Best friends and neighbours Emma Crawley and Tiffany Cochrane have thrown their hats in the ring to be named Miss Showgirl at a gala dinner at Monte Pio in February.

“We both considered it individually,” Miss Crawley said.

“We were talking about the competition and both decided at the same time that we would enter.”

The Rutherford pair said they welcomed the friendly rivalry.

“It should really a lot of fun competing against each other,” Miss Cochrane said.

“But in the end, it doesn’t really matter who wins, because we’ll both be there together supporting each other.”

The girls have trod different paths to become entrants in next year’s competition.

Miss Cochrane, 19, finished her Higher School Certificate at McCarthy Catholic College in Tamworth last year and is taking a gap year before starting a degree in social work at the University of Newcastle. She moved to Rutherford in January and immediately hit it off with her competitor for next year’s Miss Maitland.

Miss Crawley, 18, completed her School Certificate at Maitland Grossmann High School before leaving in Year 10.

She then started a traineeship at Madden and Associates at Maitland.

In 14 months she completed her Certificate III, began the Certificate IV course and was short-listed for trainee of the year and student of the year.