| Miss America 1996 | |
|---|---|
| Date | September 16, 1995 |
| Presenters | Regis Philbin Kathie Lee Gifford |
| Venue | Boardwalk Hall, Atlantic City, New Jersey |
| Broadcaster | NBC |
| Winner | Shawntel Smith  Oklahoma |
Miss America 1996, the 69th Miss America pageant, was held at the Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey on Saturday, September 16, 1995, and was televised by the NBC Network.
| Placement | Contestant |
|---|---|
| Miss America 1996 | |
| 1st Runner-Up | |
| 2nd Runner-Up | |
| 3rd Runner-Up |
|
| 4th Runner-Up | |
| Top 10 [1] |
|
Top 10
| Top 5
|
| Awards | Contestant |
|---|---|
| Lifestyle and Fitness |
|
| Talent |
|
| Result | Contestant | Platform |
|---|---|---|
| Winner |
| Adopt-A-Grandparent |
| 1st runner-up |
| - |
| 2nd runner-up |
| - |
| Awards | Contestant |
|---|---|
| Talent |
|
| Interview |
|
| Awards | Contestant |
|---|---|
| Bernie Wayne Performing Arts Award |
|
| Bert Perks Talent Award |
|
| Dr. David Allman Medical Scholarship |
|
| Konica Visual Arts Scholarship |
|
| Rembrandt Award for Mentorship | |
| Waterford Business Management & Marketing Award |
|
| State | Name | Hometown | Age | Talent | Placement | Awards | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Alabama | Leigh Sherer | Jasper | 22 | Piano/Vocal "Medley from Carmen" | Top 10 | ||
 Alaska | Stacey Storey | Eagle River | 17 | Lyrical Dance "The Letting Go" | Miss Alaska USA 2003 | ||
 Arizona | Cara Jackson | Chandler | 22 | Vocal "All Is Fair In Love" | Miss Arizona USA 1999 | ||
 Arkansas | Paula Gaye Montgomary | Cabot | 22 | Vocal "Cant Help Loving That Man" | 2nd runner-up | Miss Arkansas Teen USA 1991 | |
 California | Tiffany Stoker | Clovis | 21 | Vocal "Think of Me" | 3rd runner-up | Preliminary Swimsuit Award | America's Junior Miss 1992 |
 Colorado | Amy Ciccolella | Monument | 21 | Popular Vocal/Puppetry "Can You Feel the Love Tonight" | |||
 Connecticut | Amy Zappone | Wolcott | 18 | Dance "Dancin' Fool" from Copacabana | |||
 Delaware | Michelle Harris | Newark | 24 | Vocal "I Will Always Love You" | Bert Perks Talent Award | ||
 Florida | Kristin Ludecke | Eustis | 19 | Classical Vocal "O Luce di Quest'anima" from Linda di Chamounix | Miss Florida USA 2000 | ||
 Georgia | Rachel English | Thomaston | 21 | Tap Dance "It Don't Mean a Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing)" | Georgia's Junior Miss 1991 | ||
 Hawaii | Traci Toguchi | Honolulu | 20 | Vocal "And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going" | |||
 Idaho | Brooke Gambrell | Boise | 22 | Fiddle Medley "Blackberry Blossom" | Quality of Life 1st runner-up | Miss Idaho USA 2000 | |
 Illinois | Tracy Kathleen Hayes | Wheaton | 22 | Vocal "Tonight" | 4th runner-up | Preliminary Swimsuit Award | |
 Indiana | Becky Gray | Indianapolis | 23 | Piano | |||
 Iowa | Jennifer Curry | Muscatine | 21 | Vocal "The Last Man In My Life" from Song and Dance | |||
 Kansas | Amy Beth Keller | Great Bend, Kansas | 24 | Classical Vocal "Quando me'n vo'" | Top 10 | Preliminary Swimsuit Award | |
 Kentucky | Kristie Hicks | Bardstown | 23 | Vocal "Stormy Weather" | Konica Visual Arts Scholarship | Miss Kentucky Teen USA 1989 and 1st runner-up at Miss Teen USA 1989 | |
 Louisiana | Karmyn Tyler | Shreveport | 20 | Classical Vocal "Tu che di gel sei cinta" | Non-finalist Talent Award | Contestant at Miss Oktoberfest 1997 represented Arkansas | |
 Maine | Sharon Pelletier | Madawaska | 23 | Popular Vocal "At This Moment" | |||
