Miss North Carolina celebrates 80 years

RALEIGH (WTVD) -- The Miss North Carolina Pageant celebrated 80 years on Saturday.

That's 80 years of young women doing service projects to impact our community and competing on stage for college scholarship money.

The pageant's scholarship fund saw nearly a 30 percent increase from 2016, raising over $70,000 this year.

But Miss North Carolina is more than just a pageant, it's an opportunity for women to win more than a title and scholarships, but a chance for them to help change the world.

READ MORE: MISS NORTH CAROLINA: 'FAR BEYOND A BEAUTY PAGEANT'

Saturday night, 44 women from your hometowns and communities will compete to be Miss North Carolina 2017.

Here's a look at this year's contestants:

1 of 45

Be sure to tune in to ABC11 at 7 p.m. to watch the new Miss North Carolina get crowned!

Don't forget, you still have a chance to visit a new exhibit at the North Carolina Museum of History that honors these women and the marks they've left on the world.

READ MORE: MISS NORTH CAROLINA EXHIBIT OPENS AT NORTH CAROLINA MUSEUM OF HISTORY

The exhibit will be up until Sept. 4.