Little Miss Dorchester, Marie McCarthy Young Miss Dorchester Vivian Bui

Take a pageant for young girls, but replace the swimsuit competition with an essay contest – and instead of the contestants resembling living dolls, they compete as themselves: normal, smart girls.

The final product would be the Young Miss and Little Miss Dorchester pageants, where 25 girls who call Dorchester home competed May 14 for the chance to ride in a horse carriage in the annual Dorchester Day Parade.

Organizer Annissa George claims that the contest is “not a beauty pageant,” because there are no dress requirements and the girls are judged on stage presence and overall charm.

“It’s not just all about the ruffles and lace, what we imagine from some of these crazy pageant mom TV shows, like ‘Toddlers and Tiaras,’” she said. “It’s certainly not that at all. And I think that’s why some of the kids feel comfortable participating.”

The contest, which is free to enter, took place at Pope John Paul II Catholic Academy Columbia Campus and is sponsored by the Dorchester Day Parade committee. To enter, contestants must be a Dorchester resident, meet the age restrictions – 7-9 for Little Miss and 10-12 for Young Miss – and write a short essay on a topic such as how they would make Dorchester a better place or their most memorable Dorchester memory. The winner must also be available for the parade on Sunday, June 5.

George said although some of the girls put pressure on themselves, the committee tries to keep the contest as low-pressure as possible.

“Every kid gets a prize,” she said. “Obviously the winners get the sash and the crown and, sort of, the glory the day of the parade. But every kid leaves with some sort of gift.”

George described the two winners, Little Miss winner Marie McCarthy, 8, and Young Miss winner Vivian Bui, 12, as “extremely articulate, very comfortable onstage… and they really presented themselves well.”

Marie McCarthy, 8, Dorchester Center

For 8-year-old Marie McCarthy, the second she saw the application in an ice cream shop, she couldn’t wait for the day of the pageant.

“She couldn’t wait to get up on stage and recite her essay,” said her mother, Robin McCarthy.

Both Marie and her 7-year-old sister, Claire, entered the contest for the first time.

“First, I was sitting down, and then they called my name,” Marie said. “I was shocked.”

For her 50-word essay, Marie, who is in the second grade at Pope John Paul II Catholic Academy Neponset Campus, wrote about her favorite place in Dorchester – the Ice Creamsmith, where her favorite treat is vanilla ice cream with sprinkles. She also said she enjoysgoing to the park with her family.

In addition to winning the crown and sash, Marie also won a bicycle, which she plans on donating.

“I already have a bike so we’re giving it to the poor because I think they need one,” she said.

With Young Miss winner Vivian Bui, Marie will get to ride in a horse carriage donated by Olde Towne Real Estate on the day of the Dorchester Day Parade. “I’m practicing my waving,” she said.

Her father, Dan, added, “She’s been practicing since she won. I think she’s got it down.”

Vivian Bui, 12, Fields Corner

Since Vivian Bui will turn 13 this year and be ineligible to ever compete in the Young Miss pageant again, she decided to test her luck and enter.

“It was my first pageant and I never thought I would win,” she said, adding that she went up against two of her friends who were in their third year of entering. “I thought, ‘why not?’”

Vivian, who attends Pope John Paul II Catholic Academy Columbia Campus, wrote her essay about donating used clothes to her community. She described the bags in her attic where her mom stores old clothes, and how when they clean it out they put the clothes and shoes in a donation bin.

“Every time we have four big bags we donate them,” she said.

Once, Vivian said, they had so much to donate it wouldn’t all fit in the bins, they had to bring a new bag each week. Besides the clothes, she also wrote about starting a tutoring club at school with three of her friends.

The Dorchester Day Parade is Vivian’s favorite part of living in Dorchester, along with visiting the parks around her house with her friends and cousins.

Although some people might be nervous to ride in the procession, Vivian said she’s excited because she knows other people who will be taking part.

“I know that lots of other people are going to be in the parade,” she said. “I know that some of my friends are going to be in it, too.”