The Miss Maryland USA competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It borders the states of Virginia to its south, West Virginia to its west, Pennsylvania to its north, and Delaware to its east ...

in the

Miss USA Miss USA is an American beauty pageant that has been held annually since 1952 to select the entrant from United States in the Miss Universe pageant. The Miss Universe Organization operated both pageants, as well as Miss Teen USA, until 2020. ...

pageant. The pageant is directed by D&D Productions. The first Miss USA winner from Maryland,

Mary Leona Gage Mary Leona Gage (April 8, 1939 – October 5, 2010) was an American actress, model and beauty pageant titleholder who was crowned Miss USA 1957, the first from Maryland to capture the Miss USA crown. She was stripped of her title when it was re ...

, won

Miss USA 1957 Miss USA 1957 was the sixth Miss USA pageant, held at Long Beach Municipal Auditorium, Long Beach, California on July 17, 1957, during the run-up to the year's Miss Universe pageant. At the end of the pageant, Mary Leona Gage of Maryland was ...

. However, she was later discovered to be a mother of two sons and was therefore dethroned. In 2012, Nana Meriwether placed 1st runner-up, but became Miss USA 2012 when

Olivia Culpo Olivia Frances Culpo (born May 8, 1992) is an American model, actress, and media personality. Culpo has won Miss Rhode Island USA, Miss USA 2012, and Miss Universe 2012. Early life and education Olivia Frances Culpo was born on May 8, 1992, ...

won

Miss Universe 2012 Miss Universe 2012 was the 61st Miss Universe pageant, held at the PH Live at Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada, United States on December 19, 2012. The contest was won by Olivia Culpo of the United States, who was crow ...

. Seven Maryland titleholders are former Miss Maryland Teen USAs. These four all reigned in the early 1990s, and in fact four out of seven titleholders from 1990 to 1995 were former teens. Only four Miss Maryland USA has competed at

Miss America 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: ''Priva ...

. From 2006 to 2008, each woman who won Miss Maryland USA was the previous year's first runner-up. Bailey Anne Kennedy of Williamsport was crowned Miss Maryland USA 2024 on June 1, 2024 at Bethesda North

Marriott Hotel Marriott Hotels & Resorts is Marriott International's brand of full-service hotels and resorts based in Bethesda, Maryland. As of June 30, 2020, there were 582 hotels and resorts with 205,053 rooms operating under the brand, in addition to 160 h ...

and Conference Center in Rockville. She is the first

trans woman A trans woman or transgender woman is a woman who was assigned male at birth. Trans women have a female gender identity and may experience gender dysphoria (distress brought upon by the discrepancy between a person's gender identity and their ...

to win the title. She represented Maryland at

Miss USA 2024 Miss USA 2024 was the 73rd Miss USA pageant, held at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles, California, United States, on August 4, 2024. Savannah Gankiewicz of Hawaii crowned Alma Cooper of Michigan as her successor at the end of the event. Sh ...

but went unplaced.

Gallery of titleholders

File:Mary leona kaminer nee gage.jpg,

, Miss Maryland USA 1957 &

File:MichaeHolloman.jpg, Michaé Holloman, Miss Maryland USA 2007 File:Casandra Tressler headshot.png, Casandra Tressler, Miss Maryland USA 2008 File:Nana_Meriwether_2012.jpg, Nana Meriwether, Miss Maryland USA 2012. She later assumed the

Miss USA 2012 Miss USA 2012 was the 61st Miss USA pageant, held on June 3, 2012, at The AXIS, located inside the Planet Hollywood Las Vegas in Paradise, Nevada, and it was televised live on NBC. Alyssa Campanella of California crowned her successor Olivia Culp ...

title after

won

File:Miss Maryland USA and Miss Maryland Teen USA 2015.jpg, Taylor Dawson, Miss Maryland Teen USA 2015 and Mamé Adjei, Miss Maryland USA 2015 at an event for military families Bailey Anne Kennedy (54037772523).jpg, Bailey Anne Kennedy, Miss Maryland USA 2024

Results summary

Miss USA placements

*Miss USAs:

†(1957) *1st runners-up: Paulette Reck (1968), Nana Meriwether (2012) *4th runners-up: Betty Jo Grove (1973), Mamé Adjei (2015) *Top 8/10/12: Carol Theis (1971),

Tonja Walker Tonja Walker is an American actress and singer, who is also a former beauty pageant titleholder who has competed in the Miss USA pageant. She is known for her role as Alex Olanov on ''One Life to Live'' and for her role as Olivia St. John on ''G ...

(1980), Linda Lambert (1981), Angie Boyer (1982), Rowann Brewer (1988), Jennifer Wilhoit (1995),

Marina Harrison The Miss Maryland USA competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state Maryland in the Miss USA pageant. The pageant is directed by D&D Productions. The first Miss USA winner from Maryland, Mary Leona Gage, won Miss U ...

(2005),

Allyn Rose Allyn Rose (born May 27, 1988) is an American beauty pageant titleholder, professional speaker, and breast cancer advocate from Newburg, Maryland. Rose won the title of Miss Maryland USA 2011 title and represented Maryland in the Miss USA 2011 ...

(2011), Taylor Burton (2014), Mariela Pepin (2019), Layilah Nasser (2021) *Top 15/20: Barbara Eschenburg (1954), Charlene Holt (1956), Diane White (1959), Royette Tarry (1964), Roselaine Zetter (1966), Sandy Clevering (1967), Kasey Staniszewski (2013), Brittinay Nicolette (2018), Savena Mushinge (2023) Maryland holds a record of 25 placements at

Awards

*Miss Photogenic: Rowann Brewer (1988) *Style Award: Megan Gunning (2001)

Winners

;Color key

Notes

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Miss Maryland Usa

Maryland culture Women in Maryland Recurring events established in 1952 1952 establishments in Maryland Annual events in Maryland