 Maryland | Marcia M Griffith | Fort Washington | 23 | Lyrical Ballet "Somewhere" | |||
 Massachusetts | Marcia Turner | Cambridge | 21 | Piano "Souvenirs d'Andalousie, Op.22" by Louis Moreau Gottschalk | Top 10 | ||
 Michigan | Coni Lyn Hull Sullivan | Jackson | 23 | Vocal "Half a Moment" from Jeeves | |||
 Minnesota | Paula Knoll | Moorhead | 22 | Classical Violin "Csárdás" | Waterford Business Management & Marketing Award | ||
 Mississippi | Monica Louwerens | Greenville | 21 | Vocal "Vanilla Ice Cream" from She Loves Me | Top 10 | Rembrandt Award for Mentorship | |
 Missouri | Erin Phillips | Mexico | 23 | Tap Dance "Gershwin Medley" | |||
 Montana | Amanda Granrud | Great Falls | 23 | Dramatic Reading | |||
 Nebraska | Myra Katherine Hale | Lincoln | 23 | Classical Piano | Non-finalist Talent Award Quality of Life 2nd runner-up | ||
 Nevada | Jennifer Joseph-Lier | Wendover | 24 | Vocal "I Am Changing" | Non-finalist Talent Award | ||
 New Hampshire | Stephanie Foisy | Concord | 18 | Tap Dance "You Do Something to Me" | Mrs. New Hampshire America 2004 under her married name, Stephanie Mills Mother of Miss New Hampshire Teen USA 2021, Emilee Mills | ||
 New Jersey | Dena Querubin | Waterford | 23 | Classical Piano | Non-finalist Talent Award Quality of Life Winner | ||
 New Mexico | Vivian Herding | Albuquerque | 24 | Classical Piano "Bach Medley" | |||
 New York | Helen Louise Goldsby | Brooklyn | 24 | Classical Vocal "Chi Il Bel Sogno di Doretta" from La Rondine | Top 10 | Preliminary Talent Award | |
 North Carolina | Lisa Bamford | Raleigh | 21 | Classical Piano "Totentanz" | Preliminary Talent Award Non-finalist Talent Award | ||
 North Dakota | Kim Cooley | Grand Forks | 24 | Tap Dance "Luck Be a Lady" | |||
 Ohio | Ellen Pasturzak | Portsmouth | 23 | Vocal "As If We Never Said Goodbye" from Sunset Boulevard | |||
| Oklahoma | Shawntel Smith | Muldrow | 24 | Vocal "Woman in the Moon" from A Star Is Born | Miss America 1996 | ||
 Oregon | Emily John Orton | Creswell | 19 | Classical Vocal "Je dis que rien ne m'épouvante" from Carmen | 1st runner-up | ||
 Pennsylvania | Linette Mertz | Kutztown | 23 | Country Vocal "Why Haven't I Heard from You" | |||
 Rhode Island | Elizabeth Reilly | North Providence | 24 | Dance "Everybody Says Don't" from Anyone Can Whistle | |||
 South Carolina | Amanda Spivey | Boiling Springs | 22 | Soprano saxophone "The Joy of Life" | Non-finalist Talent Award | ||
 South Dakota | Kimberlee McKay | Belle Fourche | 22 | Flute "Carmen Fantasy" | Dr. David Allman Medical Scholarship | ||
 Tennessee | Alison Shumate | Union City | 21 | Vocal Medley "Crazy for You" & "I Got Rhythm" | Non-finalist Interview Award | Daughter of Miss Tennessee 1967 | |
 Texas | Carly Jarmon | Mesquite | 19 | Vocal "Stand by Your Man" | Miss Teen Texas 1992 | ||
 Utah | Amanda Moody | Orem | 19 | Classical Piano "Ballade No. 4" | Preliminary Talent Award Non Finalist Talent Award Bernie Wayne Performing Arts Award | ||
 Vermont | Jennifer Faucette | Burlington | 24 | Piano & Violin "Hungarian Dance No. 5" | |||
 Virginia | Amber Medlin | Virginia Beach | 23 | Classical Piano "Polonaise in A flat, Op. 53" | |||
 Washington | Amber Hamilton | Auburn | 18 | Jazz Dance "Last Dance" | |||
 West Virginia | Elizabeth McIntyre | Dunbar | 24 | Clogging "Dance" | |||
 Wisconsin | Pamela Lynn Polk | Berlin | 22 | Vocal "Operator" | |||
 Wyoming | Dana Lane | Cheyenne | 20 | Classical Piano "Fantaisie-Impromptu" |
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