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About the Miss Chicago Organization

Executive Directors:
Jason Pica
Leah Nikolaus

Who We Are

The Miss Chicago Competition is the oldest pageant in Illinois and began in 1922. Miss Chicago has always been a part of the Miss America Organization.

Today, the Miss Chicago Scholarship Organization holds an annual competition to crown Miss Chicago. We also crown sister queens to go to Miss Illinois including - Miss Windy City and Miss Gold Coast.

The Chicago titleholders then compete in the state competition in Marion for the title of Miss Illinois. 
 
To date, we've had 14 Chicago titleholders win Miss Illinois and 1 Miss America winner. 

In 2005, Illinois began sending a titleholder to the Miss America's Outstanding Teen competition. Each year, we crown a Miss Chicago's Outstanding Teen and occasionally a Miss Windy City's OT and Miss Gold Coast's OT depending on participation.
 
Chicago has won 7 out of the past 9 Miss Illinois' Outstanding Teen titles (past 5 in a row). 

The Miss Chicago Organization made Illinois history in 2020 as the first local to crown a Black Miss Chicago (Monica Nia Jones) and Black Miss Chicago's Outstanding Teen (Eden Wilson) in the same year. Additionally, Miss Chicago's Outstanding Teen 2019, Imani Muse became the first Black Miss Illinois Outstanding Teen ever. 


The Miss Chicago Princess Program is our way of prepping girls for a future in the Miss America Organization. They get to be mentored by Miss Chicago and really live that princess life. 

Our Scholarships and Organization

The Miss Chicago Scholarship Organization provides a scholarship to all of our titleholders. We are able to accomplish this through the generosity of our sponsors and donors. 

Everyone involved in the organization is a volunteer including: the directors, the scholarship board, the competition staff, the judges, the auditors, and the state prep team. 

The Sisterhood

More than anything, the Miss Chicago Organization is a family. Our former titleholders and families band together with our new ones. We work together to make sure every candidate for Miss Chicago has a great time and every titleholder is supported in their journey to Miss Illinois and beyond. 
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