Miss Washington County/Miss Western Maryland Scholarship

The Miss Washington County and Miss Western Maryland pageant programs recently transitioned their long-standing scholarship awards to a fund at the Community Foundation of Washington County MD in order to provide more opportunities to young women in Washington County. This year’s pageant will take place February 20 at The Maryland Theatre with ten Miss Contestants and five teen contestants competing for a total of $7,050 in scholarship awards.The Miss Washington County/Miss Western Maryland pageant started in 1947 and is the largest and longest running local pageant in Maryland. It also gives away the most scholarship dollars each year of any local pageant in the state.More than 12,000 young women participate annually in local and state pageants like this one to compete for the title of Miss America. The Miss America Organization believes in helping young women reach their goals while making a difference in their local communities.According to Tom Riford, president of the board of directors of Miss Washington County/Miss Western Maryland Scholarship Foundation, “All of these programs reward hard work and determination, along with talent and commitment to service. This new scholarship fund will allow the pageant to carry on as a direct scholarship provider, allowing us to continue our mission of serving as a vehicle for young women in our county to pursue their dreams.”