Eligibility Requirements
1. Contestant must be female and single, never have been married nor had a marriage annulled, never birthed a child.
2. Contestant must not be less than eighteen or more than twenty-eight years of age for the Miss Deaf Minnesota Pageant (MDMP) and Miss Deaf America Pageant (MDAP).
3. Contestant must be a Minnesota resident for one (1) year or more and also an U.S. citizen.
4. A contestant must never have willingly participated in or have been convicted of any crimes (i.e., no felony and misdemeanor).
5. Contestant shall possess talent, poise, charm, intelligence, inner beauty, social ability and maturity.
6. Contestant must have an average hearing loss of 65 Decibels or more (ANSI) in the better ear and must submit an audiogram signed by a certified audiologist, indicating that contestant’s hearing evaluation was done within six (6) months prior to the Local/State Pageant in which she competes.
7. The official chaperone for the contestant shall be a mature woman who will be able to advise and comfort the contestant. The chaperone should be a person other than the contestant’s mother or female relative.
8. The chaperone will be responsible for the conduct and activities of the contestant. The chaperone will be responsible for her/his own expenses at MDMP, events and appearances.
9. Contestant must be able to present her talent routine performance within four (4) minutes. She shall not use any musical instrument as part of her talent with the exception of a tape recorder or CD player to play background music. She must furnish her own props needed for her talent performance.
10. Contestant is required to have her own wardrobe consisting of a long evening gown, an outfit for the private interview, an outfit for casual wears and costume (if needed) for her performance.
11. Former state pageant contestants are welcome to participate in the 2009 State Pageant for the second time if she has never won Miss Deaf Minnesota or first runner-up.
12. Contestant must submit an application, entry fee, and two (2) color glossy 5x7 (waist up) formal headshots by March 1, 2009. NO Polaroid pictures are acceptable. Contestant must submit an audiogram signed by a certified audiologist as soon as possible to be checked for qualifications prior to entering the pageant.
13. In case of marriage, childbearing, or violation of any of the above rules during her reign, the winner shall relinquish the title to the first runner up.
14. The winner of MDMP will relinquish the crown to the first runner-up if unable to attend the Miss Deaf America Pageant for any reason.
15. The winner of MDMP will relinquish the crown to the first runner-up in the event of winning the Miss Deaf America Pageant.