Miss Maine USA

For the state pageant affiliated with Miss America, see Miss Maine.

Miss Maine USA

Formation	1952
Type	Beauty pageant
Headquarters	Malden
Location	Massachusetts
Membership	Miss USA
Official language	English
Key people	Laurie Clemente Anthony Clemente
Website	Official website

The Miss Maine USA competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state of Maine in the Miss USA pageant. The pageant is directed by The Clemente Organization based in Malden, Massachusetts.

Maine has placed nine times at Miss USA. In 2006, Katee Stearns made the semi-finals, becoming the fifth woman from Maine and the first since 1977 to make the cut. In 2010, Katie Whittier became the first delegate from Maine to reach the top five, finishing 4th runner-up. ^[1]

Five Miss Maine USAs were former Miss Maine Teen USA titleholders, who competed at Miss Teen USA. One also competed at Miss America.

Shelby Howell of Bangor was crowned Miss Maine USA 2025 on May 11, 2025, at Portland Marriott at Sable Oaks in Portland. She will represent Maine at Miss USA 2025.

Gallery of titleholders

• 
  Katee Stearns, Miss Maine USA 2006
• 
  Erin Good, Miss Maine USA 2007
• 
  Katie Whittier, Miss Maine USA 2010
• 
  Heather Elwell, Miss Maine USA 2015
• 
  Marina Gray, Miss Maine USA 2018

Results summary

Placements

• 4th Runner up: Katie Whittier (2010)
• Top 8: Ashley Lynn Marble (2011)
• Top 10/12: Tina Ann Brown (1977), Marina Gray (2018)
• Top 15/16/20: Jackie Lee (1953), Carolyn Komant (1959), Margaret McAleer (1970), Katee Stearns (2006), Rani Williamson (2012)

Maine holds a record of 9 placements at Miss USA.

Winners

Color key

•   Declared as Winner
•   Ended as runner-up
•   Ended as one of the finalists or semifinalists

Year	Name	Hometown	Age1	Local title	Placement at Miss USA	Special awards at Miss USA	Notes
2025	Shelby Howell	Bangor	25	Miss Bangor	TBA	TBA
2024	Anne Baldridge	Portland	25	Miss Casco Bay
2023	Juliana Morehouse Locklear	Portland	23	Miss Casco Bay			Daughter of Lynn Jenkins Morehouse, Miss North Carolina USA 1994 [2]
2022	Elizabeth Kervin	Winterport	20	Miss Waldo County			Shortest reigning Miss Maine USA (8 months or 245 days)
2021	VeronicaIris Bates	Portland	21				Active member of the United States Air Force
2020	Julia Van Steenberghe	Old Town	21				Longest reigning Miss Maine USA (1 year, 7 months and 10 days)
2019	Lexie Elston	Windham	23				Later Miss Maine Earth USA 2021
2018	Marina Gray	Trenton	23		Top 10
2017	Brooke Harris	Lee	25
2016	Marisa Butler	Standish	21				Previously People's Choice at National Sweetheart 2013 Later Miss World America 2018 and semi-finalist Miss World 2018 (Top 30) (Miss World Sports Woman 2018) Later Miss Maine Earth USA 2020 Later Miss Earth USA 2021 and 1st Runner-up (Miss Air) Miss Earth 2021
2015	Heather Elwell	West Bath	26				Placed first runner-up at Miss Maine-USA in 2012, 2013, and 2014 before winning the title in 2015. Competed at Miss Florida-USA in 2008 and 2009.
2014	Samantha Dahlborg	Gorham	19
2013	Ali Clair[ citation needed ]	South China	23	Miss Old Port
2012	Rani Williamson	Portland	25		Top 16
2011	Ashley Marble	Topsfield	27		Top 8 [3]		Originally first runner-up, assumed the title after Emily Johnson's resignation and competed in Miss USA [4] Previously Miss Maine Teen USA 2000, Marble is the longest tenured return to nationals as Ashley won her teen title 11 years ago
	Emily Johnson	South Portland	22		did not compete		Resigned on April 17, 2011, so she could attend her sister's wedding on the date of the Miss USA pageant.
2010	Katie Whittier	New Gloucester	26		4th runner-up [5]
2009	Ashley Underwood [6]	Benton	24	Miss Benton			Contestant on Survivor: Redemption Island [7]
2008	Kaetlin Parent [8]	Van Buren	20				Previously Miss Maine Teen USA 2005 [8]
2007	Erin Good[ citation needed ]	Fairfield	22				Dr. Good received her Doctor of Pharmacy degree from the Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences in May 2012
2006	Katee Stearns [9]	Orono	19		Top 15 [10]		Previously Maine's Junior Miss 2004
2005	Erica Commeau [11]	Brewer	20
2004	Mackenzie Davis	Hallowell	24				Past director of the Miss Maine USA and Miss Maine Teen USA pageants.
2003	Lacey Hutchinson	Biddeford	23
2002	Su-Ying Leung [12]	Oakland		Miss Oakland
2001	Melissa Bard	Winslow
2000	Jennifer Hunt	Rumford					Previously Miss Maine Teen USA 1994
1999	Heather Coutts	Portland					Later Mrs. Maine America 2006 under her married name, Heather Clark.
1998	Kathy Morse	Standish
1997	Stephanie Worcester [13]	Winthrop	20
1996	Julann Vadnais	Biddeford	23
1995	Kerri Malinowski [14]	Pittston					Previously Miss Maine Teen USA 1991
1994	Colleen Brink	Gorham		Miss Gorham
1993	Jodi Cutting	Waterville		Miss Waterville
1992	Linda Kiene	Scarborough					Previously Miss Maine Teen USA 1986
1991	Melissa Oliver	South Portland
1990	Leigh Bubar	Sanford
1989	Kirsten Blakemore	Brunswick
1988	Suzanne Grenier	Scarborough		Miss Scarborough
1987	Ginger Kilgore	South Portland
1986	Annie Lewis	Portland
1985	Tracie Samara	Portland
1984	Vickie Lynn Gay [15]	Oxford	23
1983	Rosemarie Hemond	Minot
1982	Theresa Cloutier	South Portland
1981	Judy Lynn Footer [16]	Bath
1980	Victoria Elias [17]	Benton
1979	Valerie Crooker	Brunswick					Later Miss Maine 1980
1978	Catherine Ursula Ledue	Portland
1977	Tina Brown [18]	Portland	21		Top 12
1976	Dawn St. Clair	Waterville
1975	Denise Hill	Orono
1974	Rebecca Titcomb [19]	Houlton	19
1973	Carlene Quimby	Auburn
1972	Cynthia Luce	Sugarloaf Mountain
1971	Ruth McCleery	Farmington
1970	Margaret McAleer	Waterville	20		Top 15		Represented Maine in Miss World USA 1970
1969	Elaine Bolduce	Winslow
1968	Cheryl Campbell	Skowhegan
1967	Marlo Williams	Bangor
1966	Susan Bartash	Rumford
1965	Georgia Wilson	Portland
1964	Corneille "Connie" Edwards	Mechanic Falls
1963	Laurel Barker	Portland
1962	Karen J. Henderson	South Portland
1961	Barbara Dyer	Dexter
1960	Terry Tripp	Lewiston
1959	Carolyn Komant	Kittery	18		Top 15
1958	Karen Hanson	Cumberland Center
1957	Roberta Aymie	Jackman
1956	Did not compete
1955	Did not compete
1954	Did not compete
1953	Jackie Lee	Cape Neddick	22		Top 20
1952	Jean Marie Lemire*	Old Town

