The first Junior Orange Bowl Queen, Sandy Wirth, was crowned in 1951 starting a tradition of shaping and mentoring young community leaders.
Preliminary pageants are held throughout Miami-Dade, Broward, and Monroe Counties, as one queen, two princesses, and one little sister is chosen to be the Junior Orange Bowl community ambassadors each year.
The Royal Court regularly volunteers at community service projects to develop leadership and philanthropic values in addition to their duties to be present and represent the Junior Orange Bowl at festival events.
Tennis greats Chris Evert, Jimmy Connors, Mary Joe Fernandez, Monica Seles, Andre Agassi and Steffi Graf have all played in the Junior Orange Bowl tournament.
This invitational has produced such professional stars as Andy North, Craig Stadler, Hal Sutton, Mark Calcavecchia, Bob Tway, Billy Mayfair, Willie Wood, and Jose Maria Olazabal.
The early and mid-1980s saw more events added to the festival as the Junior Orange Bowl began to develop its academic programs with the Creative Writing and Photography Contests.
Community investments will be made to better serve the South Florida youth and tie in the great success of the competitive events for which the Junior Orange Bowl is best known.
Lexi Thompson (USA) – 2010 Junior Orange Bowl International Golf Champion – Youngest woman to ever win an LPGA event.
The Junior Orange Bowl serves the South Florida community and the youth of the world by providing wholesome, competitive, and multicultural experiences.