The phrase "preliminary contest" is correct and usable in written English.
You can use it when referring to a type of competition, such as a race, tournament, or intellectual contest, that is held in order to narrow down the participants who will take part in a main event. For example, "The preliminary contest was held to determine which 9 teams would advance to the championship game."
The organizers of the Miss Italia beauty contest are puzzled why lustrous makeup intended to put the final touches on contestants in the weekend's preliminary contest caused skin rashes, puffy eyes and swollen cheeks.
He had won a preliminary contest to select Mexico's three representatives to the international final here.
The city government of Shanghai, which earlier this year had threatened to cancel a local Miss China preliminary contest, recently sent her as its representative on a business delegation to France.
When his comedian comrade, Matt Graham, wins a preliminary contest leading up to the big $25,000 national prize, Mr. Sherman notes, "It means money in his pocket and a couple weeks of respect".
After the dancing bear performance by the Swedish techno group last month at a Eurovision preliminary contest in Stockholm, the Russian ambassador to Sweden recommended that the performers be "treated in a psychiatric hospital".
WASHINGTON, Jan . 11—As the Presidential season gets officially under way, capital politicians are inclined to view the preliminary contest between Barry Goldwater of Arizona and Nelson Rockefeller of New York as a return to the bare‐knuckle boxing days of the 1860's.
Ten thousand of them participated in preliminary contests held in all but three of the forty-eight states.
Of six Congressional incumbents defeated in preliminary contests so far this year, four were veteran members of the appropriations panel who found themselves on the defensive.
The first final of the European Championship (then known as the European Nations' Cup) took place in 1960 after two years of preliminary contests between 17 national football clubs.
Out of the best of intentions we are now plunged into 25 of these preliminary contests (counting the District of Columbia and the Virgin Islands).
Its popularity is growing: LG says more than 15,000 people entered preliminary contests this year, more than double the number last year.
