Nearly 100 women and teenage girls from across the state have convened in Columbus to compete for Miss Georgia and Miss Georgia’s Outstanding Teen this week. You can watch the five nights of pageantry unfold from the comfort of your couch.
The pageant, held at the River Center, will take place over the course of five days. All 99 contestants in Miss Georgia and Miss Georgia’s Outstanding Teen will compete in preliminaries on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday nights. On Friday, the teen pageant will be held, and the Miss Georgia finals will be held Saturday.
>> PODCAST: Miss Georgia Pageant
There are still tickets available if you want to watch the pageant in person, but you can also stream it for free. Still have questions? Here are the basics on what you need to know and how to watch:
Will Miss Georgia contestants still compete in swimsuit?
While the Miss America competition will no longer include a swimsuit category and will no longer call itself a pageant this September, Miss Georgia isn't changing yet. It's still called the Miss Georgia Pageant and will still have a swimsuit competition. Next year, Miss Georgia will not have a swimsuit competition and will rebrand to the Miss Georgia Competition in order to match the national event, according to organization spokeswoman Cassie Myers.
What’s the difference between Miss Georgia and Miss Georgia’s Outstanding Teen?
Miss Georgia is a pageant for women between 17 and 24 years old. Contestants compete in five phases of competition: talent, swimsuit, evening wear, on-stage question and private interview. The winner of Miss Georgia goes on to compete for the title of Miss America.
Miss Georgia’s Outstanding Teen is a pageant for young women between the ages of 13 and 17. Contestants must be no older than a rising high school senior; if a 17-year-old has graduated high school, she is only eligible for Miss Georgia, not the teen competition. Teen contestants compete in four phases of competition: talent, evening wear and on-stage question, physical fitness and private interview. Miss Georgia’s Outstanding Teen is a “little sister” to Miss Georgia and goes on to compete in Miss America’s Outstanding Teen, the “little sister” pageant to Miss America.
How can I watch online?
The pageant's preliminary and final competition is streamed live by WRBL-TV, a local Columbus TV station. The stream is free and covers all three preliminary nights, Miss Georgia's Outstanding Teen finals and Miss Georgia finals. Preliminary competition takes place Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday beginning at 7 p.m. Miss Georgia's Outstanding Teen finals are on Friday at 7 p.m. and Miss Georgia finals are on Saturday at 7 p.m. You can find live streams at WRBL's Miss Georgia page and "Watch Live" page.
Why do some contestants not live in the city or region they represent?
Miss Georgia and Miss Georgia’s Outstanding Teen have dozens of local pageants that send contestants to the state competition. Some are “open pageants” and others are “closed pageants.”
Open pageants allow any Georgia resident within the proper age range to compete; that’s why Miss Atlanta lives in Canton (but works in Atlanta) and Miss Fayette County is from Augusta. Titleholders who represent locations where they do not live still attend events and perform community service in the location they represent.
Closed pageants restrict their contestant pool to a certain city, county or region. Miss Warner Robins, for example, is a closed pageant that permits contestants to compete if they live in one of 14 Middle Georgia counties.
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