From time to time we receive emails and telephone calls that bring up very specific points and valid questions. We will publish these questions here with our answers!! If you have a comment or question, please contact our office!
A possible contestant from Connecticut wrote on March 15, 2001:
Question #1 In order to participate do you need to have any previous experience?
The Answer: No! - We have an amateur catagory for new or semi-experinced pageanteers. There is no prior expereince required, however, if you have never competed before, please contact our office with any questions regarding dress, modeling style, etc. It is best to be pre-pared. It does not matter if you have limited or no experience, or if you have been participating in pageants for years. It is best to always ask the directors specific questions so that you will be prepared and enjoy your experience.
Question #2 - How will the contestants be chosen....or is this event an exclusive pageant?
Answer: Many times in pageant literature you find that you must submit a short form and deposit to be eligible to compete. You then receive a formal notice stating that you are elgibile, with a brochure outlining the particular systems requirements. Other systems may have eligiblity requirements based on a grade point average or community service requirement. Northern Belle Pageants is an "open beauty/achievement pageant". Meaning all are eligible to partipate. We have a bi-level sytems, offering a pro and amateur status. Pro contestants are those who have won a national beauty or supreme title in the past 2 years. As a system, we do not choose the contestants, rather the contestants choose Northern Belle. We are a national pageant system, open to contestants from all 50 states and US territories as well as Canada. Currently, we are open to females only.
On April 25th, we had received several emails regarding the early bird specials and the required fees to send with the application.
Answer: The fees to send with any applications are the deposit only. A contestant may send more or wait until the pageant to pay the balance of the fees.
A question was sent from Michigan regarding combining discounts!
Question #4: Can I combine discounts?
Yes, you may combine any discounts up to $200 off the pageant fees (this includes any earlybird discounts). This does not include the $25.00 early room reservation credit. Discounts from sibling, photo contests and guestbook drawings are examples. That amount is in addition too the maximum allowable discount. That discount is also per contestant and not per family.
Question #6: Also, are you awarding a mini-supreme & grand supreme amateur & pro or just a grand supreme amatuer and pro?
Answer: We are awarding both a pro and an amateur supreme, mini-supreme, age division supremes and event winners. There will be literally two pageants held at the same time, with two sets of awards, one on a pro level and one on an amateur level.
On May 11th a possible contestant from Alabama asked:
Question #7: Do you "bump" contestants or do you double crown?
On May 31st, we received this questions from Massachusetts:
Question #8 - Can you better define your two year wait for Amateur status? When does the two years end and begin?
That is a good questions! Our example of January to January has been updated to reflect a true two year period. It is two years back from the date of our National (August) - So, 24 months since the last national beauty or better titel was won. By using January to January as an example, we were going beyond a two year period! Our thanks to you for pointing out this discrepancy!
Question #9 - How do you define a national level pageant?
On June 4th, a parent wrote:
*We look forward to receiving more comments!!
Sincerely, Bruce D. Hemond & Tina R. Hemond Directors
Questions #3: How much of the fee is required when I send in the application?
On May 11, 2001, a parent asked:
Question #5: Are your mini-supremes and grand supremes in the same age groups as shown on your website? 0-7, 8-13 and 13+?
Answer: There are (1) one each, a pro and amateur grand supreme for the national pageant, the mini-supremes are next and those are in the 0-7, 8-13 and 13 plus groups!
Answer: Yes and no! We "bump" (or make ineligible to receive additional awards other than optional overalls), the grand supremes, the mini-supremes, and the age division overalls. The formal and two highest optional scores are used to determine the supreme scores. Once a contestant has achieved a high point, they are "bumped" and the next highest scoring contestant is awarded. (grand supreme, mini-supreme, etc.) -- This practice allows more contestants the opportunity to receive an award!
We do double crown with Overall Optional Awards and or side awards when offered. For example, if a contestant decides to enter the Optional photogenic segment, formal, pro-model or talent overalls, the highest scoring contestant is awarded. This score may be awarded to any one contestant in the pageant. This means the grand supreme or an event winner can take home the prize. (This did happen at last years national. The Grand Supreme won an addtiinal optional overall award, and an event winner won an optional overall award!)
Northern Belle defines a national level pageant as one that does not base its national competition on 50% or more of one event: For example: national competetions where scoring for the main pageant title is based on 50% photogenics, talent or swimsuit competition (not a combination of the three), or if 50% of the pageant is talent based. Also, if a pageant requires no modeling skills whatsoever, at the national level, we would not consider a beauty or supreme title to be "national" in the Northern Belle system. Also excluded are preliminary, regional, state and mini-national pageants. If a contestants holds a title at this level, they would compete as an amateur in the Northern Belle System. Some examples of national level pageants: Americas Gorgeous Girls, America's Yankee Miss, Celebration Pageants, Cover Miss (Nationals) Diamond USA, New England Star/Sweetheart, Universal Miss & Master.
Question #10: . Can you better define your defintion of a Beauty or Better National Title? Titles are different in various systems.
We define Beauty or better titles as national beauty and/or a national age division, mini or grand supreme wins. Other words associated with these titles are overall, and high point. Whether the name of the title is Overall High Point or Grand Supreme Winner, the titles represent the same point system. Titles that would be excluded from our list are optional category or event overalls or supremes, such as: overall(supreme) photogenic, overall model, overall westernwear, swimwear, etc.
