Becoming a Czech-Slovak Queen
To become a Czech-Slovak Queen in your chapter, depends on how the chapter seems fit. Maybe you had been a princess before and always knew you wanted to be a queen and it has just been assumed. Maybe the chapter has an application process with a competition if there are multiple girls involved. Maybe you got a text the week before your crowning and decided, hey why not?
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Regardless of how you became your chapter representative, the State and National levels have a more complex system of deciding their representative, this is broken into four categories:
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Oratory: The contestants are judged on how they answer three questions on stage typically a personal question about the contestant and how they promote their heritage, a question about kroje, and an 'authentic' question to test the contestant's knowledge about the history of the cultures.
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Talent: The contestants are to prepare a talent that showcases their passion for their heritage, and the poise of showcasing themselves in front of people. Talent can be singing, dancing, artwork, a poem reading, instrument playing, a skit, demonstration, etc.
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Kroj: The contestants must have kroj when competing, either:
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Americanized Kroje: An adaptation of kroj based on the contestant's design.​
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Authentic Kroje: A kroj that is an exact match to the historic kroje from the Czech-Slovak regions. This kroje can be purchased, an heirloom, or self-made but must be an exact replica of the region's kroje.
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Private Interview: Much like the Oratory, the Private Interview is a chance for the judges to ask the contestants questions in a more personal setting. There will typically be a time limit and the number of questions asked is dependent on how quickly or slowly the contestant answers each question. The Private Interview award is combined in the Oratory award on the National Level.
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Additional Awards on the National Level include:
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John and Lois Fiala Spirit of the Czech/Slovak Heritage Award: Presented to the contestant who exhibits outstanding passion and dedication to her heritage.
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Gruntorad-Stastny Heritage Involvement Award: Presented to the contestant whom exhibits outstanding involvement as presented on her application
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Miss Congeniality: Presented to the contestant who is voted on by her fellow pageant contestants
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Sokol Talent: Typically given to someone who has exemplified Czech/Slovak Sokol components
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Sokol Talent Runner Up
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Kroje Categories (Introduced in 2022)
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Accuracy​
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Knowledge
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Family Story
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Poise
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We have outlined our previous State and National Queens below and the awards they won.