Prelims and Promoters Information

Miss Gay New Jersey is one of the Garden State's longest running Female Impersonation and Male Entertainment Pageant Systems. 

Miss Gay New Jersey was established in 1982 with the first pageant taking place in Asbury Park, the Gay Mecca of New Jersey. Since then, Miss Gay New Jersey has crowned 41 individual who have achieved the highest cumulative score, derived from categories such as Fundraising, Interview, Swimsuit, Evening Gown/Formal Wear (for men), Talent, and most recently added, On Stage Question and Answer. 

In more recent years, the system has reorganized the entertainment of the pageant. This was needed because of the influx of competitors for each system. The 1990s and 2000s were great years for the Miss and Mr. Gay New Jersey Competition, as Miss Gay New Jersey would have at least 12 competitors, while Mr. would have at least 6. 

Miss Gay New Jersey Association, Inc., owners of the Miss and Mr. Gay New Jersey Competition, added titles to its pageantry system. But because of dwindling interest in the newer titles (Miss Gay NJ at Large, Newcomer, Latina) the organization decided to take a hiatus from having these systems and to reduce costs. 

In 2013, MGNJA, Inc. changed leadership; and with that change, many of the organizations preliminary titles and promoters dwindled away. Preliminary titles were not only a fundraising event for the organization, it also served as a way to challenge competitors to be a preliminary titleholder and to prepare themselves for the Miss and/or Mr. Gay New Jersey Competition. The promoters of each preliminary are held responsible for making sure their competitor adheres to the rules and regulations that promoters have established for their prelim and the rules of MGNJA, Inc. The fees for registering a preliminary pageant competition were ways the organization would raise money for the cause. Losing these prelims caused the organization a hardship. 

However, all of this is changing under the new leadership! We are working on making this system great again by bringing back our preliminary titles. Anyone interested in hosting a preliminary pageant in any one of the counties on the map posted below can email us at missgaynj@gmail.com . Please include your name, phone number, and which county you are interested in hosting your prelim. If you are interested in simply crowning an individual in your county, you can also do this as well. Preliminary pageants are not cheap, but they do not have to be expensive either. We can help you decide on a reasonable itinerary for your prelim and also find the least expensive solution for you. 

MGNJA, Inc. looks forward to working with the community and anyone interested in being a part of the organization; whether a supporter, promoter, or volunteer.