The end of the year is definitely pageant season, and the next big one is the 2020 Miss America competition. If you tune in on Thursday, December 19 at 8 p.m. ET to NBC, you'll watch representatives from all 50 states and the District of Columbia give it their all in hopes of being crowned the next national pageant queen.
Admittedly, if you're not an avid pageant viewer, all the competitions airing this time of year can get a bit confusing. After all, there are a lot of them, including Miss Universe, Miss International, and Miss World. Even though they may sound pretty similar, they are all a bit different from each other. For instance, you might be surprised to learn that Miss America and Miss U.S.A. are actually two totally separate competitions.
So what's the difference between Miss America and Miss U.S.A.?
For starters, Miss America has a scholarship component to it. The winner will receive a $50,000 scholarship and a six-figure salary during their reign, according to Bustle.
While holding the Miss America title, the organization's website claims that the winner will "engage in extensive travel." This could include logging 20,000 miles a month and at times "changing locations every eight to 24 hours."
Besides working closely with the 98-year-old Miss America organization, the winner will also serve as the National Ambassador for Children's Miracle Network Hospitals, with the goal in mind of raising funds for families struggling to afford medical care. Apart from that, her job will be to advance whatever social issue she chooses to highlight through her own initiative.
As far as qualifications go, Miss America requires that its winner and contestants be between 17 and 25 years old, a U.S. citizen, in "reasonably good health" to carry out the specified job duties, and meet the organization's "character criteria."
Miss U.S.A., on the other hand, is a bit different. It requires that pageant hopefuls be between 18 and 28 years old. The organization, which was first founded and sponsored by Catalina Swimsuits in 1952, also clearly states that contestants cannot be married, pregnant, or married previously and/or had a marriage annulled. Finally, it demands that participants cannot have "given birth to, or parented a child."
In terms of what contenders would be competing for, the winner of Miss U.S.A. advances to the Miss Universe contest. Per the website, the pageant queen is relocated to New York City where she will begin to collaborate with her Miss Universe family.
"Through the organization, the winner is provided a platform for possibility based on her objectives for the year," the website reads. "Alongside The Miss Universe Organization, she will plan how to achieve her goals on the national and global scale."
Apart from that, both competitions feature different components. Miss U.S.A., for example, does not have a talent portion but does include a swimsuit/athletic gear and evening gown "presentation show." Miss America, by contrast, scrapped its swimsuit portion in 2018, opting instead for a "live interactive session with the judges."
So, there you have it. The more you know!
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