1. All Queen candidates must be between the ages of 14-18. 

2. If you drop out of the pageant, you may not re-enter the same year. 

3. Candidates will be required to be in this year's Rodeo parade (unless participating in a school float. 

4. The Fiesta Committee provides crowns, sashes, and robes.

5. The Mexican Fiesta Queen and the American Queen will each be awarded a certificate of $500.00. The certificate will be available to the queen upon proof of enrollment in a college or university. 

6. The selected Mexican and American Fiesta Queens will be expected to represent the Fort Madison Mexican Fiesta for the year. This includes riding in the 2026 Rodeo Parade and other activities as identified.  

 

Candidate Scoring

• A point system will determine the winner. 

• There will be three elements for a final score x/100: 1) ticket sales, 2) community service hours and participation, and 3) an essay. 

• All three elements are required, and each element counts toward 1/3 of the score.  

• Ticket sales are 1 ticket =1 point

• Community service hours are one hour for 1 point

• Essay scores are based on appearance (8), content (15), and engagement with the judges (10). 

 

Ticket sales

• The money raised by ticket sales will be deposited at Connection Bank into the Fort Madison Mexican Fiesta Committee account. For every deposit, ask for two copies of the deposit slip.  One copy will be kept for your records, and one copy will be provided to the Queen Coordinator (print your name on the deposit slip).  

• The deposit slip must match the number of tickets being turned in. Tickets will be counted by the Queen Coordinator and the parents and signed off by both parties each time. Initially, 20 books will be given out to each candidate. Up to 40 books may be given after that, as long as the deposit slips for the prior tickets have been provided to the Queen Coordinator.

• All tickets and deposits need to be turned in by Sunday, September 7.

• Queen candidates are responsible for missing tickets. 

• Once all funds and tickets have been accounted for, each queen candidate will receive 1/3 of the funds they have raised.

 

Essay 

Essay Guidelines

• Required Information: Name, age, grade level, phone number, address, school

• Brief biography: Your favorite subject in school, pets, hobbies, plans for college, etc. 

• Word Count/Length: Minimum 500 words.

• Format: Use easy-to-read or professional fonts like Times New Roman, Sans, or Serif, in 12-point, double-spaced text. 

• Citation: If your selected question requires the use of citing sources, please cite them in APA 7 and include them in a reference list at the end of your essay. This is a great practice for college. 

• Originality: Essays must be the original work of the queen candidate. Using AI large language models to write your essay can be detected and could disqualify you from the essay or result in a loss of points. 

• Deadline: The Queen Coordinator will notify candidates of the due date for the essay.

• Be sure to include which question you are answering in your introduction.

• Essays will be published in the Fiesta program and may be submitted to the local papers.

 

Essay Questions

For your essay question, choose from one of the following discussions or questions.
 

• What does the Fort Madison Mexican Fiesta mean to you?

• What is your favorite memory of Fiesta?

• Imagine you have the power to create a new tradition for teenage girls in your community. What would it be and why? How would this tradition contribute to their well-being, empowerment, or connection with each other? 

• Describe a moment when you felt truly empowered. What circumstances led to this feeling, and what did you learn about yourself in that moment? How can teenage girls cultivate more moments of empowerment in their daily lives? 

• Who is a Hispanic female figure (historical or contemporary, public or personal) who inspires you the most, and why? What specific qualities or actions of hers resonate with you, and how do you aspire to embody some of those qualities in your own life? 

• Who are soldaderas? What was their role in the Mexican War of Independence? Name a specific example of a soldadera and her heroic acts in any of Mexico’s wars.

• Thinking of women from Mexico’s history. Choose a prominent female figure from Mexican history, such as Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz or Frida Kahlo, and explain how her contributions shaped Mexican culture or identity. How have women in Mexico historically overcome challenges to influence social, political, or artistic movements, and what lessons can we learn from their resilience today?

• Discuss the role of women during a significant event in Mexican history, such as the Mexican Revolution, and how their participation impacted the outcome or legacy of that event. If you could honor a lesser-known Mexican woman from history for her contributions to her community or country, who would you choose and why?

• How have Mexican women preserved and passed down cultural traditions, such as through art, cuisine, or storytelling, and why is this important for future generations? Reflect on a historical moment when Mexican women stood up for their rights or their communities—how does this inspire your vision as a potential Fiesta Queen?

 

Community Service and Participation

 

Participation
 

• Queen candidates are required to help decorate in preparation for the fiesta. This includes decorating the float for the rodeo parade, helping to decorate the village on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday as available, and making flowers. Other tasks may be identified as needed.  

• Queen candidates are required to ride on the fiesta float in the Rodeo Parade unless they commit to be on a school float. Please communicate with the Queen Coordinator if you have other obligations. 

• The Mexican and American Queen will be in their formal wear with a cape until 10:30 PM on Friday and Saturday night.  

 

Community Service

 

• Community service hours accumulated throughout the school year from the school may count toward this element. Provide a copy of signed documentation from the appropriate school personnel to the Queen Coordinator.

• Other hours may be obtained by volunteering locally for non-profit businesses and organizations, nursing homes, community cleanup activities, etc. Signed documents confirming your hours are required and will be verified.

 

Princess/Jr. Princess 

1. Princess candidates must be between the ages of 9-13. 

2. Jr/ Princess candidates must be between the ages of 5-8. 

3. Princess and Jr. Princess candidates are required to help decorate in preparation for the fiesta. This includes decorating the float for the rodeo parade, helping to decorate the village on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday as available, and making flowers. The Jr. Princess candidates must have a parent with them. 

4. Princess candidates are required to ride in the parade on the fiesta float unless they commit to be on a school float. Please communicate with the Queen Coordinator if you have other obligations. 

5. If you drop from the pageant, you cannot re-enter the same year. 

6. The Princess will be in their formal wear until departing or 10:30 PM on Friday and Saturday night.  

7. Princess and Jr. Princess winners represent the Fort Madison Mexican Fiesta for the year and will be expected to be in the 2026 Rodeo Parade and other activities as identified.

8. The winner will be determined by the number of tickets sold and the money from their canisters. Each Princess candidate is allowed to have 3 canisters. The locations of the canisters will be provided to the Queen Coordinator and will be updated on the Fiesta Facebook page.  

9. The money raised by ticket sales will be deposited at Connection Bank to the Fort Madison Mexican Fiesta Committee account. For every deposit, ask for two copies of the deposit slip.  One copy will be kept for your records, and one copy will be provided to the Queen Coordinator (print your name on the deposit slip).  

10. The deposit slip must match the number of tickets being turned in. Tickets will be counted by the Queen Coordinator and the parent, and signed off by both parties each time. Initially, 20 books will be given out to each candidate. Up to 40 books may be given after that, as long as the deposit slips for the prior tickets have been provided to the Queen Coordinator.

11. All tickets and deposits need to be turned in by Sunday, September 7.

12. Princess/Jr. Princess candidates are responsible for missing tickets.