The Miss Wagga Wagga Quest has a long, proud tradition and continues to make its presence felt within the community. The Quest has continued to evolve to keep pace with our ever changing community which is why we have stood the test of time.
The Miss Wagga Wagga Quest is perhaps the oldest and longest running quest of its type in Australia. Miss Wagga Wagga and Community Princess hold their titles for a year, and are very involved in many community activities, Citizenship Ceremonies, Remembrance and ANZAC Day, Citizen of the Year Awards, to name a few. 

First held during 1948, with its culmination on New Year’s Eve as part of New Year’s Eve Revels, the Miss Wagga Wagga Quest was first organised by the Community Advancement Fund of the Wagga Wagga Chamber of Commerce & Industry.

The first Quest was indeed unique. An elimination carnival was held in September followed by public voting with ‘pennies’ for their preferred candidate at the Mardi Gras on New Year’s Eve. All candidates were presented to the public at 8pm and eventually four finalists were sashed several hours later. The winners of each section – Miss Cafes, Miss Sports, Miss Commerce South and Miss Commerce North continued fundraising by ‘penny’ votes until 10pm. The winner or titleholder gaining the most ‘votes’ or ‘pennies’ was announced as Miss Wagga Wagga. In 1948 that winner and the inaugural Miss Wagga Wagga was  Thena Karolfilis. 

As times have changed, the Miss Wagga Wagga Quest has adapted to meet the different challenges it has faced. Over the past 75 years, changes have been made within the organisation of the Quest in order to maintain relevance. 

Entrants have raised money for the Community Advancement Fund, charities and community organisations of their choice and have worked collaboratively through the Quest to benefit many organisations. 

Expectations of the Entrants have changed over time. The variety of guidance and assistance provided through personal development exercises has varied from year to year, and regalia worn or carried by Miss Wagga Wagga and Community Princess have also changed in style and colour. However, all regalia items hold special significance and importance. 

The method of determining the most suitable Titleholders has been updated, as has the name of Charity Queen to Community Princess. 

In 2013, further changes were made to ensure that the Miss Wagga Wagga Quest continues to move from strength to strength following its Diamond Jubilee in 2008. 

In 2022, the Miss Wagga Wagga Quest will reach a milestone, 75 years of service to the Community, keeping pace with a rapidly changing world, while still upholding the wonderful traditions of the past. 

 Past Miss Wagga Wagga Titleholders

A list of the previous Titleholders of the Miss Wagga Wagga crown can be found here: 
1949                Thena Karofilis
1950                Patricia Walker
1951                Marjorie Johnson
1952                Jean Burness
1953                Margaret Rutzou
1954                Margaret Preston
1955                Judith Blamey
1956                Jenny Weissel
1957                Barbara Webb
1958                Janice Sullivan
1959                Barbara Booth
                                   . . .

Past Community Princess Titleholders

The Community Princess Role began in 1965 and was then known as the Charity Queen and was to acknowledge the entrant who raised the most funds. The Charity Queen Title carried on until 1983 when it was changed to the current title of Community Princess was introduced.  ​

The MWWQ Receives New Crowns

To mark the 70th year of celebrations the MWWQ Committee approached local jewellers Epica to design a new set of matching crowns to replace the existing crowns that have been in use for over 20 years. Jake and his team has produced two beautiful handcrafted designed based on the Quest's rose. Made from solid sterling silver they will be treasured by the Quest for many years to come.