Formation | 1952 |
---|---|
Type | Beauty pageant |
Headquarters | Shawnee |
Location | |
Membership | Miss USA |
Official language | English |
Key people | John M. Vannatta Jason Vannatta Jennifer Vannatta-Fisher |
Website | Official website |
Miss Arkansas USA, previously known as Miss Arkansas Universe,[1][2] is the beauty pageant that selects the representative for the state of Arkansas in the Miss USA pageant, and the name of the title held by that winner. The pageant is directed by Vanbros and Associates.[3][4][5][6]
Arkansas's most successful placement was in 1982, when Terri Utley was crowned Miss USA. The most recent placement was Mackenzie Hinderberger in 2023 who placed in the Top 20. Eight Miss Arkansas USA titleholders were former Miss Arkansas Teen USA titleholders who competed at Miss Teen USA. The longest reigning titleholder was Haley Rose Pontius in 2020, having held the title for 18 months, while the shortest titleholder was Stephanie Barber in 2021, having held the title for 10 months and 18 days.
The state pageant was directed by Premier Pageants from 2002 to 2007 before becoming part of the Vanbros organization, headquartered in Lenexa, Kansas. In 2018, Vanbros chose Fort Smith, Arkansas as the new host city of the pageant. Other host cities for the pageant have included Bentonville, Little Rock, Magnolia, and West Memphis.[7][8][9]
The current Miss Arkansas USA is Madeline Bohlman of Fayetteville who was crowned on April 14, 2024 at the OCCC Performing Arts Center in Oklahoma City. She will represent Arkansas at Miss USA 2024.
Gallery of titleholders
-
Stephanie Barber, Miss Arkansas USA 2021
-
Haley Pontius, Miss Arkansas USA 2020
-
Terri Utley, Miss Arkansas USA 1982 and Miss USA 1982
Results summary
Placements
- Miss USA: Terri Utley (1982)
- 1st Runner-Up: Margaret Haywood (1955)
- 2nd Runner-Up: Nancy McCollum (1956)
- Top 5: Savannah Skidmore (2019)
- Top 10: Chanley Painter (2009), Abby Floyd (2016)
- Top 15/16/20: Jineane Marie Ford (1954), Helen Garrott (1957), Donna Needham (1959), Ann Smithwick (1968), Mary Dial (1970), Jessica Furrer (2005), Adrielle Churchill (2010), Kelsey Dow (2012), Mackenzie Hinderberger (2023)
Arkansas holds a record of 15 placements at Miss USA.
Awards
- Miss Photogenic: Jennifer Sherrill (2004)
- Miss Congeniality: Madeline Bohlman (2024)
Winners
- Color key
- Winner
- Runner-Up
- Semifinalist
Year | Name | Hometown | Age[a] | Local title | Placement at Miss USA | Special awards at Miss USA | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2024 | Madeline Bohlman | Fayetteville | 22 | Miss Northwest Arkansas | Miss Congeniality |
| |
2023 | Mackenzie Hinderberger | Farmington | 23 | Miss Farmington | Top 20 |
| |
2022 | Rylie Wagner | Ozark | 21 | Miss Ozark | |||
2021 | Stephanie Barber | Fayetteville | 22 | Miss Northwest Arkansas |
| ||
2020 | Haley Rose Pontius | Houston | 23 | Miss Richland Hills |
| ||
2019 | Savannah Skidmore[10] | Calico Rock | 23 | Miss White River | Top 5 |
| |
2018 | Lauren Weaver | Greenwood | 21 | Miss Greenwood |
| ||
2017 | Arynn Johnson | Hot Springs | 19 | Miss Hot Springs |
| ||
2016 | Abby Floyd[12] | Searcy[12] | 19 | Miss Searcy | Top 10 |
| |
2015 | Leah Blefko | Fayetteville | 21 | Miss White River | |||
2014 | Helen Wisner | Fayetteville | 25 | Miss White River | |||
2013 | Hannah Billingsley | Franklin | 22 | Miss North Arkansas |
| ||
2012 | Kelsey Dow | Jonesboro | 21 | Miss Craighead County | Top 16 | ||
2011 | Lakynn McBride | White Hall | 20 | Miss Central Arkansas | |||
2010 | Adrielle Churchill | Dover | 24 | Miss White River | Top 15 |
| |
2009 | Chanley Painter[citation needed] | Conway | 24 | Miss Conway | Top 10 | ||
2008 | Rachel Howells | Alma | 21 | Miss Washington County | |||
2007 | Kelly George | Sherwood | 24 |
| |||
2006 | Kimberly Forsyth | Cabot | 26 | ||||
2005 | Jessica Furrer | Conway | 22 | Top 15 | |||
2004 | Jennifer Sherrill | Sherwood | 19 | Miss Photogenic | |||
2003 | Taylor Carlisle | Jacksonville | 21 | ||||
2002 | Amber Boatman | Norphlet | 23 | ||||
2001 | Jessie Davis | Harrison | |||||
2000 | Whitney Moore | Cabot | 22 | ||||
1999 | Allison Heavener | ||||||
1998 | Kami Tice | Huntsville | |||||
1997 | Tamara Henry | Little Rock | 25 | ||||
1996 | Tiffany Parks | 20 |
| ||||
1995 | Kristen Bettis | ||||||
1994 | Hannah Hilliard | Little Rock | |||||
1993 | Kati Fish | Hot Springs | |||||
1992 | Jona Garner | ||||||
1991 | Angela Rockwell | ||||||
1990 | Kathryn Harris | Pine Bluff | 18 | ||||
1989 | Paige Yandell | Greenwood |
| ||||
1988 | Melissa Staples[citation needed] | Calion |
| ||||
1987 | Sheri Smeltzer | Smackover | |||||
