2025 Charlotte Pride Drag Pageant Participant Application

The Charlotte Pride Drag Pageant is a gender-inclusive pageant for contestants who believe in the power and importance of community service. Our pageant winners are more than just title holders. They live and breathe the spirit of Pride. They envision a world in which all LGBTQIA+ people are affirmed, respected, and included — free from any discrimination, rejection, or prejudice. They commit their volunteer work, time, energy, and talent to the Charlotte Pride mission to enrich, empower, strengthen, and make more visible the lives and experiences of LGBTQIA+ people in Charlotte and the Carolinas. 

This year’s Charlotte Pride Pageant continues our more than 20-year-long tradition of pageants that center inclusion and visibility. Each titled contest this year is open to all performers regardless of gender. 

Up to three winners will be selected: Mx. Charlotte Pride, Miss Charlotte Pride, and Mr. Charlotte Pride. Winners will serve as the 2025 Charlotte Pride Court. 

If you are interested in competing to become a part of the 2025 Charlotte Pride Court, please complete this application in its entirety. Before completing this application, we encourage you to think thoughtfully about your answers to the following questions, as well as to prepare your information for upload.

Two high-resolution photos and your song must be submitted via email to the 2024 Charlotte Pride Court at drag@charlottepride.org or this application will not be considered complete.

This year's Charlotte Pride Drag Pageant will be hosted during Charlotte Pride Week on Thursday, August 14, 2025, at a local venue (to be determined). 

The winner of each category will also perform as a component of the Charlotte Pride Festival entertainment on Sunday, August 17, 2025. We kindly request that all qualified contestants plan to be available on Saturday, August 16, and Sunday, August 17, for other duties.

Registration fees for 2025 are $35.

Each winning Title Holder will receive:

• $200 cash prize
• Crown and sash
• $75 at give-up in 2026

Title Holders will be required to:

• Appear at up to four paid bookings chosen by Charlotte Pride
• Serve as a Drag Team Coordinator for the next year’s Charlotte Pride Festival and Parade Planning Committee
• Perform on the Charlotte Pride Festival Main Stage on Sunday, August 17
• Appear in the 2025 Charlotte Pride Parade on Sunday, August 17
• Appear in the 2026 Charlotte Pride Parade

Deadline for pageant entry: Monday, July 7, 2025

For questions, comments, concerns, etc. regarding the pageant, please reach out to the 2024 Charlotte Pride Court at drag@charlottepride.org.

Charlotte Pride 2025 Pageant Rules & Regulations

The following are the Charlotte Pride Pageant Rules & Regulations, which outline the specific rules, regulations, eligibility, and other criteria governing the Charlotte Pride Pageant, its contestants and other participants, and the Charlotte Pride Title Holders. The following sections of this document may be amended at any time for any reason by Charlotte Pride.

A. CONTESTANT ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA & FINALIST SELECTION RULES

Contestants must meet the following criteria in order to participate in the 2025 Charlotte Pride pageant:

• Contestant must be at least 18 years of age.
• Contestant must reside within a 100-mile radius of Charlotte, NC.
• If contestant is a Charlotte Pride Title Holder within the last three years in any category (Mr., Miss, or Mx.), contestant may not compete in the same category in which they have already held a Title. However, contestant may compete in a different category.

Each contestant in each category will be interviewed on Sunday, July 20th, at the Charlotte Pride offices at 1900 The Plaza, Charlotte, NC, 28203. The interviews will be scored by a panel of judges, and scores will be used to narrow each category (if necessary) to a maximum of five contestants.

The interview component will be scored by the judges as follows:

Total Possible Score: 0-150
General Appearance: 0-25
Personality: 0-30
Ability to Communicate: 0-50
Answer Content: 0-50

Up to five contestants in each category will then compete at the Charlotte Pride Pageant on Thursday, August 14, at a local venue (to be determined). 

Contestants in each category will do a presentation and will give a performance. Judges will score contestants on those components -- presentation and performance -- to narrow each category (Miss, Mr., and Mx.) to two contestants.

The two finalists in each category will be determined by adding the performance and presentation scores to the pre-pageant interview scores to get the total score for each contestant. Based on these total scores, if there exists a tie between contestants, judges will use contestants' interview scores to break the tie. 

If less than five contestants register to compete for a single title, the number of contestant slots available for other titles may increase proportionally, equitably, and according to need.

B. PAGEANT RULES & REGULATIONS

The following rules and regulations will apply for the 2025 Charlotte Pride pageant:

Judging

• Charlotte Pride has final approval in selecting judges.
• Winners will be selected based on a cumulative scoring system. In the event of a tie, the winner will be selected by an on-stage question to be selected by the panel of judges.
• Final score tallying will be done on a cumulative scale. All scores will be calculated and no scores will be dropped. This follows the scoring of other notable pageant systems (i.e., Miss Gay America).

