The Miss Washington competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state of

Washington Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered o ...

in the Miss America pageant. Regan Gallo of Pierce County was crowned Miss Washington 2022 on July 2, 2022, at Highline Performing Arts Center in

Burien, Washington Burien ( ) is a suburban city in King County, Washington, United States, located south of Seattle on Puget Sound. As of the 2020 census, Burien's population was 52,066, which is a 56.3% increase since incorporation in 1993. An annexation in 2010 ...

. She competed for the title of Miss America 2023 at the Mohegan Sun in

Uncasville, Connecticut Uncasville is an area in the town of Montville, Connecticut, United States. It is a village in southeastern Montville, at the mouth of the Oxoboxo River where it flows into the Thames River. The name is now applied more generally to all of the ea ...

in December 2022.

History

Washington first sent delegates to Miss America in 1926 with Leona Fengler, Miss Seattle. She was sponsored by the Seattle Times newspaper, a practice common in the early days of Miss America pageants. She was pictured in the paper leaving in a biplane for her cross-country flight to Atlantic City, where she was voted "Prettiest Girl in an Evening Gown." In 1987, Fendler was featured again in the newly-revived Miss Seattle Pageant. The Depression and war years caused sporadic participation by Washington contestants in the Miss America pageant, but the Miss Washington pageant was revived in 1948 and held in

Ephrata Ephrata may refer to: Places * Ephrata, Suriname * Ephrata, Pennsylvania, U.S. *Ephrata, Washington, U.S. * Ephrata Township, Pennsylvania, U.S. Other uses *Ephrata Cloister, a religious community in Ephrata, Pennsylvania See also * * Efrata or E ...

, with a $1000 scholarship offered to the winner. In 1949 the pageant was a "financial flop" and the winner had to seek community donations to fund her appearance at Miss America. At the time the organization was so deeply in debt that the titleholder's tiara was nearly repossessed by the manufacturer. From 1961 to 1997 the pageant was hosted by

Vancouver Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the ...

, under a number of executive directors before moving to the Tri-Cities under the directorship of Chamber President, Dorothy Schoeppach. Under the direction of Schoeppach the local programs again grew from 9 to 22. Two years later the pageant moved to Tacoma under the directorship of Joan Dehn and Mike Shinkle. The competition has been held in Renton since 2008 under the directorship of Charlie VanTramp and then Peggy Miller and Patti Belik, except for 2021, which was held at Little Creek Casino Resort in Shelton, WA, due to pandemic restrictions. The Miss Washington Scholarship Organization is a 501(c)3 organization, and sponsorship is tax deductible.

Gallery of past titleholders

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Results summary

Following is a visual summary of the results of Miss Washington titleholders at the national Miss America pageants/competitions. The year in parentheses indicates the year of the national competition during which a placement and/or award was garnered, not the year attached to the contestant's state title.

Placements

* 2nd runners-up: Anna Mae Schoonover (1939), Sharon Vaughn (1960), Sharon Rogers (1983),

Elyse Umemoto Elyse Umemoto (born May 10, 1984), is an American dance team manager and former Miss Washington in the Miss America circuit. She is known for finishing third place at Miss America 2008, and for competing on the reality competition show '' Sur ...

(2008) * 3rd runners-up: Honey Castro (1986), Jacquie Brown (2011), Alicia Cooper (2017) * 4th runners-up: Laurie Nelson (1979) * Top 10: Lauren Waddleton (1965), Susan Buckner (1972), Leslie Mays (1974), Kathleen Moore (1975), Doris Hayes (1981), Jennifer Wall (1990), SoYoung Kwon (1992), Kristen Eddings (2007), Mandy Schendel (2013) * Top 15: Leona Natalia Fengler (1926), Amanda Beers (2003), Danamarie McNicholl (2019) * Top 16: Karlyne Abele (1951) * Top 18: Gladine Sweetser (1933)

Awards

Preliminary awards

* Preliminary Lifestyle and Fitness: Sharon Vaughn (1960), Susan Buckner (1972), Leslie Mays (1974),

Kristine W Kristine Elizabeth Weitz, widely known by her stage name Kristine W, is an American singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and entrepreneur. She is most widely known as a dance music artist. Born and raised in Pasco, Washington, she found ear ...

eitz (1982), Mandy Schendel (2013) * Preliminary Talent: Doris Hayes (1981) (tie)

Non-finalist awards

* Non-finalist Interview: Fianna Dickson (2004) * Non-finalist Talent: Mardi Hagen (1964), Kippy Lou Brinkman (1966),

eitz (1982), Brittney Henry (2012)

Other awards

* Miss Congeniality: N/A * Dr. David B. Allman Medical Scholarship: Honey Castro (1986) * Miss America Scholar: Mariana Loya (1999) * Quality of Life Award Finalists: Mandy Schendel (2013) * STEM Scholarship Award Winners: Lizzi Jackson (2016)

Winners

References

External links

Miss Washington official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Washington, Miss Miss America state pageants Washington (state) culture People from Washington (state) Women in Washington (state)