Eligibility:

To become a local or state participant for the Competition Cycle 2027, (West Sound/Evergreen 2026) and the potential to compete for Miss Washington or Miss Washington’s Teen during the Summer of 2026, you must meet the age criteria as shown below.

• Miss America 18-28 – must be 18 by the State Competition, and no older than 27 at state competition.
• Miss America’s Teen 14-18 – must be 14 by state competition and no older than 18 at State Competition.

Residency:

Must fulfill one of the following:

• Must reside in the local area of competition.
• Be enrolled in and physically attending classes on a full-time basis in middle/Jr. High/high school, or at an accredited college/university in the local area of competition
• Be employed on a full-time basis in the local area in which she intends to compete.

A candidate may qualify based on “Next Closest Rule” – contact program Directors for more information.

• Meet character criteria as set forth by the Miss America Organization.
• Be in reasonably good health to meet the job requirements.
• Be able to meet the time commitment and job responsibilities as set forth by the local, state and national competition(s) in which you compete.
• Candidates must meet all additional requirements pursuant to the Miss America State and Local Application & Agreement.
• Be a United States citizen.

Teen Age Criteria- Additional Notes:

• Miss America HQ reinstated the option for 18-year-old contestants to have a ‘pivot’ year to decide whether they would like to compete in the Teen or Miss divisions.
• A TEEN must not be more than 18 years old at the FIRST DAY of the State competition and must be at least 14 years of age. To clarify, the date of determining this age criterion remains the first day of the published State Competition schedule.
• Additionally, once an 18-year-old decides on the division she may compete in, she may not change divisions until the next cycle.