Ok, so this is something that I hear time and time again! Quite simply, you do not need any pageant experience or pageant training to win a pageant – whether you are competing in a local pageant or a national one. This is a fact!
For our pageants, and those organised by others, some girls win who have competed before (either in that pageant system or others) and others win when it’s the first time they have ever walked on a pageant catwalk! It really is just the way the cookie crumbles for that competition, on that day.
I think there can be misconceptions about what you have to have done before entering a national pageant in the UK and I believe this can start to taint your pageant experience – when I hear things, I want to scream, no this is not true!!!! I will blog about all the pageant advice and tips that I have heard another time…. That could take me a while to type out!
But seriously, you can enter as a pageant newbie or a pageant veteran and you have the same chance as winning, it simply depends on how YOU perform in the competition. The worst thing you can do is compare yourself to others, don’t waste your time and energy by focussing on the qualities and experience that others have, this competition is about YOU.
There are basically two ways it can work when it comes to experience:
I have seen it time and time again that someone completely new to pageant land makes it to a national final, dazzles everyone & walks away with the national (or international) crown. Some examples include:
- Olivia Culpo – Miss Rhode Island 2012, Miss USA 2012, Miss Universe 2012 – perhaps the most successful introduction to the pageant world?!
- Ursula Carlton – Miss Great Britain 2016
- Sarah Pritchard – Mrs Galaxy UK 2016 and international winner of Mrs Galaxy 2016/17
- Emma Jenkins – Miss Wales 2015
- Sienna Demontis – Junior Miss Galaxy UK 2017 and 3rd runner up internationally at Junior Miss Galaxy 2017
- Elizabeth Grant – Miss Preston 2016 and Miss England 2016
- Carina Tyrell – Miss Cambridgeshire 2015 and Miss England 2015
- Kirsty Fletcher – Mrs Galaxy UK 2013, 1st Runner Up Mrs Galaxy 2013
- Robyn Morrison-Charlesworth – Mrs Galaxy UK 2012, 1st Runner Up Mrs Galaxy 2013
- Robyn Ferguson – Miss Teen Galaxy Scotland 2011
- Abigail Gliksten – Miss Intercontinental Scotland 2016, Top 16 at Miss Intercontinental 2016
- Stephanie Hodson – Miss Intercontinental England 2011, Miss Congeniality winner at Miss Intercontinental
On the other hand, it’s not just beginners luck that wins the crown. With every pageant that you compete in, it’s certainly true that your confidence grows and you have a better idea of what to expect when you next compete. Pageant finalists can definitely get bitten by the pageant bug and return to the stage with even more determination & preparation than the first time!
If you have enjoyed competing in a pageant, I always say ‘do not give up!’ You should never be disheartened that you didn’t win, I firmly believe that everything happens for a reason and if you have enjoyed it, why not give it another go?! It’s easy after a pageant final to say, ‘but I did so much, I deserved to win.’ However, you must consider that you were not the only finalist who worked hard with their title. It’s always fantastic when contestants use their titles actively and this doesn’t go unnoticed, but ultimately, there can only be one winner.
If you didn’t win a pageant title the first time, don’t worry – you are definitely not alone! Some of the UK’s (and the world’s!!) most successful pageant queens did not win their first national pageant and retrospectively, it perhaps gave them a platform to ultimately enjoy even more success in the industry. When you don’t win, you can take a step back and think of what you want to do differently next time….. here’s a small selection of some beauty queens who enjoyed lots of success after NOT winning their first, national pageant:
- Our fave in the Pageant Girl office – Pia Wurzbach. Pia won Miss Universe in 2015 (after that memorable Steve Harvey mix-up with Miss Columbia) however, it was only on her third attempt that she won the Miss Philippines title….. her perseverance definitely paid off!
- Sophie Moulds – Miss Wales 2012 and Miss World 2012 1st Runner Up. Prior to winning Miss Wales 2012, Sophie had competed in the competition and not placed anywhere!
- Stephanie Hill – Miss England 2017, Stephanie won the Miss England crown on her fourth attempt!
- Miss Universe Great Britain 2017 – Anna Burdzy
- Misha Grimes – Miss Teen Galaxy England 2017, international winner of Miss Teen Galaxy 2017, World Teen Supermodel UK 2016
- Jaime-Lee Faulkner – after competing in the Miss England finals four times & not taking the title, Jaime-Lee enjoyed much success winning Miss Universe GB, Miss Galaxy England, Miss Scuba UK and Miss Scuba International!
- Jamie-Lee Williams – after coming close to the crown for both Miss Wales and Miss Universe GB, she did not give up and went on to win Miss Galaxy Wales 2011, Miss Galaxy 2011 in the USA and Miss British Isles!
So, you can see from both lists – you can win a pageant either with or without pageant experience! Don’t let this be a worry for any of you! If you are considering entering a pageant, you can do so at https://www.pageantgirl.co.uk/enter-now/
Love Holly @ Pageant Girl xx
Ps. You also don’t have to have competed in a ‘Pageant Girl’ competition before to go on to win one of our crowns – here’s a small selection of queenies were completely new to our events when they won: Ashleigh Wild (Miss Teen Great Britain 2016), Ashley Powell (Miss International UK 2017), Chloe Othen (Miss Intercontinental England 2016), Amy Meisak (Miss Grand Scotland 2016), Lauren Parkinson (Miss Galaxy Wales 2017), Celena Wolfe (Ms. Galaxy UK), Rubie Marie (Ms Galaxy UK 2016), Jaime-Lee Faulkner (Miss Galaxy England 2013), Jamie-Lee Williams (Miss Galaxy Wales 2011), Lydia Yhnell (Miss Galaxy Wales 2012), Jade-Leigh Hunt (Miss Galaxy Scotland 2012), Melissa Reeves (Miss Galaxy England 2011), Beth Greenham (Miss Galaxy UK 2010), Courtney St John (Miss Galaxy Scotland 2013), Megan Howell (Miss Galaxy England 2012), Victoria Tooby (Miss Teen Galaxy Wales 2010), Joanna Johnson (World Supermodel UK 2015), Anya Gould (Miss Intercontinental England 2015), Summer Ghanavati (Miss Galaxy Wales 2014), Alexandra Devine (Miss Intercontinental England 2013), Laura Ashfield (Miss Intercontinental England 2012) and there’s many more!!