¹ Ages at the time of the crowning

References

1. Hoey, Dennis (19 May 2010). "Miss USA's 4th runner-up is tops back home in Maine". Press Herald. Retrieved 13 October 2023.
2. Morrison, Char (25 September 2023). "Fayetteville-born Mrs. makes history at Miss USA pageant". CityView.
3. Garcia, Oskar (19 June 2011). "Miss Maine makes it to final 8, but eliminated after evening gown round". Bangor Daily News.
4. "Miss Maine to skip Miss USA for big sis' wedding". Bangor Daily News. 18 April 2011.
5. "Miss Maine makes Top 5 in 2nd pageant". Boston Globe. 2010-05-19.
6. "Black Bear wins Miss Maine USA". Sun Journal. 2 December 2008.
7. Dionne, Zach (May 16, 2011). "Q&A: Ashley Underwood on Survivor, Boston Rob and the Future". Kennebec Journal. Archived from the original on May 20, 2011.
8. "Miss Maine USA gets hometown welcome". Bangor Dailey News. 31 December 2007.
9. "UM Student is Miss Maine USA 2006". Bangor Daily News. 22 December 2005.
10. Schynder, Ernest (4 May 2006). "Former tomboy shines at Miss USA". Bangor Daily News. p. 1.
11. Anstead, Alicia (4 December 2004). "Regality Check Miss Maine USA stops by the NEWS to talk about her pageant win and the plans for her reign". Bangor Daily News.
12. "Pageant Crowns First Minority Champion". Portland Press Herald. 2001-09-29. p. 2B.
13. "Miss Maine USA will compete on national show". Sun Journal. 28 January 1997.
14. "UM student named Miss Maine USA". Bangor Daily News. 22 March 1994.
15. Trundy, Crystal (24 February 1984). "Oxford Girl wins Miss Maine-USA Title". The Lewiston Daily Sun.
16. "Miss Maine USA Crowned". The Lewiston Daily Sun. 2 February 1981.
17. "Benton Girl Miss Maine; Minot Girl Places 4th". The Lewiston Daily Sun. 15 April 1980.
18. Strout, Jeff (21 February 1997). "Portland Girl Chosen Miss Maine-USA". Bangor Daily News.
19. "Heading for Miss USA". Bangor Daily News. 1974-05-06.