A couple of weeks before Christmas break, a preliminary elimination interview is held in order to narrow the number of candidates down to eight. Five judges are involved in this process. The queen candidates must be enrolled at MTU and taking at least 6 credits, and they must have a GPA of 2.0 or higher in order to compete. After break, all the long hours for the eight final candidates begin. They must get their photos taken, create and rehearse their stage presentations, and attend weekly Queen Committee meetings with Blue Key Scheduled stage rehearsals are mandatory.
Some candidates even interview with the local radio station.
Final judging for the talent presentation includes criteria such as poise, first impression, general appearance, originality, and skill. Seven judges decide who will win the Queen's Competition for their sponsoring organization. That same night, there is also an Audience Choice Award in which the audience's favorite queen will be given one point for Carnival competition.