10 First Pageant Tips You Need To Know (+ Prep Course) Share on Social Media

Being a first timer in ANYTHING is uncomfortable and pageantry is no different. There are questions that you should be asking that you don't even know to ask because you have never competed before. To help with this we have created a pageant preparation course for you. To sign up CLICK HERE and enter the date of your pageant.  

Miss Delaware 2019 Hillary May. Photo: Miss Delaware Instagram

10 Pageant Tips for First Timers

1. Be Confident

I remember waiting in line for formal wear when I competed in New Jersey USA for the first time, and I was looking at all the beautiful dresses surrounding me backstage, some with high slits and others that were very low cut. As soon as I began to look elsewhere my confidence rapidly dropped and negative thoughts were flooding my mind. In order to avoid this scenario, be confident in what you have and who are you because nobody else is better at being you than you.

2. Make Eye Contact

Making eye contact is key. Eye contact shows confidence and that you are comfortable in your own skin. There is no better way to make a connection with the judges while on stage than eye contact. This is especially crucial in interview, it shows that you are interested in what the judge is saying and that you are ready to engage in a conversation. 

3. Set Realistic Goals

The crown may be your ultimate goal but it is also important so set other realistic goals for yourself. Maybe plan to make a new friend, make top ten, or win an optional. Whatever it may be, work hard towards achieving that goal because even if you don’t walk away with the title, you’ll still feel accomplished. 

Need more help goal-setting? Check out How to Set Goals (And Achieve Them)!

4. Practice, Practice, Practice

The more you practice, the more prepared you are, and the better you will do, it is as simple as that. After all, practice makes perfect and if at first you don't succeed, try again. Most pageant winners have competed before, often many times.

5. Smile

In order to create a natural smile rather than a plastic look, think of something funny before you go on stage. I kept a picture of Channing Tatum on the background of my phone because seriously, who does not smile when they see him and I had my friends Snapchat me funny faces before I went to line up backstage and they would just pop back into my mind from time to time. This struck me as funny and kept my smile from looking unnatural. 

6. Get Some Beauty Sleep

Don't stay out late the night before the pageant (or even much the week before the pageant so you’re really well-rested). Dark circles under your eyes can only be covered up to a certain extent. Get plenty of beauty sleep during pageant week as well because that is when you need it most.

7. Have Fun

Make sure you have tons of fun. Make friends and memories that will last you a lifetime. If you are not having fun, then you are not truly enjoying it and if you are not enjoying it than why bother.

8. Stay Positive

You never know what's going to happen. Don't prepare to win or to lose. This set of judges might make one decision and another set of judges could make an entirely different decision, as we say in the pageant world, different judges different day. Always keep your head up. . . and shoulders back.

9. Timing is Everything

Be on time. You worked hard to be where you are, so do not waste another second. There is no such thing as fashionably late in the pageant world.

10. Believe In Yourself

Still don't feel like a queen? Buy a plastic crown and wear it while you practice your evening gown walk. It may seem silly, but it is a confidence booster. Tape pictures on your walls or on your mirror reminding yourself that you can do it. Positive self-talk and believing in yourself are key aspects in pageants. 

Need a step by step guide for your first pageant? Check out 101 Tips for First Time Pageant Girls!