The Sunshine Princess program is designed to introduce young ladies, ages 5 through 12 years of age, to the Miss Florida and Miss America program before they reach competition age and to help them understand that Miss America is not just a dream but something they can begin preparing for at a young age.  It allows them to work closely with the Miss Florida contestants who will serve as their role models and mentors through community service.                                                                     

Miss Florida contestants will select the young ladies that they wish to have as their Princesses.  Each Miss Florida contestant will be required to have at least one Princess and encouraged to have up to five. These Princesses should be selected immediately following being crowned as a local titleholder so that the contestant can begin mentoring them well before the Miss Florida Pageant.  Absolute final deadline for turning in Princess Information will be May 16, 2009.

Applications can be obtained from any Local Pageant Executive Director, by going to the Miss Florida Pageant website, www.missflorida.org, or by contacting the Sunshine Princess Chairman Merissa Amkraut, floridasunshineprincess@gmail.com.

Sunshine Princess Program Guidelines

• Selection of Princess
• It is the responsibility of Miss Florida Contestants to choose their Princess.  The Princess can be a friend, family members or anyone who is interested in participating in the program as long as they meet the age requirements and are approved by the Miss Florida Pageant.  Each contestant is required to have at least one Princess but is encouraged to select up to five Princesses.

• Who can be a Princess
• Any young lady who is at least 5 years of age and no older than 12 by the date of the Miss Florida Pageant, July 8, 2009, is eligible.  If a girl is interested in becoming a Princess but does not know a contestant personally, they can contact the program director and they will put the Princess in touch with a contestant in her area.

• Responsibility of Contestant
• It is the responsibility of the Miss Florida contestant to mentor and train her Princess in community service and also in the attributes of a future Miss America which includes poise, appearance when in public, manners, kindness and service to others.

• Applications
• It is the responsibility of the contestant to make sure that applications and other paperwork is completed appropriately and in a timely manner.

The $350.00 registration fee may be paid by the Princess's family or the applicant can get sponsorships from businesses or family and friends.

• Program Book Ad Sales
• Each Princess is encouraged to sell at least one ad for the Miss Florida Program book.  The Princess will have a discounted rate of $200.00 for the first page of advertising sold; all pages sold after the first page for the discounted rate would be at the contestant’s rate of $350.00. Details for ad layout will be sent to princesses along with their crown upon receipt of their application and fee.   A contest will be held with the Princess selling the most ads being named “Florida’s Sunshine Princess of the Year”.  The Princess selling the most ads will have her photo placed on the Miss Florida website after the Miss Florida Pageant.

• Official Princess  Crowns
• The Official Crown will be mailed to each Princess upon receipt their completed application and fee. The contestant should explain to the Princess and her family that the crown is not a toy and should be handled with care.  It should not be worn except on official appearances as a Florida Sunshine Princess.  If the crown is broken it is the responsibility of the Princess and her family to replace it at a cost of $70.00. 

• Dress and Activities
• Each princess is required to have a solid white party dress which is either knee length or t-length.  No floor length dresses will be allowed.  This dress & official crown will be worn on stage with their contestants during evening gown competition.   More information on wardrobe requirements will be given after May 17, 2009.  Several activities will be planned for Princesses during the Miss Florida week.  The schedule will be announced at a later date.

• Photos
1. Each Sunshine Princess must submit one (1) color or black/white headshot in 4x6 or 5x7 sizes.

       Photo should be head and shoulders only.

1. Place a typed label on the back of the photograph which contains the name of the Sunshine Princess and the Miss Contestant name and title for which she is a Princess.
2. If the photographs are available in digital format, in addition to submitting the hard copy, you may also submit a disc with the headshot saved at 300 dpi resolution in .TIF or .JPG format and no smaller than 4x6.

This photo should be sent to Merissa Amkraut:

1. Photos are due within two (2) weeks after submitting the application and fee.

• Date and Location of the Miss Florida Pageant

Competition Dates                 July 8-11, 2009

Location                                  Mahaffey Theater,

• Are Princesses Required to Attend the Miss Florida Pageant?

Yes

• When are Princesses required to be in St. Petersburg?

During the contestant orientation held in May, 2009, the competition order will be determined for the Miss Florida contestants. The date that the contestant competes in Evening Wear is the day that their princesses will be required to be in

and then stay in

through the Saturday evening finals of the competition.   More details on this schedule will be sent after May 17, 2009.  

• Will there be discounted hotel rates offered to the Sunshine Princess and their family?

      The Miss Florida Pageant will make every effort to secure special hotel rates and pass those rates          on to the families of the Sunshine Princess.  Hotel information will be prominently featured on the website of the Miss Florida Pageant and through email notification.

Sunshine Princess Program

"Mentoring Young Ladies to Become Leaders of Tomorrow"