National United States Scholarship Pageant

If you are looking to spend thousands of dollars to not even compete, then "this pageant" is for you. It's taken me months to even find words, and I still do not have any. The director, Amber Smith, is a fake and a fraud. She charged over $1000 to enter this "national pageant" (not counting dresses we were MADE to buy for opening number, optional awards, etc), and it was absolutely not worth it. We were promised a two day competition on stage for fun fashion and evening gown. The day of the fina Show more

If you are looking to spend thousands of dollars to not even compete, then "this pageant" is for you. It's taken me months to even find words, and I still do not have any. The director, Amber Smith, is a fake and a fraud. She charged over $1000 to enter this "national pageant" (not counting dresses we were MADE to buy for opening number, optional awards, etc), and it was absolutely not worth it. We were promised a two day competition on stage for fun fashion and evening gown. The day of the final competition (4 hours before we went on stage) we were told finals would not be judged that "the winners have been chosen", and when she was questioned as to why "there was a change of plans". Judges had no score sheets Friday during finals, but family members were still made to pay $50 (a NIGHT/per person!!!) for Thursday (prelims) and Friday ("finals"). One contestant didn't even walk on stage on Friday night and was awarded 1st RUNNER UP and best evening gown. This is because (Amber admitted to other contestants) Amber chose the winners herself before the week even started. Amber did not award her 2020 queens the scholarships and prizes that was stated in the contract. I was personally fat-shamed by a contestant who won a title, and even though the handbook stated any behavior would result in disqualification. I told Amber myself about this, and was completely ignored and she blocked my number, and all my social media. She even blocked me from the pageant's pages. When asked about all of these issues, Amber completely ignored parents and contestants. Her 2020 national title holders were congratulating the girls that did not win because they didn't want them to be stuck with her. Amber stole thousands of dollars from girls. We wete promised judges comments, but since she's blocked us all we can't contact her to get those comments. Judges have told myself and other contestants that we shouldn't consider this a national pageant experience. Every contestant was made to bring a basket of at least $75 for a silent auction. We have no idea what happened with that money she made off of every basket. Amber's parents and herself were the only ones who judged optional awards. Amber's parents were the ones who picked up score sheets on Thursday after "prelims". Because optional awards were chosen by Amber and her family members, awards that were deserved were not given in all divisions and categories. Amber had no staff, just her family members. The stage was falling apart and there weren't even stage lighting or backgrounds. The National United States Scholarship Pageant is an embarrassment to pageantry and I would never recommend this system or anything affiliated with it or it's director Amber Smith at all!Show less

BEWARE - Amber Smith, the self-professed owner/operator and ringmaster of the National United States Scholarship Pageant, does not follow her own system’s National contract or National Handbook. Even though she threatened her royalty to follow every letter throughout their year-long reign. This isn't a review made in haste, I've waited two weeks to gain clarity. Under VII, SCHOLARSHIPS, CASH AWARDS, and PRIZES; Section b. states, “National Titleholder understands that scholarships and/ Show more

BEWARE - Amber Smith, the self-professed owner/operator and ringmaster of the National United States Scholarship Pageant, does not follow her own system’s National contract or National Handbook. Even though she threatened her royalty to follow every letter throughout their year-long reign. This isn't a review made in haste, I've waited two weeks to gain clarity. Under VII, SCHOLARSHIPS, CASH AWARDS, and PRIZES; Section b. states, “National Titleholder understands that scholarships and/or cash award(s) are based on the number of contestants competing at the National Pageant at the completion of their year of service.” However, Amber Smith broke this contract in August 2021 by sending a scholarship check in the same amount to the National Miss Elementary (who had five total girls compete) and the Miss Collegiate United States (who had twelve girls compete). Miss Collegiate United States also received nothing for the various girls she recruited in the other divisions. The 2020 National Pageant crowned two Ambassador of Change winners. The 2020 National Handbook states on page 10, bottom blue section; the winner will receive a “Cash Scholarship (amount TBD).” However, upon questioning, Amber Smith vehemently denied that 2020 crowned Queens were entitled to any scholarship for their title as Ambassador of Change. One year later, my daughter has yet to receive said scholarship. Where did all the money from the required silent auction go? That could have easily been divided amongst her queens who have worked and waited for the promised compensation for a year. Furthermore, it states in the National Titleholder Appearance & Community Service Handbook, “If you are unsure about anything or have a question, don’t be afraid to ask.” However, the reality is that questions are either left unread or answered with condescension and malice. For one year, the communication my daughter received consisted of what we refer to as the three D’s - demeaning, degrading, and deletion. This came to light publicly during nationals when she humiliated my daughter, who was one of her national titleholders, in front of all contestants and parents during a group photo. She would delete hours of thoughtful work on social media erratically without explanation which further created a toxic division as to what was expected from the royalty. Any in-person moments were tense and unsettling. She also picks and chooses what counts towards the Presidential Service award. Two of her national queens approved for the award from outside parties were not awarded anything by her, despite the work being accomplished in her system’s crown and sash. Amber refuses to delegate, so this pageant does not have official staff. There are just four family members of Amber Smith who are unequipped to answer questions or assist in any way. In fact, in many interactions, they became belligerent and hostile when approached. As a result, Amber Smith has created an atmosphere of intimidation and confusion within this pageant. She even confronted my daughter at registration to say her friendship with Miss Elementary United States made her look “crazy” and told the new 2021 queens her last four were “365 days of trauma.” We have learned valuable lessons: Never trust that the person who wrote the contract won’t just haphazardly skim over the subject matter just moments after crowning when the winners are whisked into a back room. If it feels wrong, it probably is – just minutes after crowning, she began to speak badly about the other competitors. To anyone with the intestinal fortitude to compete in this pageant - ask for clarification of the contract! If it seems vague, ask for solid numbers. Ask how many "scholarship" dollars will be paid per girl recruited; is it a percentage of their entry fee or a flat dollar amount? Ask for initials if your questions result in addition or changes to the contract. Ask for copies of the signed contract. Also, do not be surprised when you constantly hear Amber Smith throughout the year-long reign saying, “I HAVE LAWYERS.” Crowning a successor should be challenging because you don’t want the year to end, not because you feel sorry for the girl you’re crowning. Finally, the most important question when deciding on your next pageant, ask yourself if you want to be a representative of a pageant or a circus.Show less

