Shown with fellow contestants during last year’s contest are 2011 Princess Dominique Pittaluga, 16 (standing, fourth from right), and 2011 Prince Zar LaRosa, 10 (seated, at right).

Last year, Dominique Pittaluga, a student at Ocean City High School, was crowned 2011 Polar Bear Princess during Sea Isle City’s annual Polar Bear Plunge Weekend.

Shown with fellow contestants during last year’s competition are 2010 Polar Bear Queen Trudy Craney (far right) with 2011 Polar Bear Queen Diana Reitz, a math teacher at Wildwood High School.

Shown just before leading thousands of plungers into the Atlantic Ocean are the members of last year’s Polar Bear “Royal Family,” including Queen Diana Reitz, King John Cirone, Princess Dominique Pittaluga and Prince Zar LaRosa.

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SEA ISLE CITY – Each year, during Sea Isle City’s Polar Bear Plunge Weekend, contestants vie for the titles of Polar Bear Prince, Princess, King and Queen during a series of crowd-pleasing competitions. This year’s Polar Bear Royal Family will be crowned on Fri., Feb. 17, under the Family Tent at LaCosta Complex, JFK Boulevard and Landis Avenue – the epicenter of Sea Isle’s annual Polar Bear activities.

The Polar Bear Prince and Princess Contest, which is sponsored by the Sea Isle City Chamber of Commerce & Revitalization (SICCCR), will take place at 6:30 p.m. The contest is open to boys and girls, ages 12 to 16, who are interested in leading thousands of plungers into the Atlantic Ocean on Feb. 18 and representing Sea Isle City throughout the year.

Contestants will be judged on appearance and personality. The 2012 Prince and Princess will each receive an iPad notebook, courtesy of SICCCR, and all contestants will receive gift certificates to local businesses. For additional information about the Prince and Princess Contest, phone (609) 263-9090.

The 2012 Polar Bear King and Queen Contest, which is sponsored by KIX McNutley’s, will take place on Feb. 17 at 7:00 p.m. This contest is open to men and women, age 21 and over. The 2012 King and Queen will also each receive an iPad notebook, courtesy of SICCCR. Contestants will be judged in two categories: the amount of money they raise for Autism charities (50%) and personal interviews/on-stage questions-and-answers (50%).

Along with the 2012 Prince and Princess, this year’s King and Queen will also lead plungers into the ocean on Feb. 18. For additional information about the King and Queen Contest, phone (609) 263-3756.

Online applications for the Polar Bear Prince & Princess and King & Queen Contests can be found at www.seaislecitynj.us (via the “Quick Links” and “Downloadable Forms” tabs). Pre-registration is encouraged. Registration on the night of the contests begins at 6:00 p.m. at LaCosta Complex. The winning King, Queen, Prince and Princess will each have a one-year reign.

The Royal Family competitions on Feb. 17 will “kick-off” Sea Isle’s 2012 Polar Bear Plunge Weekend, which will also include a Vendor’s Market, a Costume Contest, a Motorcade Procession, live entertainment, a 5K Run/Walk for Autism, and, of course, an icy dip in the ocean.

For additional information about Sea Isle City’s 2012 Polar Bear Plunge Weekend, visit www.seaislecitynj.us or www.lacosta-seaisle.com.