RULES GOVERNING THE SELECTION OF
“THE QUEEN OF THE CHESAPEAKE PAGEANT”

PRINCESS RULES:

1. Contestants must be between the ages of 15-21 (as of the day of the pageant).
2. Contestants must not be married.
3. Contestants must be related to a member in a participating Yacht Club (i.e., daughter, granddaughter, niece, first cousin, or ward).
4. Contestants must arrive at Maryland Yacht Club before 9:00 a.m. on Saturday preceding the pageant activities to register and draw for positions. Interviews will begin at 10:00 a.m.
5. Contestants must be sponsored by an invited, recognized Yacht Club located on the Chesapeake Bay or its tributaries.
6. Applications must be submitted no later than April 15th. (Please note: photographs may be used in publicity of the event). Photographs need to be 4X5 black and white glossy prints. Photographs should be taken using a plain background.
7. Attire for the pageant will be a long, white gown (gloves optional). The design of the gown may be selected by the contestant.
8. The following categories will be judged: Poise/Appearance 35%, Interview/Personality 25%, Essay 15%, Achievements 15%, and Openings Attended 10%.
9. An application packet will be given or sent to each princess. The completed application will be due back to Pageant Coordinator by stated deadline.
10. Judges cannot be members of the participating Yacht Clubs or related in any way to any contestants. Judges shall choose the Queen and the first through fourth runners-up.

REQUIREMENTS FOR THE QUEEN:

1. The Queen is expected to conduct herself in the appropriate manner of that of the past Queens of the Chesapeake; this is to include a personable, polite and respectful attitude at all events and towards all people. Remember that you represent all of the Chesapeake Bay Yacht Clubs.
2. As a requirement of participation, the Commodore of the Queen’s Yacht Club shall have the responsibility of insuring that the Queen does attend a reasonable number of inviting Yacht Club affairs (Opening Day Ceremonies). The Queen shall respond to each written invitation.& We hope that her response will be affirmative in most instances. In the event that two affairs are held on the same day, it will be the Queen’s choice as to which affair she will attend.
3. You have the honor of wearing white to all events. This is what distinguished you from other participants. White floor length gowns are required at the balls and openings. The Queen normally chooses to wear white to all other events but the choice is optional.
4. Your year as Queen is not all about the balls and openings. Think about organizing a fundraiser for your favorite charities; get the princesses involved in events around the Chesapeake Bay.
5. The Queen is in charge of the Princess luncheon to be held in mid-March or once all the princesses have been selected. This luncheon is the time to unite the princesses.
6. The Queen is expected to speak at every event she attends. Please remember that all spectators will rise when you are introduced and you are to instruct them to “please be seated”.
7. The Queen shall keep in contact with the Coordinator of the Queen’s Pageant on a monthly basis. The purpose of the contact is to discuss her activities for the upcoming month.
8. The retiring Queen shall participate in the ‘Crowning’ of the newly selected Queen.
9. The Queen of the Chesapeake shall not change her marital status between the date she is crowned and the date of the next pageant.
10. If the contestant who has been crowned does not comply with all of these rules, she may automatically disqualify herself and the first runner up shall reign as Queen for the remainder of the year. The Maryland Yacht Club, in conjunction with the Queen’s Club’s Commodore, shall determine whether the Queen shall relinquish her title, crown, trophy and sash to the first runner-up. In the event the first runner up is not qualified, the second runner-up shall reign as Queen for the remainder of the year.

QUALIFICATIONS FOR QUEEN’S SCHOLARSHIP:

1. The Coordinator of the pageant may set a scholarship for the newly elected Queen.
2. The Queen shall be eligible for the award at the end of her term if she is qualified. To qualify, she must attend 1/3 of the Openings of the participating clubs. The queen must present a list of all yacht club affairs she has attended between June 2 and May 15th to MYC on or before January 15th. A final list of all affairs she has attended must be presented to MYC on the Saturday that begins the pageant. These will serve to prove her willingness to carry out the duties of the Queen and her eligibility for the scholarship. The list must be sent to the attention of the Coordinator of the Queen of the Chesapeake at Maryland Yacht Club.

YACHT CLUBS PROCEDURES FOR QUEEN INVITES:

The inviting club shall, in writing though her home club, invite the Queen and her escort to attend the Club functions. The club shall furnish the Queen and her escort with two tickets to the affair and the address of the event.