Pageant Overview

The Charlotte Pride Pageant will have up to three winners, who will equally reign as the Charlotte Pride Court. These title holders will hold the titles of Mr., Ms., or Mx. and will select their preferred title via their application. In the event that no contestants submit an application for a given title, that title will not be given out. Only one winner per title will be selected.

All contestants will be judged in the following categories:

• Interview
  • Each contestant will have an interview with the judging panel. This judging panel may be different from the judges panel at the official Charlotte Pride Pageant during the Festival & Parade.
  • All interviews will take place ahead of the 2025 Pageant with the date and location to be confirmed in June 2025.
  • The interview will be used to determine finalists for competition if more than five contestants register to compete for a single title.
• "Show Your Pride" Presentation & On-Stage Question
  • This category is intended to allow participants to showcase their creative interpretation of what Pride means to them.
  • Contestants are encouraged to choose one or more colors from a Pride flag (i.e., Gay, Bi, Trans, Nonbinary, Bear, Pup, etc.) and present a creative costume displaying what pride means to them.
  • On-stage questions will function as a quasi-interview with hosts, who will ask questions that pageant winners will likely answer during their reign as a Title Holder.
• Talent
  • Any type of talent is acceptable, except those that are illegal or which may cause personal injury to the audience or any other person. This includes but is not limited to the use of fire, liquids, etc. 
  • Talent will be limited to seven minutes.
  • Music for the talent category must be submitted via email to the Drag Pageant Committee at drag@charlottepride.org by Friday, August 1.
    • All participants must also bring a digital copy of their music on a flash drive to the performance itself. It is also recommended that contestants have a backup option in case of any technical issues.
  • Each contestant will be allowed only two dancers due to staging restrictions.
  • Stage restrictions also restrict the use of props. For questions about prop use, please reach out to Charlotte Pride staff at staff@charlottepride.org

Additional Rules & Regulations

• The Charlotte Pride Pageant is gender-inclusive and is open to anyone who wishes to compete under their definition of the art of drag. Contestants are encouraged to choose the category that best fits their respective drag.
• Each contestant will be allowed one dresser.
• Contestants are required to conduct themselves in a professional manner at all times. Prohibited behavior is grounds for immediate disqualification and expulsion from the hosting establishment. Prohibited behavior includes but is not limited to:
  • The use of any illegal substances
  • Overconsumption of alcoholic beverages
  • Underage consumption of alcoholic beverages
  • Violent or threatening language or behavior
  • Discriminatory words, statements, actions, or other behavior which violate the mission, vision, and values of Charlotte Pride
  • Theft of, or intentional damage or destruction to real and personal property
  • Contestants must avoid any public outbursts, complaints, threats, etc. against Charlotte Pride, Pride Title Holders, judges, volunteers, other contestants, etc. or risk being banned from all future pageants.
• Charlotte Pride reserves the right to make a decision concerning any matters not covered in these rules and regulations and/or the contestant agreement.

C. TITLE HOLDER OBLIGATIONS & RESPONSIBILITIES

The winners (hereafter, “Title Holder”) of the pageant will assume the title of Mr., Miss, or Mx. Charlotte Pride for the 2025-2026 season. Title Holder is obligated to and agrees to the following:

• Appear at four paid bookings chosen by Charlotte Pride
• Serve as a Team Coordinator for the next year’s Charlotte Pride Festival and Parade Planning Committee
• Perform on the Main Stage on Sunday, August 17
• Appear in the 2025 & 2026 Pride Parades
• Appear at the 2025 Charlotte Pride VIP Experience Pavilion
• Perform in the 2025 Charlotte Pride Festival Youth & Family Zone   

Title Holder also understands that their title is purely honorary and carries with it no inherent rights, privileges, or responsibilities beyond the specific responsibilities outlined in this document and that Title Holder cannot independently act on behalf of or make official representations for Charlotte Pride.

D. CHARLOTTE PRIDE REMEDIES

In the event Title Holder is unwilling or unable to fulfill the obligations and responsibilities outlined above, or if the Title Holder defaults on any of the provisions included in this contestant agreement, Charlotte Pride retains the right at its absolute and sole discretion to any or more of the following:

• Revoke or rescind the title from the Title Holder.
• Refuse bookings and appearances of any official nature to the Title Holder.
• Refuse entry into any future pageants or Charlotte Pride events.
• Other remedies not listed above.

E. HOLD HARMLESS

Contestant/Title Holder agrees to indemnify Charlotte Pride, Inc., its officers, directors, employees, volunteers, or other agents, and hold them harmless with respect to any defense that they shall be required to make in connection with any claim or action arising out of Contestant’s/Title Holder’s involvement/participation with the pageant, parade or festival, including the payment of reasonable attorney’s fees.