1986 | Rhonda Blaylock | Springdale | |||||
1985 | Susan Dean | Osceola | |||||
1984 | Shelly Boyd | Manila | |||||
1983 | Debra Baltz | Paris | |||||
1982 | Terri Utley[14] | Cabot | 20 | Miss USA 1982[14] | |||
1981 | Lynnanne Derryberry | Jerusalem | |||||
1980 | Susie Owens | Jacksonville | |||||
1979 | Cynthia Caldwell | Jacksonville | |||||
1978 | Donna Funderburk | El Dorado | |||||
1977 | Debra Duree | Texarkana | |||||
1976 | Sonia Kay Jines | Conway | |||||
1975 | Robin Fields | Hot Springs | |||||
1974 | Gina Huddle | ||||||
1973 | Christal Phiffer[1] | Texarkana[1] | |||||
1972 | Susan Tichenor[15] | Pine Bluff[15] | 21[15] | ||||
1971 | Paula Keith[16] | Little Rock[16] | 20[16] | ||||
1970 | Mary Dial[17] | Malvern[17] | 21[17] | Top 15 | |||
1969 | Leonette Reed | ||||||
1968 | Ann Smithwick[5] | Jacksonville[5] | 19[5] | Top 15 | |||
1967 | Katy Wurst[18][19] | Fort Smith[18][19] | 19[19] | ||||
1966 | Peggy Jones | ||||||
1965 | Jeri Haynie[4] | El Dorado[4] | |||||
1964 | Barbara McGlothlin | ||||||
1963 | Cheryl Bechtelheimer | ||||||
1962 | Linda Riggan | Leola |
| ||||
1961 | Mickey Lambert | ||||||
1960 | Gene Chambers |
| |||||
1959 | Donna Needham | Top 15 | |||||
1958 | Nancy Hill | ||||||
1957 | Helen Garrott | Top 15 | |||||
1956 | Nancy McCollum | 2nd Runner-Up[20] | |||||
1955 | Margaret Haywood | Jonesboro | 1st Runner-Up |
| |||
1954 | Waydine Nesbitt[21][22] | Magnolia[22] | 21[22] | Top 21 | |||
1953 | Jackie Stucker | ||||||
1952 | Barbara Wathen |
Notes
- ^ Age at the time of the crowning
References
- ^ a b c "Pageant Winners". Hope Star. April 3, 1973. Retrieved August 20, 2016 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "March 24". The Courier News. March 24, 1969. p. 1. Retrieved August 20, 2016 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Prudenti, Richard Dean (April 25, 2007). "Pageant Company Selects Bentonville For Events". The Morning News. Retrieved April 26, 2007.[permanent dead link]
- ^ a b c "To Perform". El Dorado Daily News. April 4, 1967. p. 15 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b c d "Named at ASU". Northwest Arkansas Times. May 6, 1968. p. 8. Retrieved August 20, 2016 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Miss Universe for State to Be Named". Northwest Arkansas Times. February 18, 1971. p. 2. Retrieved August 20, 2016 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "To Perform". El Dorado Daily News. April 4, 1967. p. 15 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Named at ASU". Northwest Arkansas Times. May 6, 1968. p. 8. Retrieved August 20, 2016 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Miss Universe for State to Be Named". Northwest Arkansas Times. February 18, 1971. p. 2. Retrieved August 20, 2016 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Christman, Jennifer (November 25, 2018). "PAPER TRAILS: Former Miss Arkansas wins Miss Arkansas USA crown". Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.
- ^ "New Miss Arkansas named after Shields wins Miss America". Arkansas Online. September 12, 2016.
- ^ a b c Rolf, Carol (December 13, 2015). "Searcy woman named Miss Arkansas USA". Arkansas Online. Retrieved August 20, 2016.
- ^ Michaud, Sarah; Tracy, Brianne (October 21, 2017). "Dan + Shay's Shay Mooney Marries Hannah Billingsley — All the Wedding Details!". People Magazine.
- ^ a b Coghlan, Curtis (May 14, 1982). "Miss Arkansas Crowned Miss USA". The Daily Journal. p. 4. Retrieved May 20, 2016 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b c Associated Press (April 17, 1972). "Miss Arkansas Universe named". Hope Star. p. 6. Retrieved August 20, 2016 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b c "Shorts". The Camden News. May 11, 1971. p. 2. Retrieved August 20, 2016 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b c "Arkansas Beauty". Northwest Arkansas Times. May 1, 1970. p. 18 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b "UA Freshman Places Second in Contest". Northwest Arkansas Times. May 1, 1967. p. 8. Retrieved August 20, 2016 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b c "Magnolia Girl Wins Contest". Hope Star. May 1, 1967. p. 1. Retrieved August 20, 2016 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Clergyman's daughter may be Miss Universe". Oshkosh Daily Northwestern. July 19, 1956. p. 17 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Pick Finalists for Miss USA". The Philadelphia Inquirer. July 22, 1954. Retrieved April 22, 2023.
- ^ a b c "Gives Up Title, Seeks New Crown". Tulsa Daily World. June 24, 1954. Retrieved April 22, 2023.