Have you ever noticed at certain titles come and go at Miss New York? For a few years a title will consistently make the finals, then suddenly it gone. Or, on the contrary, a title will be a non-finalist for many years before suddenly taking home the state crown.

In most cases, the words on a titleholder’s sash makes zero impact on their performance or ability to do well at the state pageant. Last year at Miss America, Kira Kazantsev knew that the chance of New York winning three consecutive years was slim to none. She could have thrown in the towel before ever going to Atlantic City, and accepted the idea that a new state would take the crown. But she didn’t. Instead, she truly believed that the best girl would win regardless of the state on her title. And she won.

However, there are people who believe certain titles have an advantage. Not because of the words on the sash, but because of the perks they receive with that local title. Established locals may have a strong prep team, and be able to prepare their girl each year based on the feedback and performance of the previous winners. They have a network of sponsors that help prepare the girl.

In the end, the judges are going to choose the winner based on her performance, not her title. Just the same, it is interesting to follow the trends throughout the years and see which titles have consistently done well. Superstition aside, numbers don’t lie.

Five Years of Top Five

2014

1. City of New York (NYC)
2. Finger Lakes
3. Staten Island
4. Southern Tier
5. Empire Rose

2013

1. Syracuse
2. Manhattan
3. New York City
4. Empire Rose
5. Five Boroughs

2012

1. New York City
2. Manhattan
3. Greater Rochester
4. Brooklyn
5. Niagara

2011

1. Southern New York
2. Manhattan
3. New York City
4. Buffalo
5. Southeast New York

2010

1. Southeast New York
2. Brooklyn
3. Manhattan
4. Staten Island
5. Jubilee

Bold indicates a 2015 titleholder. Italics indicates a sweeper title.

Luckiest Titles:

• New York City
  • Top 5 for 4/5 years
  • Winner 2/5 years
  • Miss America winner 2/5 years
• Southeast New York
  • Top 5 for 2/5 years
  • Winner 1/5 year
• Manhattan
  • Top 5 for 4/5 years
• Staten Island
  • Top 5 for 2/5 years
• Empire Rose
  • Top 5 for 2/5 years

Do you believe a strong title can impact a contestant’s chance at Miss New York? Comment below with your thoughts!