I saw a post about Miss Aura International 2024 floating around Instagram last month. Honestly? Thought it might be fun to try after crushing my last fitness challenge. Grabbed coffee sat down at my kitchen table and started digging into their rules. First step was hunting down that damn application page – took me three Google searches before I found the official stuff.
The Basic Stuff They Demand
Scrolled through their checklist real slow. Three things jumped out immediately:
- Gotta be 18 to 28 when competing – turned 27 last April so made the cut by like 9 months
- Single with no kids – been divorced two years now so cleared that easy
- Stand at least 170cm barefoot – measured myself against the doorframe and hit 172cm
Felt pretty good til I saw the English fluency video requirement. My college English is rusty as hell.
Prepping The Application Dumpster Fire
Started uploading documents Sunday morning. Passport scan? Easy peasy. Health certificate? Called my doc Monday and got squeezed in Wednesday afternoon. Then hit the “talent showcase video” roadblock.
Tried taping my salsa routine with an iPhone tripod in the living room. Cat photobombed take one. Sister called during take two. Finally nailed it at 11PM looking like a hot mess. Nearly rage-quit when their portal kept rejecting my file size.
The Brutal Real Talk
What nobody tells you?
- That intro video isn’t optional – shot mine by leaning phone against cookbooks
- Photo “natural look” means zero edits – they actually rejected my first headshot for light filters
- Entry fee deadline is non-negotiable – paid mine with PayPal credit when rent was due
The character reference letters almost killed me though. My manager wrote hers in corporate jargon while grandma’s letter talked about me winning 4H chicken prizes at age 10. Had to bribe my cousin with pizza to rewrite them proper.
Final Countdown Stress
Submitted everything at 11:57PM deadline night. Got the confirmation email and just collapsed on the couch. Three weeks later – ding! – acceptance email came through while I was folding laundry. Jumped so hard I knocked over my sock basket. Still training for the actual competition now but crossing all those admin hurdles? That was the real marathon.