Sunday marks the 49th annual Miss Ball State University scholarship pageant.
This year's Miss Ball State pageant has 24 contestants and consists of an interview before the stage competition and different categories such as swimsuit and evening wear contests, an on-stage question and the talent portion of the contest.
Contestants are chosen as finalists based on their stage presence and ability to impress the judges during the different portions of the pageant, Carol Kosisko, Miss Ball State University scholarship program director, said.
"I think this year will hold the toughest competition in the five years I've been the director," Kosisko said. "All the young ladies I've met are very intelligent and talented."
The winner of the pageant is given the opportunity to compete in the Miss Indiana Pageant, and contestants are eligible for other awards, such as the Cardinal Spirit Award, which goes to the contestant who displays the best attitude, Kosisko said.
"The main point I like to make is that above all else, the Miss Ball State program is a scholarship program," Kosisko said. "It provides in excess of $7,000 in scholarship awards to intelligent, talented young women who grow from their experience through increased confidence and self-esteem."
All contestants are awarded scholarship money, with more money going to the top 10 finalists. The pageant winner and runner-up are awarded more scholarship money than the rest of the contestants, Kraus.
The Miss Ball State Pageant judges have a combined total of almost 100 years of experience in competing and judging and expertise in areas such as dance, gymnastics, vocals and theatre, Kosisko said.
The women are judged not only by their skills on stage but by the validity of their platforms. The contestants' platforms include preventing obesity in children, increasing First Amendment awareness and making Indiana smoke-free, Kosisko said. During her five years of involvement in the Miss America system, Kosisko did not encounter many women with the same platforms as the Miss Ball State contestants, she said.
The pageant premieres 5 p.m. at Emens Auditorium. Tickets to the event are $5, and children under the age of five get in free.
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