Miss America has announced the postponement of its 100th anniversary pageant due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The anniversary which was initially set for December this year has been moved to 2021. The Miss America organisation broke the news of Friday while explaining that the move was necessary for the “safety” of the MAO community. The board has advised the 51 qualifying competitions across the country to postpone as well.
“For the safety, health and welfare of the enormous community necessary to make the Miss America competition possible; including participants, volunteers, organizers, and fans. The Miss America Board of Directors has unanimously voted in favor of postponing the Miss America 2021 Competition. And has advised the 51 qualifying competitions across the country to do so as well.”
The MAO is working with the state organizations to amend rules and eligibility for the 2020 and 2021 competition years, according to the release.
MAO board Chairwoman Shantel Krebs said: “
As we all know, this moment in our history is one that will change the course of many programs, businesses and institution. And the Miss America Organization is not alone in navigating these challenges.”
”At this time, as an organization, our greatest concern is to make sure the thousands of people who are involved in; or volunteer for our program are safe. This coming year will be our 100th anniversary for this iconic American institution. And we want to make sure that we take the time to ensure our annual broadcast; and the surrounding experiences reflect our time-honored tradition.
A timeline of the pageant
The pageant started in the 1920s when Atlantic City businessmen wanted a way to keep people on the boardwalk after Labor Day. The pageant first left New Jersey for Las Vegas in 2006. Miss America returned to Atlantic City in 2013, welcomed by a $6.8 million subsidy package from the state. Later, the Casino Reinvestment Development Authority entered into another three-year contract with the pageant that provided $12.5 million. The pageant departed for Connecticut after state audit of the CRDA said the authority failed to monitor costs and contracts relating to Miss America.
Schrier, 24, the reigning titleholder, grew up in Newtown, Pennsylvania and attended the Hun School in Princeton. She won the pageant after performing a science experiment as her talent. Schrier gave a nod to her science background in her own statement about the postponement. She graduated from Virginia Tech with degrees in biochemistry and systems biology and is studying pharmacy at Virginia Commonwealth University. Her social impact initiative is Mind Your Meds, through which she talks about prescription drug safety and addiction.
“As Miss America 2020, a large part of my message is that science really is all around us,” Schrier said. “It is imperative that science and safety are at the forefront of our concern during this pandemic year. It is with that in mind that I applaud the Miss America Organization’s decision to move this year’s competition to 2021.”