Frequently Asked Questions

Eligibility and Related Requirements

Q1: How do I apply to become a contestant?
A1: Please visit our "Apply Now" page under the Be A Part Of It menu to the left, or just click here to go directly to it!

Q2: Is there a height, weight, age, motherhood, residency or length of marriage requirement?
A2: There is NO height or weight requirement; however contestants should be generally physically fit to the point where they are comfortable competing in the swimsuit competition.  Contestants must demonstrate a NJ relationship by either owning or leasing residential or commercial property, working, attending school or being deployed in the military in the state of New Jersey.  Factors such as having children or being married for a certain length of time are not considered.  Former Mrs. New Jerseys have been 5'2" and 5'11", multiple sizes, barely 30 and into their 50s, had no children, had multiple children, were married for 20 years and were married less than a year when they won.  Simply put, the only official eligibility requirements are those listed on the Rules page of this website.

Q3: What is the registration deadline?
A3: Applications are sent as requests are received, and you have 30 days to return the application.  Extensions are granted on a case by case basis.  Once your application has been received and accepted, you must turn in your registration fee, ads and paperwork by the Contestant Orientation meeting in April 2012.  

Q4: When will I know if I am accepted as a contestant?
A4: We will notify you within 30 days of receipt of your application as to whether you have been accepted into the pageant.

Q5: What is covered by my registration fee?
A5: Your registration fee covers your regalia, your meals during contestant orientation and pageant weekend, and YES it also covers your accommodations (with a roommate), and even your transportation to and from rehearsals, interviews, dinners and the like if needed.  Essentially, from the moment you arrive for pageant weekend, we take care of you until the time you leave, so you can concentrate on being your best for the competition!

Holding the Local or State Title

Q6: I'd like to be a contestant in the pageant, but someone already has my county's title.  Can I still compete?
A6: Yes.  We allow contestants to represent geographical areas at the city, township, borough, region or county level, so if another contestant has already been awarded your county's title, you can still represent any level of geographical area in the same year's pageant (city, township, borough, area, valley, etc.).  All titles are assigned equal weight.

Q7: Is there an extra fee to hold a local title?
A7: Absolutely not!  We believe that ALL contestants should have equal opportunity in front of the judges, and having to pay extra for a local title, crown and banner ("regalia") sets up a community of haves vs. have-nots.  Our registration fee, which is lower than most others in the state, covers the cost of your regalia and includes awarding of your local title.

Q8: What is the time commitment for the winner?  How do you manage daytime appearances for women who work during the day?
A8: The Mrs. United States Organization celebrates the modern married woman and her commitment to her husband, family, career, charitable interests, and other activities. We realize that all of these things take a much higher priority than pageantry and that pageantry takes on a slightly different meaning in the married realm. We wouldn't want our contestants or titleholders to participate in our program at the expense of their family or other commitments, which is why being a titleholder in a "Mrs." system is a bit less structured than it typically is in other age divisions. Our philosophy is that most appearances and other commitments are voluntary and are at your discretion. As your schedule permits, you are welcomed to do as many or as few appearances as you would like. We are happy to arrange appearances for you if and when you are able, and the only time we would have a "pseudo-mandatory" appearance is if we had a major sponsor who wanted our titleholder to do an appearance. We let our sponsors know that it is subject to availability, so if a sponsor is having a grand opening and it's the same day as your cousin's wedding, you would be able to go to the wedding. Conversely, if you are available and just having a bad hair day, we'd ask you to tuck your hair up inside your crown and come to support the sponsor who supported us all!  Generally speaking, we're flexible, as well as respectful of your time.

For example, a titleholder may choose to book several appearances during a particular month, but for the following month, she may opt not to do any appearances and to take some vacation and holiday time with her husband and family. You can choose to do all appearances only on evenings or weekends, only during the day, or a mix of both. Daytime appearances are often difficult for contestants who work a 9-5 type job, so we realize that it may be difficult, if not impossible, to make those types of appearances. It can sometimes be helpful to do those types of appearances on days when your office might be closed or if you happen to have some time during your day off. The only work days that we know for certain you will need to be available are the business days of the state pageant weekend (Fri/Sat/Sun) and, should you become Mrs. New Jersey United States, the days of the national pageant (usually the third or fourth week of July).  As one of the NJ state pageant directors is a former state titleholder in the Miss America system, we totally understand the demands of some systems that require quite a bit of your free or family time, but this pageant is MUCH more relaxed and laid back!  It is as much or as little as you make it!

The Competition and Judging Process

Q9: Is there a talent competition?
A9: No.  There is no talent competition for this pageant.  

Q10: What phases of competition are there?
A10:The only required competition elements are the personal interview (34%), swimsuit (33%) and evening gown with on-stage question (33%) competitions.  Should we call a group of semi-finalists at the pageant (e.g. a "Top 10"), they will compete in an additional Final Question ("fishbowl") competition (bonus 5%).

Pageant Activities, Pageant Show and Pageant Weekend

Q11: Is the pageant televised?
A11: The national pageant television contract is negotiated annually, and may or may not be televised.  When it is televised, it is televised in syndication (not live) on networks like the iTV network (formerly PAX tv).  The state pageant is not currently televised; however, DVDs are available for personal purchase as well as gift-giving.

Q12: What happens at the contestant orientation?
A12: The contestant orientation will be a time to meet fellow contestants, get information about pageant week, turn in paperwork, find out your contestant number and roommate, and rehearse some of the staging for competitions and production numbers.  The contestant orientation is mandatory for all contestants.  The exact location is determined annually and we will provide all accepted contestants with that information as soon as it becomes available.