Category:
Awards, Prizes, Competitions and Contests

Miss Credit Union

The earliest 'Miss Credit Union' contest I could find was in 1948. The latest was in 2011. Though I suspect some are still going on, but maybe not calling attention to themselves.

Ottawa Journal - Oct 22, 1957



Hartford Courant - Oct 26, 1960

Posted By: Alex - Fri Nov 15, 2024 - Comments (5)
Category: Awards, Prizes, Competitions and Contests, Money

Refrigerator Bowl Queen



Jacksonville State College gamecock football team played against the University of Rhode Island on December 4, 1955 in the eighth annual Refrigerator Bowl at Evansville, Indiana. Gamecocks won 12 to 10. Shown players from the University of Rhode Island and Jacksonville State select a Refrigerator Bowl Queen.







Posted By: Paul - Sat Nov 09, 2024 - Comments (4)
Category: Awards, Prizes, Competitions and Contests, Beauty, Ugliness and Other Aesthetic Issues, Sports, Appliances, 1950s

California Dairy Princesses

The selection of Dairy Princesses continues to this day.

California Dairy Princesses serve as industry advocates in their home district and throughout the state, supporting the reputation of milk and dairy products through appearances at various events. Dairy Princesses and alternates participate in a mandatory orientation/training where they receive professional development coaching.
The California Dairy Princess Program has been in effect since 1958. Currently seven districts hold local contests, which represent 48 counties in the state of California. The California Dairy Princess contest is supported by California dairy producers through the California Milk Advisory Board (CMAB).


A good article here.


California Dairy Princess at the Sonoma County Fair, Santa Rosa, California, July 21, 1958


Posted By: Paul - Fri Nov 01, 2024 - Comments (0)
Category: Agriculture, Awards, Prizes, Competitions and Contests, Beauty, Ugliness and Other Aesthetic Issues, Regionalism, Cows, 1950s

Miss Grits

Alas, I fear this contest has been discontinued.



Teeny Miss Grits Ava Dean, 2, (L) and Miss Grits Lindsay Dobbs, 16, participate in the parade during the 14th annual National Grits Festival in Warwick, Georgia USA on 09 April 2011.




13th Annual National Grits Festival in Warwick Georgia every April featuring arts and crafts, eating event, corn shelling, parade and rolling in the grits pit.



Posted By: Paul - Sun Oct 27, 2024 - Comments (6)
Category: Awards, Prizes, Competitions and Contests, Beauty, Ugliness and Other Aesthetic Issues, Food, Parades and Festivals, Regionalism

Miss Bombsight

In 1944, U.S. airmen selected Kathleen O'Malley as "the girl we'd most like to see in our bombsight."

Being in the bombsight doesn't sound like a good thing.

Kathleen O'Malley's IMDB page. Her earliest credited role was in 1926 when she was thirteen months old. Her final one was in 1998. That's quite a career.

More info: wikipedia

Santa Rosa Press Democrat - Nov 24, 1944

Posted By: Alex - Thu Oct 17, 2024 - Comments (0)
Category: Awards, Prizes, Competitions and Contests, Military, 1940s, Weapons

Miss New York Experience

This 1975 photo from JET magazine might represent a one-off title, because I can find no photos of other winners.

Arguably, to represent the true experience of NYC circa 1975, this charming young woman should have featured a much different, ah, seedier look.

Posted By: Paul - Thu Oct 17, 2024 - Comments (2)
Category: Awards, Prizes, Competitions and Contests, Beauty, Ugliness and Other Aesthetic Issues, Urban Life, 1970s

Miss Furniture

She won $2000 worth of furniture. In today's money that's almost $25,000. That's a decent amount of furniture.

Pottstown Mercury - Aug 16, 1954



Allentown Morning Call - Aug 23, 1954


Posted By: Alex - Tue Oct 01, 2024 - Comments (1)
Category: Awards, Prizes, Competitions and Contests, Furniture, 1950s

Miss General Electric

In 2017, Alex reported on "Miss Food Freezer," who also held the title of "Miss General Electric." I thought I'd try to find other winners of the latter title. But references are few and far between.

The earliest citation is 1925; the latest, 1968.

I am not sure about "Miss General Electric Torch" being the same honor.








Miss General Electric Torch and Miss Bell Torch presenting $507,412 and $630,943 to the United Fund. Two women holding a sign.


Posted By: Paul - Tue Sep 24, 2024 - Comments (0)
Category: Awards, Prizes, Competitions and Contests, Beauty, Ugliness and Other Aesthetic Issues, Technology, Appliances, Twentieth Century

Miss National Bureau of Standards

The earliest example I can find of a young woman being named 'Miss National Bureau of Standards' is in 1968. The contest continued at least until the mid-1970s.

The responsibility of Miss NBS was to "help to promote the standards employee benefit association membership drive, and assist in publicizing other functions."

Scranton Times-Tribune - Nov 5, 1967



Hartford Courant - Jan 31, 1971



Tampa Tribune - Mar 10, 1974

Posted By: Alex - Sat Sep 21, 2024 - Comments (4)
Category: Awards, Prizes, Competitions and Contests

Miss Calculator of 1952

I've been unable to find out if Ruth Houser ended up winning the title of "Miss Calculator of 1952."

Incidentally, the Monroe Calculating Company is still around, and still selling calculators.

Johnson City Press-Chronicle - May 18, 1952

Posted By: Alex - Sun Sep 01, 2024 - Comments (1)
Category: Awards, Prizes, Competitions and Contests, Technology, Computers, 1950s

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Alex is the creator and curator of the Museum of Hoaxes. He's also the author of various weird, non-fiction, science-themed books such as Elephants on Acid and Psychedelic Apes.

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