The 2023 Miss New Jersey USA® | Miss New Jersey Teen USA®
pageants will be held at the Hilton Parsippany Hotel on March 17-19, 2023.

Eligibility

Eligibility requirements for participation in the 2023 state pageants include…

MISS NEW JERSEY USA CONTESTANTS

• Must be at least 18 but under 28 years of age as of December 31, 2022.
• Must never have participated in a previous national MISS USA Pageant.

MISS NEW JERSEY TEEN USA CONTESTANTS

• Must be at least 14 but under 19 years of age as of December 31, 2022.
• Must never have participated in a previous national MISS TEEN USA Pageant.

CONTESTANTS

• TEEN ONLY – Must not be married, never have been married, and never have had a marriage annulled. Must never have given birth to a child, cannot be pregnant or be a parent or guardian of any other adult or minor person. These representations and warranties must remain true through the State Pageant and, if you win the State Pageant, through the 2023 national pageant.
• Must be of good health and moral character.
• Must be a citizen of the United States, and at least one of the following must be true:
  • (1) Must now reside in New Jersey as your permanent and primary residence for the full period of at least three (3) months immediately prior to the beginning of the state pageant (although you may have attended college or University elsewhere);
  • or (2) Must have resided in New Jersey as a full-time student at a school, college or university and will complete or have completed one entire semester , trimester or summer session by December 31, 2022, and you will continue to reside in the State as a full-time student at that same school, college or university through the State Pageant and, if you win, through the 2023 national pageant.
• Must agree, that if selected to represent New Jersey in the MISS USA or MISS TEEN USA pageant, you will participate in that pageant, and will abide by all the rules and regulations governing that pageant. If you win the MISS USA pageant, they must agree to participate in the MISS UNIVERSE PAGEANT, and to abide by the rules and regulations governing that pageant.
• No contestant or any member of their immediate family or living in their household is currently, or has within the last two (2) years been employed by or an officer, director or agent (including a volunteer worker) of any of the following: The MISS Brand Corp. d/b/a The Miss USA Organization, any company or enterprise they own or control, any State Director in the MISS USA and/or MISS TEEN USA Pageant system, any company or enterprise the Miss USA Organization owns or controls, Ernst & Young, or, any of the subsidiaries, affiliates or related companies of the foregoing. If contestant or any member of their immediate family is employed by any of the foregoing or any firm or corporation controlled or affiliated with any of them, they must notify the state director immediately, in writing, so that their eligibility may be determined.
• Must agree that if you win or succeed to the state level title or the national title of MISS USA or MISS TEEN USA, you will not participate in any other pageants during the time you hold any of these titles, unless authorized in writing by The Miss USA Organization.
• Must be willing to release, unconditionally and forever, any claim against The Miss USA Organization, Its parent and affiliated or related companies and their respective officers, directors, partners, employees, agents and assigns, which they may have by virtue of their participation in their state pageant, or by any use of their name, likeness, voice, and/or biography in connection with their state pageant, including use in promotional and advertising material.
• Must understand and agree that all issues as to eligibility shall be determined by The Miss USA Organization and they must agree to abide by that determination both as to themselves and other applicants.

WARDROBE

For more information or to schedule an appointment:

Call 973.812.8800 

Pageant Weekend: Each contestant will need rehearsal clothing (sweats, sweatshirts, jeans, tennis shoes, etc.) in addition to a fun outfit to wear to the Saturday night dinner and dance. The required competition and stage wardrobe is as follows:

• Private Interview: You should select an outfit that you find appropriate for a job interview, and that reflects your personality. The outfit should make you feel comfortable and present yourself in a sophisticated and self-confident manner. Some examples include: Dress, Jumpsuit, slacks and a sweater set, pants and a blouse, a skirt with a coordinating top, etc. The outfit can range from casual to business oriented.

• Swimsuit (Miss Contestants): Contestants choose their own swimsuit; you may chose between a solid colored one or two-piece suit. Adequate coverage is required; Brazilian cuts and thongs are not allowed. Swimsuits may be any appropriate style, and design, and there are no color restrictions. Although we ask that the suit be solid in color, there may be a small embellishment or trim of another color.
• Active wear (Teen Contestants): Teen contestants will be competing in active wear; must be all black. Capri style athletic pants and sports bra or full length athletic style workout top is required. Sleeves (cap or full) are not permitted.

• Evening Gown: All contestants must have a full-length evening gown of their choice. The style, design, and color are up to you. It can be elaborate, or very simple. Choose something that makes you feel beautiful. Your gown should represent YOUR own personality and taste. Remember that you can look like a million bucks without spending a million bucks! Teens are encouraged to wear gowns that reflect a more youthful style and look than the Miss contestants.

JUDGING & CRITERIA

Each Contestant will compete in three equal phases of preliminary competition: Interview, Swimsuit (Miss Contestants)/ Active wear (Teen Contestants) and Evening Gown. The results from these preliminary phases of competition are added up, and the contestants with the highest composite scores become semifinalists. The number of semifinalists will be determined by the total number of contestants in the competition and is typically between 10 and 15. Scoring is based on the following:

Preliminary results from the private interview and the swimsuit/activewear & evening gown stage presentations are tallied and audited on Saturday night after the preliminary show concludes. On Sunday, the MISS NEW JERSEY USA & MISS NEW JERSEY TEEN USA Final Competition kicks off with the contestant introductions followed by the parade of evening gowns. Soon after, the semi-finalists are announced and they will again compete in swimsuit/activewear and evening gown and the judges will narrow the field to a group of five finalists. 

One final on-stage question for the remaining Top-5 will be conducted by the Emcee. They will then appear on stage for group judging and have a spotlighted “Final Look” when each judge will independently select their winner, 1st runner-up, 2nd runner-up, 3rd runner-up, and 4th runner-up in each age group. These events lead up to the crowning of the new Miss New Jersey USA and Miss New Jersey Teen USA! All contestants will participate on stage several times during the show. Even if they are not selected as Semi-Finalists, there will be several other honors to award that evening.

PAGEANT PREP

We have aligned ourselves with some of the most well respected people in their fields and
would love to give you the opportunity to work with each of them during your pageant preparations.