The 41st annual Miss UA pageant, an official preliminary pageant to Miss Alabama, will take place this Saturday night at the Bama Theatre. The pageant is sponsored by the University of Alabama National Alumni Association.

Seventeen young women representing different colleges and majors will compete for the Miss UA title and the scholarship that comes with it. The competition will begin at 7 p.m. and will likely run two hours.

The competition is judged based on an interview portion, a physical fitness portion, a talent portion as well as an evening wear portion in which contestants must answer an onstage question. Four judges from various pageant backgrounds and one non-affiliated judge will oversee the contest.

This year will mark the 20th year that Carol Wright will direct the Miss UA pageant. Wright said she grew up admiring the pageant circuit.

“I always enjoy getting to know the young woman serving as Miss UA, and I enjoy seeing not only what she will do for her platform, but what she will do to represent the University as well,” she said.

Tammy Jones, a former Miss Alabama and UA alumna, has been helping contestants with choreography and backstage tasks for five years. Jones said she has been doing pageants from the time she could walk and knows the Alabama pageant system well. Jones said she helps the contestants to look well-represented on stage, but she also strives to make sure the girls are enjoying themselves with the choreography.

This year’s theme will include a special surprise for young girls across Alabama. As a tribute to the partnership between Miss America and the Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals, all pageant contestants in the Miss UA competition will be paired with a girl from Alabama aged 7 to 11 that has some connection to Children’s Miracle Network. The contestants also each raised $100 for the non-profit organization.

Each of the young ladies will be on stage with the contestant they have been paired with, and the winner of Miss UA will take her young partner with her when she competes for Miss Alabama.

Student tickets are $10 and may be purchased at the Bama Theatre box office, which will open at 5:30 p.m. Theatre doors will open at 6 p.m.