Women to showcase talents at Miss Samford Pageant Nov. 17

Samford University will host the annual Miss Samford Pageant, now in its 71st year, at the Wright Center on Nov. 17 at 7 p.m.

And there’s a reason the event — a preliminary pageant for Miss America — has endured, according to Katie Lomax, an assistant professor at Samford’s McWhorter School of Pharmacy who has been pageant director for four years.

“It’s a way for young women to showcase their talents and abilities and also further their education,” she said.

The contestants have a chance to win scholarship money and go on to compete in the Miss Alabama pageant, according to Lomax. The Miss America organization provides scholarships for its winners.

“Scholarships are truly why all these young women compete every year,” Lomax said.

The theme of the pageant this year is “On Broadway” and will feature the current Miss Samford, Thomason Bryan. Bryan, who finished in the top 12 at Miss Alabama in 2017, is a singer and will perform at this year’s event, according to Lomax.

“Thomason’s a very entertaining and powerful singer, and it should make for a very fun night,” Lomax said.

There are normally about 10 contestants, all of them young women ages 17-24 who are full-time Samford students. Contestants compete in a 10-minute interview with a panel of judges, lifestyle and fitness, onstage questions, talent and evening wear. 

Tickets are $10 for adults and $8 for students. To order, go to tickets.samford.edu. For event information, go to samford.edu/wrightcenter.