The Miss Teen of America Program, founded in 1983 in Minneapolis, Minnesota is a scholarship and recognition pageant for the nation's outstanding young women as well as a fellowship and social development experience. The Pageant is meant to accent the positive qualities among today's youth and to foster and promote worthwhile ideals. The Pageant seeks to nationally recognize the achievements of our country's female youth and to bring the accomplishments of today's young women to the attention of America.

The Miss Teen of America Scholarship and Recognition Pageant searches for the complete well-rounded teenager and prides itself in providing a pageant competition system that offers five distinct categories of judging in order to effectively achieve this goal, and at the same time, offer a thoroughly objective and complete competition in terms of fairness to all candidates involved. The Miss Teen of America Pageant is NOT a beauty contest. Rather, candidates are judged on the basis of service and achievement to school and community, personal development, scholastic achievement, judge's interview, and poise and personality projection in formal wear.