by Carrie Brumbaugh, Marketing/Publicity, Miss Yavapai County Board of Directors
Throw out everything you think you know about beauty pageants. The Miss Yavapai County competition is where young women compete for some amazing scholarship opportunities and bring awareness to a social cause they champion.
Young women interested in higher education should pay attention to the Miss Yavapai County Scholarship Organization. The upcoming competition, a preliminary to the Miss Arizona and Miss America competitions, strives to help women ages 13 to 17 and 18 to 25 become well-rounded, confident and passionate women dedicated to becoming tomorrow’s leaders.
On Feb. 16, the Prescott area will showcase the first Miss Yavapai County competition where young women will compete for two Miss titles: Miss Yavapai County and Miss Granite Mountain, plus two Outstanding Teen titles. All titleholders will receive a $10,000 scholarship to Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University — Prescott, as well as additional cash and in-kind opportunities from local Arizona businesses. Contestants will participate in five phases of competition: private interview, talent, lifestyle & fitness, evening wear and on-stage question.
After becoming a titleholder, contestants go on to compete at Miss Arizona in June where they can earn additional scholarships, and one day we may see a local contestant on the national stage at Miss America. Many contestants end up earning thousands of dollars in scholarship money to pay for their college education.
The Miss Yavapai County Scholarship Organization was founded in March 2018 and consists of a dedicated volunteer board of directors. The first competition will be held on Feb. 16, 5 to 8 p.m., at the Davis Learning Center on the Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University campus. More information about the organization, volunteering, sponsoring, event tickets, competing or participating in the Princess Program for girls ages 5 to 12, can be found at MissYavapaiCounty.org.