The Miss Blackhawk Valley Scholarship Program is an official preliminary competition and is part of the Miss America Organization, the world's leading provider of scholarships for young women, awarding over $46 million annually.
It is open to girls and young women who reside, attend school full time or work full time in Rock Island, Henry, and Mercer counties in Illinois. The program is a not-for-profit corporation and is managed by a Board of Directors and an Executive Director all of whom are non-paid volunteers.
The competition for the title of Miss Blackhawk Valley is a pageant that is held in March. Every participant is awarded a scholarship payable to the college or university of her choice.
Following the guidelines of the Miss America competition, each participant selects a social issue, commonly called "the platform" that she will use to increase awareness and effect change in her community.
