Miss Cherokee, Junior Miss Cherokee, Little Cherokee Ambassadors Competition applications available

TAHLEQUAH, Okla. — Applications for the 2022-23 Miss Cherokee Leadership, Junior Miss Cherokee Leadership and Little Cherokee Ambassadors competitions are now available.

To download the applications, visit https://www.cherokee.org/all-services/education-services/youth-leadership/. Applications are also available at the Cherokee First desk at the W.W. Keeler Tribal Complex in Tahlequah. The deadline for all applications is 6 p.m. Monday, Aug. 1 if returned in-person, or if mailed, the deadline is 5 p.m. at the close of business Monday, Aug. 1. Late applications cannot be accepted.

The Miss Cherokee Leadership Competition and the Junior Miss Cherokee Competition will be held 6 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 27 in Tahlequah. The Little Cherokee Ambassador Competition will be 6 p.m. Friday, Aug. 26 in Tahlequah.

“Each of these annual competitions are part of a rich tradition for Cherokee Nation and a great opportunity for the contestants to share their knowledge and personalities with the judges,” said Lisa Trice-Turtle, manager of youth leadership with Education Services. “As ambassadors of the Cherokee Nation, these young Cherokees will spend the year sharing their culture and heritage, while maintaining all the best qualities of Cherokee youth.”

Miss Cherokee contestants must be high school graduates between the ages of 18-22 by Aug. 27, 2022. Candidates cannot have previously served as Miss Cherokee and must be a Cherokee Nation citizen living in the reservation.

In previous years, Miss Cherokee has visited the White House and historic sites in Washington, D.C., including the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian. She has also visited the Oklahoma Capitol and Cherokee Nation community meetings across the country.

To run for Junior Miss Cherokee, contestants must be a middle school or high school student between the ages of 13-18, a Cherokee Nation citizen, and reside within the reservation.

Little Cherokee Ambassadors must be between the ages of 4-12 years old on Aug. 26, 2022, and must be Cherokee Nation citizens living in the tribe’s reservation. Contestants will be judged in categories defined by age group.

Committee representatives will accept hand-delivered applications Monday, Aug. 1, 3-6 p.m. in the lobby of the W.W. Keeler Tribal Complex in Tahlequah, but early completed applications can be submitted prior to the Aug. 1 deadline.

For more information on the Miss Cherokee Leadership, call Lisa Trice-Turtle at 918-207-4991. For more information on the Junior Miss Cherokee Leadership Competition, call Reba Bruner at 918-453-5397. For more information on the Little Cherokee Ambassadors Competition, call Kristen Thomas at 918-207-4974.