This pageant is a complete scam. In my 10+ years of pageantry, I have never experienced something like this. Here is just a SHORT list of what is blatantly unacceptable that happened during this pageant ... 1. The winners were hand chosen prior to the pageant even starting. 2. The director's parents picked up the judges scores sheets after prelims. 3. The director (Amber Smith) tabulated the scores and changed scores. 4. Contestants and parents were told that finals would be judged. Howev Show more

This pageant is a complete scam. In my 10+ years of pageantry, I have never experienced something like this. Here is just a SHORT list of what is blatantly unacceptable that happened during this pageant ... 1. The winners were hand chosen prior to the pageant even starting. 2. The director's parents picked up the judges scores sheets after prelims. 3. The director (Amber Smith) tabulated the scores and changed scores. 4. Contestants and parents were told that finals would be judged. However, the day of finals, the director stated that there was a "change in plans" and finals would no longer be judged. 5. The stage was set up HORRIBLY. So many of the contestants heels got stuck in the cracks and the director did nothing to fix this after multiple complaints. 6. The director allows and rewards those who bully others. 7. In the collegiate division, one of the top 8 finalists chose to "quit". However, the director and her parent's tracked her down, stopped the pageant for an entire hour, and dragged her back onstage to award this contestant as 1st runner-up. This contestant did not even complete the pageant and was still rewarded. May I also add that this contestant was one (out of two) of the biggest bullies in the collegiate division. 8. In the collegiate division, the director told the "winner" that she had won 30 minutes before crowing. May I add that this contestant was the other bully in the collegiate division and threatened to quit multiple times during the week if she did not win. This contestant was also talking so poorly about the director the entire week of the pageant. 9. The director is blocking any contestants and/or their parents who are raising legitimate questions about the events that happened during nationals week and will not respond to anyone. 10. All of the optional awards were judged by the director's and her parent's (there was no separate judging panel, like we were all told there would be). There were clear cut winners in the optional competitions who did not even place. 11. The collegiate "winner" resigned after finding out from the judges that she did not truly win and the scores were fabricated. Therefore, there is currently no collegiate representative. 12. The previous national titleholders are not receiving their scholarships and the director stated that they were "365 days of trauma". May I add that 3/4 of those girls are MINORS. This director should never be allowed to host another pageant and deserves to have her business license taken away. If you are interested in this organization, you have been warned. The only positive review of this organization is by the Jr. High School winner, coincidence right?Show less

Disappointing is an overstatement. This pageant was horribly run. Everything about this pageant and the director, Amber Smith, was shady from the moment I stepped into the hotel (you HAVE to stay there and the director checks to make sure you do). Optional award winners were chosen by Amber and her parents, though we were told there would be a separate panel of judges making those decisions.The stage was extremely unsafe. There were tons of cracks and the floor blocks where uneven, making it ch Show more

Disappointing is an overstatement. This pageant was horribly run. Everything about this pageant and the director, Amber Smith, was shady from the moment I stepped into the hotel (you HAVE to stay there and the director checks to make sure you do). Optional award winners were chosen by Amber and her parents, though we were told there would be a separate panel of judges making those decisions.The stage was extremely unsafe. There were tons of cracks and the floor blocks where uneven, making it challenging to walk. Poor production quality. You're in a ballroom and the only lights they have are the ones the hotel provides. The director handpicked the winners. When one of the "chosen ones" quit halfway during finals night (a night that was supposed to be rejudged for the top 8 but wasn't), she paused the pageant for an hour intermission to find her and drag her back onstage so she could award her first runner up (I believe she told Amber she didn't want to be crowned so they swapped the original first runner up to winner and winner to first runner up- this is all hearsay). After, Amber made a nasty facebook post in the contestant private group page claiming she was defending herself and her pageant against rumors, when in reality it was a defensive and aggressive post, blaming everyone else for the misfortunes that happened during pageant week. When people began raising their concerns in the comments, Amber ignored every. single. one. No accountability and definitely no answers. She eventually deleted the post and I'm assuming group, though I could've just been removed. I myself reached out twice to her for answers, only to blocked from her personal facebook page, as well as the pageants page. If you chose to pay in advance, you had to pay via paypal, otherwise everything at the pageant was cash only. That is extremely shady, considering without proof you don't have to claim it for tax purposes (again an assumption but nothing is off the table with this system). I have noticed one positive review on this pageant and while I don't want to disregard her opinion, she did win one of the National titles available. Amber if you're reading this, you had a chance to make things right but unfortunately you chose to block and ignore the genuine concerns of the people who participated in this mess. I wish I could share every single wrongdoing of this pageant because what I have mentioned here is only the tip of the ice burg.Show less