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Distinguished Young Woman programs across the nation and state are exploring different options amid the pandemic.

“As with everything we seem to do now, we do in a different way.  The Distinguished Young Women programs across our country, from Nationals, down to Escambia County, will be going digital,” said Molly Barnett, organizer of the local program.

Addressing the large question of when and if the ban of public gatherings will be lifeter and what life will look like following, Barnett gave some incite into what the program is considering at this time.

“We cannot let our rising senior girls down. We will have a local program although it will be different.  As always there will be the same categories:  scholastic, interview, talent, fitness, and self-expression,” said Barnett.

The show must go on and indeed it will. Barnett explained, “The only difference is that the girls will have their talent, fitness and self-expression video recorded and submitted for the judges to review.”

Along with the separate videos, interviews will look different as well. “All interviews will be held at a scheduled time though a ZOOM session,” said Barnett.

Hoping to continue the long tradition, Barnett and the other Escambia County DYW board are prepared for the challenged. “We will not let our faithful local supporters down, we will spotlight each contestant for everyone to see them perform the same on stage categories as they would if they were sitting in an auditorium,” said Barnett.

With no competition, the program is asking for support. From prayers to monentary donations, the board seeks to honor the new class in the best way possible.

“We hope that each person reading this will offer a prayer for the contestants and the board of directors as we all step into a new way of making sure that the ‘show will go on,’” shared Barnett.

Registration for all rising seniors residing in Escambia County is now open. To apply, potential participants are instructed to visit www.distinguishedyw.org​ and click “apply now” to register.

According to Barnett, all home addresses must be located within Escambia County (AL) in order to participate. The day of interviews will be Saturday, June 20th.  Barnett explained, “Depending on the number of contestants we have, we will spotlight at least one contestant each day before the day of their interview.  If you are a friend of Distinguished Young Women of Escambia County on Facebook or Instagram, I encourage you to like us and follow our new and exciting journey of this year!”

Distinguished Young Women, formerly America’s Junior Miss, was founded in 1958 and awards rising senior girls seeking to pursue higher education all across the nation. The local winner will compete in some form depending on the pandemic at a statewide competition for the chance to represent the state at the national level. For more information visit distinguishedyw.org.