Skokie Welcomes Back International Pageants After 10+ Years

SKOKIE, IL — After more than 10 years, the annual Mrs., Miss, Miss Teen, and Miss Pre-Teen International Competitions are returning to the North Shore Center for the Performing Arts.

Mary Richardson, executive director of International Pageants, Inc., announced Wednesday that its final competitions will come back to Skokie in 2026. The competitions were last held in Skokie in 2013 and are expected to have a significant revenue impact on local businesses, as over 150 beauty queens and their entourages visit the area.

"We’re excited to again call Skokie and the Chicagoland area home for our final competition events and we’re looking forward to working with area businesses and the community at large to create a winning relationship for all of us,” said Mary Richardson, who purchased the International Pageants system in 1999, along with her husband, Mel Richardson. “Our time away helped us explore evolving competition needs. Yet, this area has always held a special place in the hearts of our large pageant family, and we’re thrilled to reconnect with local partners to bring International Pageants back to this vibrant community.”

International Pageants Inc. was founded in 1985 as a platform based event to promote women and their accomplishments. The pageants have been lauded for giving a new meaning to the term "beauty queen," going beyond gowns and crowns to empower women.

Each pageant consists of judging categories that include interviews, fun fashion wear, fitness wear and evening gown. The interview, which is based on the contestant's charitable platform, counts for up to half of each individual score.