The finals of the Distinguished Young Woman competition is tonight

Tonight, Saturday, June 30, 10 finalists will be selected from the group of 50 young women to compete for the opportunity to be the Distinguished Young Woman of America for 2012.

John David Mercer, Staff Photographer, Press-Register

Paige Wilson performs "Concertino" by Cecile Chaminade on the flute during the talent portion of the competition.

John David Mercer, Staff Photographer, Press-Register

Paige Wilson competes in the physical fitness portion of the competition.

Wilson gives a young girl her autograph during a special “meet and greet” for the public at Bel Air Mall on Friday, June 22.

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The Distinguished Young Women are treated like royalty in Mobile, Ala. Pictured is Paige Wilson during the special arrival ceremony at the Mobile Regional Airport Sunday, June 17.

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Wilson and one of her fellow Distinguished Young Woman participants tour the USS Alabama Battleship on Monday, June 18.

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Wilson and one of her fellow Distinguished Young Woman participants pose for a photo during “Be Your Best Self Day” Thursday, June 21, as they took part in volunteering for Habitat for Humanity.

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Paige Wilson is the reigning Distinguished Young Woman for Marion County and Kentucky.

Paige Wilson, the reigning Distinguished Young Woman for Marion County and Kentucky, has been be competing in the national finals of the Distinguished Young Woman this week in Mobile, Ala.

Thursday marked the start of competition for Wilson in the 55th Distinguished Young Women National Finals. Wilson, along with 49 other state representatives, has been in Mobile, Ala. for the past two weeks participating in community activities and preparing for the national scholarship competition.

The program's evaluation process includes scholastics (20 percent), interview (25 percent), fitness (15 percent), talent (25 percent) and self-expression (15 percent). During the preliminary competition tomorrow and Friday, each participant will compete in the categories of self-expression, fitness and talent. Wilson has completed an individual interview with a panel of five judges and her scholastic performance has been scored through an evaluation process of her high school academic record and standardized test scores.

For her talent presentation, Wilson performed Concertino for Flute in D major by Cecile Chaminade on Flute.

To view the live webcast of the Distinguished Young Women National Finals, visit http://www.local15tv.com on Saturday, June 30 at 7 p.m. CST. To see photos of participants from their time in Mobile, visit http://www.fusionpointmedia.com.

About Distinguished Young Women

Founded in 1958 in Mobile, Alabama, Distinguished Young Women is the largest and oldest national scholarship program for high school girls. During its 55 years of operation, the program has provided life-changing experiences for more than 700,000 young women. Last year, Distinguished Young Women provided more than $108 million in cash and college scholarship opportunities to program participants at the local, state and national level. Previously known as America's Junior Miss, the program announced its new name in June 2010.

The mission of Distinguished Young Women is to positively impact the lives of young women by providing a transformative experience that promotes and rewards scholarship, leadership and talent. National sponsors include the City of Mobile, Mobile County, Encore Rehabilitation, Mobile Gas: A Sempra Company, Alabama Power Foundation, Regions Bank, Master Boat Builders, Spanx and Wintzell's Oyster House.

For more information about Distinguished Young Women, contact Erin Kennemer, National Headquarters Media Coordinator (251-380-7679, Erin@DistinguishedYW.org) or visit http://www.DistinguishedYW.org. Find us on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube: http://www.facebook.com/distinguishedyw; http://www.twitter.com/distinguishedyw; http://www.youtube.com/user/distinguishedyw