SYRACUSE — The annual Miss Kosciusko pageant is almost here. The there will be seven vying for the Miss Outstanding Teen title and four seeking the Miss Kosciusko title.

The 2016 Miss Kosciusko Siera Updike and 2016 Outstanding Teen Emma Tarkington will pass their titles on to the respective winners.

The pageant will be held at 5 p.m. Jan. 14, at Wawasee Middle School. There is an admission fee.

The event is sponsored by the Miss Kosciusko County Scholarship organization, part of the Miss Indiana/Miss America Scholarship Program.

The two divisions the girls are competing in are: The Miss Outstanding Teen division, with 13 to 17 year old participants; and the Miss Kosciusko division, with contestants 17 to 24 years of age.

Contestants for Miss Outstanding Teen include:

Kiera Hilts, 14, Newburgh. Her platform is “Lending a Helping Paw” and she will be dancing for the talent portion.

Shaylee Barnes, 14, Zionsville. Her platform is “Mental Health Awareness” and she will be singing.

Caroline Murray, 13, New Albany, with a platform of “Paws for a Cause.” She will be dancing

Kala Bailey, 16, Milford, with a platform of “Bettering Health Care in Underdeveloped Countries.” For the talent portion of the contest she will be performing a contortion routine.

Hanna Malaise, 16, Spencerville. Her platform is “Volunteer To Make a Change” and she will be twirling baton and doing acrobatics.

Abby Gibson, 16, Zionsville, will have a platform of “Special Needs Awareness.” She will be singing for her talent portion of the competition.

Malana Pashea, 16, Avilla, will have a platform of “Empower Today’s Youth through Philanthropy.” Her talent presented will be tap dancing.

Contestants for Miss Kosciusko will be:

Tori Vandiepenbos, 20, Syracuse, with a platform of “Therapeutic Horseback Riding.” She will be dancing in the talent portion of the contest.

Katelin Vogel, 21, Wabash, with a platform of “Beautiful Minds.” Her talent will be tap dancing.

Mikayla Findley, 19, South Whitley, has a platform of “Food Waste Sustainability” and she will be performing a belay demonstration.

Gale Immel, 19, Goshen, has a platform of “Breathe Easy Cystic Fibrosis Awareness” and she will be playing the violin.

The winner of the Miss Kosciusko contest will receive $750 plus $250 toward a dress from Ashley Rene’s. The first runner-up will receive $400.

Miss Outstanding Teen will receive $75 plus $100 toward a dress from Ashley Rene’s. The first runner up will receive $75 and the second runner up will receive $50.

One contestant in the Miss Kosciusko competition and one contestant in the Miss Outstanding teen will each get a $50 People’s Choice award for the most money raised.