If winning a superficial beauty contest is your idea of a dream come true, then it’s time to step up your selfie game as Miss USA comes to social media. For the first time ever the pageant is opening up its selection process to Instagram and Twitter as it searches for its 52nd contestant, reports Entertainment Weekly.
In the past, the Miss Universe Organization has limited its number of Miss USA contestants to 51, with each hopeful representing her home state, plus the inclusion of an additional participant from the District of Columbia.
For its 2016 contest, however, the organizers are making things a lot more interactive. To enter, all you have to do is post three photographs or videos of yourself to either Twitter or Instagram. The images must be tagged using the #FindingMiss52, and must also include an explanation of why you want to be a Miss USA contestant (the 140-character limit on Twitter means you’ll have to be brief with your spiel). A judging panel will then trawl through all the submitted posts in order to whittle down the hopefuls to just ten entrants.
Those ten finalists will then go into a public vote, conducted via Twitter and the Miss USA website, to choose the 52nd Miss USA contestant, who will join the other 51 participants at the live June 5 telecast on Fox.
More info can be found on the Finding Miss 52 website, which is currently displaying a gallery of Miss USA aspirants, just in case you need some inspiration. Additionally, the judges claim they will select the finalists based on “originality, personality, and creativity,” and a “Web interview.” Let’s just hope they do a better job at announcing their winners than Miss Universe 2015 presenter Steve Harvey — who made one of the biggest blunders in the competition’s history by accidentally handing the prize crown to the wrong contestant during the live telecast.
“Miss USA is someone who is strong, determined and confident,” said President of The Miss Universe Organization Paula Shugart. “Our competitions celebrate women from all backgrounds and with Finding Miss 52, we hope to inspire more women to step out of their comfort zones and experience the amazing opportunities our organization offers.”
