholesome and representative of today’s teens and who has potential in the field of modeling. Have fun with your outfit and be creative! Your outfit should best express your personal sense of style, age appropriate, trendy, and shows modeling potential. The outfit must be modest (not revealing or provocative in any way) or it will not be allowed on stage. Low-cut tops or pants will not be permitted, and no midriff may be shown. Shoes and accessories of any kind are permitted. Walking pattern is the same as the mandatory Fun Fashion competition.

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Decorated Jeans

We are proud of this unique category you won’t find at other pageants! A nod to our legacy, Decorated Jeans used to be a mandatory part of the competition at ANTSO. We are keeping the tradition alive by now offering it as an optional! For this competition, you will decorate a pair of jeans to reflect your personality, interests, hobbies, or any of your favorite things. It is best to pick one or two concepts as a focus on your jeans. You may use any materials to decorate your jeans, however, no items may be handheld or removed onstage. If items fall off onto the stage, points will be deducted.

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State Costume

Show off what makes your state special and unique with this fun tradition at the national pageant! Costumes are "anything goes" from elaborate and elegant to silly and simple. Creativity is encouraged! No swimwear, please.  

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Acting

This is your chance to captivate the audience and use your acting ability to advertise a commercial you might see on television. You may recite the lines from any commercial of your choice with a time limit of 30 seconds.

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Offstage Optional Competitions:

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Photogenic

Submit any photo that “puts your best face forward!” Photos should feature your face, with a pleasant expression or smile. Unlimited submissions per contestant, each photo will be scored separately. Photos should be 5 X 7 or larger, and may be in color or black and white.​

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Portfolio

The portfolio competition is your chance to show your range as a model. To enter this competition, submit a folder, binder, or sleeve of 3 to 5 photos, consisting of at least one full length, one waist-up, and one headshot photo at check-in. Photos should be 5 X 7 or larger, and may be in color or black and white.​

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Essay

Titleholders choosing to enter the essay competition must write an original essay on one of the below topics and word limits corresponding to their age division. This includes all words (a, an, the, etc.). Contestants do not have to state the topic prompts verbatim within the essay, however, it must be clear to the judges that the prompt was understood.

 

Junior age divisions (Tween, Preteen and Junior Teen): If I could share something with everyone in the world, I would share… (250 word limit)

Senior age divisions (Teen and Miss): How I make a positive change in my state. (500 word limit)

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People's Choice

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People’s choice voting is available immediately upon a contestant’s registration. To receive votes, contestants must create and/or claim their “Contestant Profile” on Pageant Planet (www.pageantplanet.com). The director will immediately link the contestant’s profile to the People’s Choice voting page. Votes are $1 each. To vote for a contestant, simply click on the contestant’s headshot or name, and follow the prompts to provide payment. There will be NO in-person or cash voting. Voting is unlimited, and contestants may cast votes for themselves. The link to the people’s choice competition will be posted on all ANTSO social media accounts, and emailed to contestants.

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To Apply as a Contestant:

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Complete this form.
Once we receive your form, you will be contacted by our office.

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If you have any questions whatsoever, please contact us. We are here to assist you in any way possible to make the ANTSO Pageant one of the most rewarding experiences of your life!