SOUTHWEST MICHIGAN — Blossomtime Festival, of St. Joseph, is taking applications for Miss Southwest and Miss Southwest Outstanding Teen pageants through Dec. 20, 2019. Space is limited.

Qualifying applicants will then attend the Miss Southwest Michigan and Miss Southwest Michigan Outstanding Teen Scholarship Pageants on Jan. 11, 2020, at the St. Joseph High School auditorium, 2521 Stadium Drive.

Miss Southwest Outstanding Teen is for girls ages 13 to 17 who are residents of Berrien, Cass or Van Buren counties. Young women who are residents of Berrien, Cass or Van Buren counties ages 17 to 24 will vie for the title of Miss Southwest Michigan.

The Miss Southwest Michigan Scholarship Pageant is the only preliminary competition in Berrien, Cass and Van Buren County that leads to the Miss Michigan Pageant and Miss America.

Last year, the Miss America Organization and its state and local organizations provided $45 million in cash and scholarship assistance. This assistance is not just for the handful of girls who become Miss America, but to the more than 12,000 girls who compete in the state and local competitions as well, said Blossomtime staff.

For more information and applications, staff said to email them at southwestmichiganpageant.org.