Pageant Prep, Part 2: How to Prep

In my last blog post, I talked about the importance of prepping early. If you want that title, you can’t just throw everything together the night before and expect to earn the crown, even if you’ve been competing for your entire life.

But… HOW does one prep for a pageant? That’s the next question.

Sadly, there isn’t one perfect way to prep, because if there was, everyone would be

doing it. And even if you ask a really successful pageant contestant—the current Miss America, for example—how she prepared for the Miss America stage, you’re probably to receive an entirely different answer than if you asked the current Miss Universe how she prepared.

Because everyone’s different.

So I’m going to share with you what I do. In the months leading up the pageant, I make sure to complete the following things:

1. ANY AND ALL PAPERWORK AND MONEY DEADLINES. If you miss a deadline, you can basically kiss the crown goodbye. Sorry to be blunt, but it’s true. Some

   directors will kindly pull you aside at registration and gently remind you that you owe money or a form, but those kinds of directors are increasingly rare. Most pageants nowadays will simply inform the judges that you can’t honor deadlines. (If you need a payment plan, set it up with your director immediately.)

   
   

2. Book a hair and makeup artist, and/or learn to do it yourself. Either way, PRACTICE!

   
   

3. Practice your on-stage walk, in the same shoes you’ll be wearing onstage. I do this

   every day for about three weeks in the days leading up to the big event.

   
   

4. Make sure your wardrobe, including accessories, are chosen and outfits tailored,

   with backup outfits just in case. For a really big pageant, I even plan out the outfits I’ll be wearing at registration and during rehearsals.

   
   

5. Book your airline, hotel, and any additional travel reservations, and do it early. The

   hotel might run out of rooms. (This has happened to multiple contestants I know.)

   Also, try to fly in a day earlier than planned, due to the chaos of air travel. If your

   flight is late, the director will understand-- but you’ll be too stressed to compete at

   your best level!

   
   

6. Do you work with a pageant coach? Book some coaching lessons.

   
   

7. Enlist a friend or family member to help you with a practice interview. Take your time on your resume or judge bio, making sure there are no errors. And leave off anything you do NOT want them asking you about. Many pageants say they will not have judges ask you about politics, but if you put on your resume that you want to be a US Senator—as I did one time!—that rule was set aside and I was grilled about my opinions on minimum wage. And no, I didn’t win that title.

   
   

8. Read your paperwork. Does your pageant do a contestant gift exchange? A

   collection of charity items? A required ad page? A required number of tickets sold

   per contestant? Make sure it’s done, and done well.

   
   

9. And finally, prep yourself. Book a spray tan, a mani/pedi, a teeth whitening, or

   anything else you feel you need to do to get yourself ready.

Sometimes, you may feel that you need your own personal secretary to be a pageant

contestant! It may be overwhelming at times, but don’t give up—remember, you can’t win unless you put the work in. Enlist a trusted friend to help if you need it.

And keep that crown in your sight! When they put that shiny crown on your head at the

end of the night, it’ll all be worth it.

By Alison Lee, National Ms. AWOS 2019 and Lifetime Ambassador