Eligibility

Eligibility requirements for participation in the 2025 state pageants include:

MISS DELAWARE USA CONTESTANTS

∙ Must be born in or before 2005
∙ Must never have participated in a previous national MISS USA Pageant
∙ MISS Contestants ONLY: “Effective with the 72nd Miss Universe competition and national preliminary competitions leading up to it, women who are or have been married, as well as women who are pregnant or have children, will be able to compete. (This does NOT apply for the TEEN DIVISION).

MISS DELAWARE TEEN USA CONTESTANTS

∙ Must be born during the years of 2005 – 2009
∙ Must never have participated in a previous national MISS TEEN USA Pageant
∙ TEEN Contestants Only: Must not be married, never have been married, and never have had a marriage annulled. Must never have given birth to a child, cannot be pregnant nor be a parent.

ALL CONTESTANTS

∙ Must be of good health and moral character.
∙ Must be a citizen of the United States, and at least one of the following must be true:

(1) Must now reside in Delaware as your permanent and primary residence for the full period of at least ninety (90) days immediately prior to the beginning of the state pageant (although you may have attended college or University elsewhere);
or (2) Must have resided in Delaware as a full-time student at a school, college or university for one entire semester, trimester or summer session immediately prior to the beginning of the state pageant, and you are still enrolled as a full-time student at a school, college or university and will continue to reside in the state (although you may have spent or be spending the summer in another state); or
(3) Must retain full-time employment in Delaware (i.e., You work at least forty (40) hours per week in the Delaware, and you qualify for employment benefits provided by your employer) and you have maintained such full-time employment for a period of at least ninety (90) days prior to the date of the State Pageant.

∙ Must agree, that if selected to represent Delaware in the MISS USA or MISS TEEN USA pageant, you will participate in that pageant, and will abide by all the rules and regulations governing that pageant. If you win the MISS USA pageant, they must agree to participate in the MISS UNIVERSE PAGEANT, and to abide by the rules and regulations governing that pageant.

∙ No contestant, nor any member of her immediate family (i.e., mother, father, sister or brother) or anyone living in her household can be currently, or has within the last two (2) years been, employed by or an officer, director or agent (including a volunteer worker) of any of the following: (1) The State Director, any company, or enterprise the State Director owns or controls, or of any company or enterprise under common ownership or control with the State Director; or (2) Miss Universe, the Parties, Ernst & Young, or, any of the subsidiaries, affiliates or related companies of the foregoing.

∙ Must agree that if you win or succeed to the state level title or the national title of MISS USA or MISS TEEN USA, you will not participate in any other pageants during the time you hold any of these titles, unless authorized in writing by IMG Universe, LLC.

∙ Must be willing to release, unconditionally and forever, any claim against IMG Universe, LLC, Its parent and affiliated or related companies and their respective officers, directors, partners, employees, agents and assigns, which they may have by virtue of their participation in their state pageant, or by any use of their name, likeness, voice, and/or biography in connection with their state pageant, including use in promotional and advertising material.

∙ Must understand and agree that all issues as to eligibility shall be determined by IMG Universe, LLC, and they must agree to abide by that determination both as to themselves and other applicants.

Judging Criteria

Each Contestant will compete in three equal phases of preliminary competition: Interview, Swimsuit (Miss contestants) / Fitness Wear (Teen contestants) and Evening Gown. The results from these preliminary phases of competition are added up, and the contestants with the highest composite scores become semifinalists. The number of semifinalists will be determined by the total number of contestants in the competition and is typically between 10 and 15. Scoring is based on the following:

Interview: Pageant judges spend time with each contestant to learn about her successes, talents, goals, and ambitions. Attention is focused on her poise, charm, self–confidence and her ability to communicate, as well as the substance of her answers. Preliminary interviews are conducted individually in front of the entire judging panel in a private and closed setting. You will have a two to three-minute interview with the panel of 5 or 7 judges. It is extremely comfortable and conversational. Contestants are scored on their communication skills, and personality. They are NOT scored on their opinions or personal beliefs.

Swimsuit (Miss) / Fitness Wear (Teen): Attention is focused on beauty of face, figure, physical fitness, stage presence and the confidence with which each contestant carries herself. Numerical measurements are not considered in the judging. There is no perfect body type!

Evening Gown: Each contestant wears a gown she has chosen for herself. Attention is focused on each contestant’s overall appearance, self-confidence, and the beauty she brings to the gown of her choice. She is evaluated on grace, poise, style, stage presence, and overall-impression. Judges are instructed to evaluate the contestant, not the dress she is wearing.

There is no talent competition and no experience is necessary.

Preliminary results from the private interview and the Swimsuit/Fitness Wear & evening gown stage presentations are tallied and audited after the preliminary show concludes. Shortly after, the MISS DELAWARE USA & MISS DELAWARE TEEN USA Final Competition kicks off! Soon after, the semi-finalists are announced, and they will again compete in Swimsuit/Fitness Wear and evening gown and the judges will narrow the field to a group of five finalists.

One final on-stage question for the remaining Top-5 will be conducted by the Emcee. They will then appear on stage for group judging and have a spotlighted “Final Look” when each judge will independently select their winner, 1st runner-up, 2nd runner-up, 3rd runner-up, and 4th runner-up in each age group. These events lead up to the crowning of the new Miss Delaware USA and Miss Delaware Teen USA! All contestants will participate on stage several times during the show. Even if they are not selected as Semi-Finalists, there will be several other honors to award that evening.

The judges are looking for the young ladies to represent Delaware throughout the state, as well as nationally and internationally. The contestant who wins may not have scored the highest in any one category but will do well in all events. They will be young women who possess the entire package of poise, personality, intelligence, and beauty. They should understand that, along with the prizes and glamour, there comes a responsibility to the pageant system, sponsors, community, and to the state of Delaware. They automatically and instantly become role models. It is certain to be a year of personal growth and maturing.