The beauty pageant about more than just looks

Tiffani Johnson, 22, has grown up longing to win a beauty contest. But having Down's Syndrome meant she wasn't able to compete on a level playing field until the Miss Amazing pageant began.

The event was set up in 2007 by Jordan Somer to celebrate women with disabilities. The first one was held in her hometown of Omaha, Nebraska. Today it is hosted in 30 states, and has seen more than 650 girls and women with disabilities competing for the Miss Amazing crown.

The contestants are judged on their levels of self-confidence, how they present themselves and how they interact with the judges and the audience rather than on how they look. Somer says this is what makes the event different.

Johnson, from Ohio, won her state title and went for the national crown - along with thirty other young women with learning disabilities. BBC News went along to the final in Los Angeles, California, to find out how she got on.

Video Journalist: Kate Monaghan

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