Here are some sample interview questions for beauty pageant competitors, along with information on how to answer pageant questions.
Sample Pageant Question 1: Two-part Pageant Interview Question
When answering pageant questions, it’s important to break down the question and make sure you understand what you are being asked before responding. This requires that the contestant must listen carefully to the interviewer and assess the pageant question.
Q: Do you feel that pageants are a positive or negative experience for women, and why?
By assessing the sample pageant question, you can see that as a contestant you would need to have two parts to your answer. The first part is – which do you think pageants are, a positive or negative experience. So the answer needs to start off with that response. The second part of the answer is why do you feel that way, meaning you now need to back up your answer with the reasons why you feel the way you do.
Sample Pageant Question 2: Too Simple Pageant Interview Question
Often a contestant will encounter a pageant interview question that is too simple, requiring a short answer or an irrelevant answer that does nothing to help the contestant’s potential chances of gaining favor with the judges.
Q: It says here your favorite sport is volleyball. How often do you play?
In this situation, while the pageant question has nothing to do with the pageant, and most likely nothing to do with your platform, if you are asked a question like this, it’s a good opportunity to talk about things surrounding volleyball, which is a team sport and link it up to spending time with friends, family, members of the community, whoever you play volleyball with, and how often. In other words, punch up your answer and try to tie it in to community involvement or social engagement as best you can.
Sample Pageant Question 3: Hot Topic or Opinionated Pageant Interview Question
Inevitably one contestant in a pageant will be asked about a hot-button topic or current event that is predominantly in the news or on people’s minds at the time of her pageant. While many judges don’t try to invoke these types of controversial discussions, there are other judges who really enjoy doing so.
Q: How do you feel about teenage abstinence, and what would you do to enforce your opinion in the community if you do win this title?
In this instance, it is always best to be honest. Every person’s beliefs and answers are going to be different, especially when asked about controversial topics in a very public forum, likely in front of hundreds or even thousands of people (millions if this is a nationally or internationally televised pageant). Again, this would be a two-part answer to a two-part question. So you want to break it down.
The first part is – how do you feel about it. Be honest and answer with conviction, either way. Then go to the next part. If this is something important to you, that you would try to get the message out there during your reign, then say so. If not, then state why you wouldn’t. Answer clearly and with conviction in your beliefs, do not waver, and all the judges will see that you took a tough question and handled it with grace. That is what they are looking for.
As you can see, there are many types of pageant questions that require a contestant to think on her feet and answer quickly. By understanding the type of question and breaking it down before answering, you have a better chance at acing your pageant interview and winning your next pageant!