Meet Your New Miss America

Fifty-two contestants from all 50 states, DC, and Puerto Rico vied for the Miss America crown over the weekend, but Miss Alabama was the one who walked away with the top honor. CNN reports that 22-year-old Abbie Stockard, a cheerleader and nursing student in her senior year at Auburn University, was deemed the pageant's winner on Sunday in Orlando, Florida, while Annette Addo-Yobo, this year's Miss Texas, took the first runner-up spot. In addition to reigning as Miss America for a year, Stockard will also receive $50,000 in scholarship money, per AL.com.

The contestants competed in talent, evening wear, and interview rounds, among others, as well as a fitness round that supplanted the swimsuit portion in 2023. Stockard's interview question focused on unemployment, where she touched on getting unemployed individuals in the 25- to 54-year-old demographic back to collecting a paycheck. "I believe we need to encourage those [people] to join the workforce, adapt to new skills, and learn to grow in our current workforce and industries we have today," she said. For the talent portion, Stockard performed a contemporary dance number. Watch Stockard's reaction here as she's crowned the winner by last year's winner, Madison Marsh of Colorado. (More Miss America stories.)