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March 15th, 2026

Eligibility​

Miss Lakeland, Miss Polk County, Miss Plant City, Miss Hillsborough County, Miss Swan City and Miss Florida Blueberry and their Teens are STATE WIDE titles.  Contestants who live, work, or attend school within the State of Florida are eligible to compete.  

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To be eligible to compete local or state participant for either Miss America or Miss America’s Teen in September 2026, you must: be a female, meet the age criteria as shown below, be living full-time as a resident of your state, or employed full-time in person, or enrolled full-time as a student at an accredited school/college.

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  • Miss America 18-28: must be NO OLDER than 28 on September 30, 2026, and no younger than 18 on Sept 1, 2026.

  • Miss America’s Teen 14-18: must be no YOUNGER than 14 by September 1 and no older than 18 on Sept 30, 2026.

 

Teen Age Criteria- Additional Notes:

  • Miss America allows the option for 18-year-old contestants to have a ‘pivot’ year to decide whether they would like to compete in the Teen or Miss divisions.​

  • Additionally, once an 18-year-old decides on the division she may compete in, she may not change divisions until the next cycle. Please proceed to your applicable State online application.

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Step Two: 
Complete the Miss Lakeland Registration Form.

It asks for the following:

- Your headshot

- Your fact sheet

- Your Community Service Initiative

- Talent information (90 Seconds)

Please follow the guidelines for each item of paperwork requested. 

 

Note: Fitness wear attire MUST be the approved Miss America attire by Rebel Athletic - https://rebelathletic.com/pages/miss-america-organization
 

Register
Step One: 

Register with Miss America. 

If a contestant has already registered for another local within the state of Florida, you do not have to pay the registering fee however you do need to add the Miss Lakeland Scholarship Organization to your profile. 

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