25 Pageant Questions That were Asked of me
Let’s face it, one of the most daunting areas of a pageant competition is the interview. You only have a few minutes to impress the judges and convince them you are the best person to crown.
The good news is interview is never meant to be an interrogation, but a way for the judges to see how you think and your ability to communicate effectively. Your actual answers are not as important as your energy and confidence in your responses.
Make it stand out
Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.
Also, keep in mind that sometimes the questions seem random because they want to see if you can think quickly on your feet and didn’t memorize answers. When crowned, you will be meeting people from the media and those with backgrounds different from yours who will be asking you questions you may not be ready for. It sure happened to me!
The best way to approach an interview and be ready for any question is to know yourself FULLY. Know your values, goals, and opinions on things. Be ready to share short stories about your life experiences with the judges, which will help them relate to you. An example of this was when I was asked by a judge, “How do you define success?” This vague question initially caught me off guard, but I was able to save myself because I was able to share a short story about how I was the first person in my family to graduate college and how success is now helping other first-generation graduate students.
Remember, you are only expected to be an expert on yourself. This mind-shift can help you be prepared for almost any question.
Here is a list of questions judges and interview coaches have asked me. These questions won’t contain political questions because the USOA pageant system only asks questions based on our bio/resume. These questions will also be skewed towards older contestants (Miss, Ms, and Mrs) due to me competing in the Mrs. divisions of my pageants.
Tip: Try to answer these questions within 30 seconds. This ensures that you are not rambling. It will also allow for the judges to ask you more questions and to get to know you better!
Questions:
1: If you could give your younger self advice, what would you tell her?
2. Do you feel pageant systems should do away with the swimsuit category?
3: If you were crowned, how will you promote (your pageant system)?
4: There are many beautiful and accomplished women competing for this title, what make you stand out from the rest of them?
5: There are many pageants you could have competed in. What made you choose (your pageant system)
6:If you were a judge, what question would you ask yourself?
7: Tell me about a time you were shamed. How did you turned that feeling into fuel?
8: If you could swap places with anyone, who would it be and why?
9: If you could have one superpower, what would it be and what would you do with it?
10: What was the most challenging part of preparing for the pageant?
11: Why do you want to win this crown?
12: What is your definition of womanhood?
13: If you were crowned, how would you juggle the responsibilities of the crown with life?
14: Tell me something that will make me remember you.
15: If you could learn a new skill, what would it be?
16: What is an important skill you learned in your pageant journey?
17: What makes your platform unique?
18: If crowned, how would you promote this pageant system?
19: What is more important, education or life experience?
20: What were you thinking about before entering this interview room?
21: What was the first thing you did when you woke up this morning?
22: Who is someone who had a big influence on your life?
23: Define confidence.
24: What is the best advice you’ve given someone?
25: What is your greatest weakness?
I hope these questions were helpful! Quite a few of these questions stumped me for sure. Let me know if you would like more questions like these. Also check out my Youtube video on this topic which will also have a 30 second timer to help you practice!
