What is the Purpose of Prom King and Prom Queen?

Prom was a special night for a lot of us who have already gone through our high school years. It was basically the culmination night for those who spent happy years in high school because this is where we can be at our best. But while many of us tried to look at our best during the night of prom, two people usually stood out like the prom king and the prom queen. So, what is the purpose of having a prom king and a prom queen?

The purpose of having a prom king and a prom queen is to just really distinguish the two students that stood out during that night. In some schools, they do give roles to their prom king and prom queen outside of prom. But in most cases, they don’t serve any purpose because they are just honorary titles.

A lot of young students try to put a lot of effort into getting named prom king and prom queen simply because they believe that it’s such an honor to be given those titles. While there is some honor to be named prom king or prom queen because it shows how well you stood out, you don’t have to fret about not being given those awards at all. So, let’s try to talk more about the purpose of prom kings and prom queens so that you would understand why you should or should not try to aim for these honors.

What is the point of prom king and prom queen?

One of the highlights of your high school years is prom night. For those who have already experienced prom, it is a memory that usually lasts for a very long time considering that the things that happen during or after prom tend to be quite memorable. 

Meanwhile, even though prom might not be the most eventual evening for most high school students, there are still plenty of different things to remember about it. And for students who are yet to experience prom, it’s going to be a night that is uniquely yours in the way you would enjoy and remember it.

In most schools, there will be certain awards that would be given out depending on the decision of the committee that is handling the event. However, the two awards that usually stand out the most out of all of the awards given out during prom are the prom king and the prom queen honors. There is most likely only one king coming from the male student population that attended prom, and the same applies to the female student population in relation to the prom king award.

Admit it. Some of you have dreamed of becoming prom king and prom queen regardless of whether you have experienced prom or not. Well, becoming prom king or prom queen does have its appeal especially when you consider the fact that only one student each from the males and the females get to win those awards. And that is the reason why plenty of different students actually gun for the award by improving their popularity and standing amongst their fellow students and by actually preparing well enough to win the award during the night itself.

But did any of you actually stop and think about the real purpose of the prom king and the prom queen? Do they even have any purposes at all? So, what is the point of having prom royalty, in the first place?

Well, there is no universal answer to that question because it really depends on the school that is hosting the prom and on the different standards and duties they have tied together with being named prom king or prom queen. But the reality you might have to face is that, in most cases, there really is no real purpose to being prom king or prom queen.

In a lot of different schools, being prom king and prom queen is just simply an honor that gives you the distinction of being the standout male or female in your class during the night of the prom. That means that, in most cases, being prom king or prom queen really does have no purpose or meaning other than getting the bragging rights. 

But, even if the school doesn’t tie any purpose or duty to the prom king and the prom queen, they would sometimes say that these students are the ones who exemplify what it means to be a part of the student body and to be a student of that school. As such, they are considered to be the model students of the entire student body.

Still, there are some schools that actually give official duties to their prom king and prom queen such as giving them the responsibility of representing the student body in a different city or state events that require the representation of the school. There are also some prom royalties that are given the responsibility of acting as official ambassadors and ambassadresses for their school when it comes to certain outside activities.

In such cases, the prom king and the prom queen are a lot similar to actually winners of beauty pageants, who are required to represent certain brands and certain advocacies for different events. And if the prom king or the prom queen fails to uphold their duties, they are stripped of their titles. As such, in schools where being named prom royalty does come with duties and responsibilities, getting named prom king or prom queen just isn’t something that is honorary.

However, let us not forget that, in a lot of different cases and even in most cases, the prom king and prom queen are just titles that really have no purpose outside of the fact that they symbolize royalty among the student body. And if you can get past the point of trying to stand out amongst your fellow students, you would probably see that being named a member of prom royalty probably has no purpose at all.

How are prom king and prom queen chosen?

The prom king and prom queen selection criteria can actually differ from school to school or depending on what the committee handling prom night decides to do. Again, there is no universality in how the prom king and prom queen are chosen because it still depends on the school itself.

In some cases, the prom king and prom queen are chosen on the night itself depending on certain standards set by the school’s committee. This is unlike homecoming, where the king and queen are usually voted on before the night of the homecoming dance itself. But there are some cases where the prom king and prom queen are voted on before the night of the prom. Still, since being prom king and prom queen has a lot to do with the way you prepared for prom and the way you acted during prom night, the selection usually happens on the night itself.

There are also schools that require certain students to be nominated by the class or to nominate themselves for the prom king and prom queen honors. This way, the selection pool is limited only to a few students instead of the entire student body that will be attending the prom. 

Some schools also review the nomination of the prom king and prom queen by looking at the academic background and the history of the student so that they can make sure that whoever gets named prom king or prom queen really is an exemplary representation of the entire student body in both his or her studies and in deeds.

After the list has been shortened or after the criteria for the prom king and prom queen have been set, voting happens. There will be some schools where voting for the prom king and prom queen will be done by the faculty. However, in a lot of other schools, the students actually vote for whoever should win the honors. 

Again, it really depends on the school and on the criteria they set for whoever gets to be named prom king and prom queen. And because it is usually based on votes, there is a good chance that the most popular students get to win the titles.

What do the prom king and prom queen do?

For the schools that do indeed give responsibilities to their prom king and prom queen, here are some of the things that they do:

• Represent the school in outside activities that require representation from the school.
• Act as the school’s ambassadors in different city and state events and in certain advocacies.
• Attends official school events on a regular basis.
• Uphold the values and the standards set by the school as the figures embodying what it means to be exemplary members of the student body.
• Lead the student body when cheering for the players during sporting events.

It really depends on the school and on what kind of responsibilities they would want to tie together with the prom royalty honors. And if ever either or both the prom king and the prom queen don’t uphold their responsibilities, there is also a chance that they would end up losing their titles.