Nine young women are vying for the title of Miss Oak Harbor at a pageant, set for 6:30 p.m. Saturday at the Oak Harbor High School Student Union Building.

The inaugural event will include classic pageant activities, including a choreographed dance number and an on-stage interview.

But whatever you do, don’t call it a beauty pageant.

This is a scholarship competition that judges local young women on attributes such as community involvement, grades and physical fitness, said organizer Jes Walker-Wyse.

“Sometimes pageants are a hard sell because there are so many misconceptions,” she said. “This is something I’m passionate about.”

In one portion of the pageant, the girls do move across the stage in formal wear. Even that portion of the competition is more about confidence and poise under pressure than looks.

The girls also must perform a talent or deliver a speech.

More than $3,000 in college scholarships will be awarded in addition to other prizes. Of course, there’ll be sashes, trophies and crowns, too.

The community can vote for their favorite participant with their dollars. Each $1 counts as one vote. The People’s Choice winner receives scholarship money raised from the votes. Vote online until midnight Friday at www.pageantwyse.org

Walker-Wyse said she wanted to organize a pageant in Oak Harbor because pageants were an important of what shaped her into a successful adult. She didn’t have many opportunities in the town where she was raised, she said.

She never held a major title, but the experience boosted her self-esteem and confidence.

“I had to get a business to sponsor me,” she said. “The moment I got my sponsor to say, ‘yes’ I thought, ‘Here is someone who believes in me.’ ”

Today, Walker-Wyse is a branch manager at Peoples Bank and serves as a City of Oak Harbor planning commissioner.

The pageant is a nonprofit.

Among the judges is Kenzi Novell, Miss Washington 2015.

Tickets are available at the door for $10.