Miss America is an annual competition that is open to women from the United States between the ages of 18 and 28. Originating in 1921 as a "bathing beauty revue", the contest is judged on competition segments with scoring percentages: Private Interview (30%) – a 10-minute press conference-style interview with a panel of judges, On Stage Question (10%) – answering a judge's question onstage, Talent or HER Story (20%) – a performance talent or 90 second speech, Health and Fitness (20%) – demonstrated physical fitness onstage dressed in athletic wear, and Evening Gown (20%) – modeling evening-wear onstage.
Yolande Margaret Betbeze Fox was an American singer, feminist, activist and beauty pageant titleholder who was crowned Miss America 1951.
The Miss South Carolina competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state of South Carolina in the Miss America pageant. The pageant was first held in Myrtle Beach and moved to Greenville starting in 1958 and remained in that city until the 1990s. Spartanburg hosted the pageant in a few different venues until new leadership took over the organization and moved the pageant to Columbia, SC in 2011. The pageant was televised since the 1960s until the 1998 pageant. Televising was resumed with the 2000 pageant through 2006. The pageant returned to television in 2014.
The Miss Washington competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state of Washington in the Miss America pageant.
The Miss Kentucky competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state of Kentucky in the Miss America pageant.
The Miss Virginia competition is a scholarship pageant for women, with the titleholder representing Virginia in the Miss America pageant. The competition was founded in 1953 as a scholarship contest for young women, although women had represented Virginia in the Miss America pageant since the 1930s. Four Miss Virginia winners have gone on to be crowned Miss America, including former national titleholder Caressa Cameron.
The Miss District of Columbia competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the District of Columbia in the Miss America Pageant.
The Miss Maryland competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state of Maryland in the Miss America pageant.
Margaret Gorman was an American model and beauty queen who was the winner of the first Miss America beauty pageant after being crowned Miss District of Columbia in 1921.
Mallory Hytes Hagan is an American politician, former news anchor, beauty queen and Business Consultant for Sysco Systems. She had won Miss America 2013 as Miss New York 2012 and is running for a seat in the Alabama House of Representatives in 2022.
The Miss Virginia's Teen competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the Commonwealth of Virginia in the Miss America's Teen pageant.
Kelsey Earley is an American beauty pageant titleholder from Lebanon, Maine, who was crowned Miss Maine 2015. She competed for the Miss America 2016 title in September 2015.
Courtney Paige Garrett is an American beauty pageant titleholder from Pamplin City, Virginia, who was chosen as Miss Virginia's Outstanding Teen 2009 and crowned Miss Virginia 2014. She competed for the Miss America 2015 title in September 2014 and was named first runner-up.
Katelynne Goldie Sue Staehnke, née Cox is an American singer, model, former cheerleader, and former news anchor from Camas, Washington. She has released two EPs, Unbelievable (2008) and Erase It (2014), and a studio album, One Girl (2011). Starting in 2016, Staehnke competed in four consecutive Miss District of Columbia contests. After winning the 2019 contest, she competed in Miss America 2020. She also represented the state of Missouri in the Miss Earth United States 2016 contest.
Marisa Therese Buchheit is an American soprano and beauty pageant titleholder from Chicago, Illinois, who was crowned Miss Illinois 2014 in June 2014. She competed in the nationally televised Miss America 2015 competition in September 2014.
The Miss District of Columbia's Outstanding Teen competition is the pageant that selects a representative from District of Columbia for the Miss America's Outstanding Teen pageant.
Miss America's Outstanding Teen 2007 was the second Miss America's Outstanding Teen pageant, held at the Linda Chapin Theater in the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Florida, on August 19, 2006.
Miss America's Outstanding Teen 2008 was the third Miss America's Outstanding Teen pageant, held at the Linda Chapin Theater in the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Florida on August 11, 2007.
The Miss America 2020 competition was held on Thursday, December 19, 2019. This was the 93rd Miss America pageant/competition, though the Miss America Organization celebrated its 99th anniversary in 2019. This discrepancy is due to national pageants not being held from 1928 to 1932 or in 1934 because of financial problems associated with the Great Depression.
Charlotte Wesley Holloman was an American soprano singer.
