The 2026 Clearfield County Fair Queen Contest will be held on Friday, July 17th at 5:30 pm. Please see the "About Page" for a full list of rules and requirements. The Clearfield County Fair Queen Competition is a preliminary competition for the Pennsylvania State Fair Queen Competition and follows the rules and regulations set forth by the Pennsylvania State Fair Queen Program.
The Fair Queen will be awarded a $500 cash prize.
The runners-up will be award cash prizes as follows:
1st Runner-Up: $200
2nd Runner-Up: $100
3rd Runner-Up: $50
4th Runner-Up: $25
The number of runners-up named in a given year is dependent on the number of contestants and is up to the discretion of the Clearfield County Fair Queen Program Committee and the Clearfield County Fair and Park Board.
Written essay on the topic "What My Fair Means to my Community". The essay is to be 300 words or less, one sided, type written in 11 or 12 sized fonts, a minimum of 1 1/2 inch spacing, 1-inch margins, and on white paper. The Clearfield County Fair Queen Committee will assign a date the essay is to be due, in conjunction with the date of the second Clearfield County Fair Queen Competition meeting. The essay must be either mail to the Clearfield County Fair's PO Box (P.O. Box 712, Clearfield, PA 16830) or brought to the second meeting in a sealed envelope. Judging criteria for the written essay includes content, grammar, and spelling.
Each contestant will meet alone with the panel of three (3) judges on the day of the Clearfield County Fair Queen Competition. Contestants will be notified of the time in advance. Interviews will last no longer than six (6) minutes and take place in the Expo II building, in the Queen's Office. Contestants may familiarize themselves on the Fair utilizing the Fair Website, Fair Facebook Page, and the Fair Premium Book. Other useful websites on the fair industry include: www.agriculture.state.pa.us, and www.apd.cas.psu.edu. Judging criteria includes conversational ability, answers to the questions, appearance/poise, activities, and knowledge of the fair industry.
Speech presentation on the topic "Why You Should Come to My Fair". The speech presentation is a timed event; all speeches must be at least three (3) minutes long but no longer than five (5) minutes. Speeches that do not meet the time criteria will receive a standard point deduction per judge from the panel of three (3) judges. The speech should a persuasive speech and appropriate for an audience of adults. Props that enhance this speech for this target audience are permitted but not required. Contestants are jduged on the effectiveness of their public speaking skills; not "entertainment". Overhead projectors or Power Point presentations are not permitted. Judging criteria includes speech content (to include agriculture), speech format, ability to convey a message, public speak ability, and poise/presence.
Following the speech presentation, each contestant will make a personal introduction to the audience, similar to that which a Fair Queen would give when visiting a Fair or other public event. Each contestant has approximately 15 seconds to make this introduction. Judging criteria includes content, stage presence, and appearance.
The top five (5) contestants will be given an impromptu question on stage. All top five (5) contestants will be asked the same question. Each of the top five contestants will be brought on stage individually while the remaining contestants are sequestered backstage. There is no set judging criteria for this segment. The judges may use this segment to assist in making their final decision. In the even there are fewer than seven (7) contestants, each contestant will be given the impromptu question following their evening gown/introduction. In this event, each contestant will be brought to the stage individually while the remaining contestants are sequestered backstage.