Practice for the 2017 Jackson County Distinguished Young Women competition will be from 4 to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday in the Brownstown Central High School auditorium.

The competition will be at 6:30 p.m. Aug. 5 at the same location. It is open to the public, and tickets will be available at the door for $8.

This year’s competitors are Seymour High School students Jenna O’Neal and Alexis Ray; Brownstown Central High School students Maggie Rohlfing, Jennifer Runge and Claire Smith; and Crothersville High School student Kaitlyn Silvers.

Participants will compete for college scholarships and the opportunity to represent the state as the Distinguished Young Woman of Indiana for 2018.

The six young women competing will be evaluated by a panel of five judges in the following categories — scholastics (25 percent), interview (25 percent), talent (20 percent), fitness (15 percent) and self-expression (15 percent).

The winner will advance to the state competition early next year in Kokomo.

The participant selected as the Distinguished Young Woman of Indiana will advance to the 61st Distinguished Young Women National Finals in June 2018 in Mobile, Alabama. There, she will join 50 other representatives from across the country in competing for cash scholarships and the opportunity to represent the program as the Distinguished Young Woman of America.