There she is, the new Miss America.
Miss New York Cassie Donegan upgraded her tiara Sept. 7 besting 51 of her fellow contestants to take the literal crown in Orlando.
“Miss America has always been a powerful springboard,” the 27-year-old detailed after in a press release, “for ambitious women to turn their dreams into reality.”
Her victory netted the Belmont University musical theatre grad $70,000 in scholarships to use toward a master’s degree and a platform to discuss her community service initiative—a push for arts education in schools.
Said Donegan, also the chief operations officer of New York-based Southern Sitter LLC, “I am honored to represent an organization that provides scholarships, resources, and a platform for women to lead—and I’m deeply grateful for the chance to bring that mission to life.”
In other words, the 104-year-old pageant has grown a bit since it began as a “bathing beauty revue” on New Jersey’s Atlantic City boardwalk.
Modern day contestants have ditched the bikinis (the organization made a splash in 2018 when it announced the end of the swimsuit competition) and embraced the idea that just getting the chance to participate is enough of a win.
“As much as I want to be Miss America, I’m trying not to lose sight of the fact that only one woman gets to walk home with the title,” Maura Spence-Carroll, the first-ever active duty military service member to represent Colorado in 2021, explained to E! News at the time. “But 51 of us get the opportunity to be a state title holder. And so if you put so much energy into preparing for the competition that you lose sight of what you have right in front of you, then I think that you need to reassess your priorities.”
Of course, while the century-old scholarship program has definitely given itself a good hard look in the mirror over the years, several stringent rules remain. Here are the guidelines those that covet the crown must follow.
1. Age isn’t just a number when it comes to the storied Miss America pageant, first launched as a type of swimsuit competition on New Jersey’s Atlantic City boardwalk back in 1921. Hopefuls for the 2026 event must be no older than 28 on Sept. 30, 2026, and no younger than 18 on Sept. 1, 2026, the day before the preliminary events kick off.
2. As for those that would be exactly 18 years old when they’d slip into their evening gowns and, ideally, that winning tiara, they enjoy what’s called a “pivot year” in which they decide if they’d rather compete in the Teen or the Miss division. (The age requirement for teens: They must be no younger than 14 on Sept. 1, 2026; no older than 18 on Sept. 30.)
However, once the teens have chosen their adventure, they cannot change divisions until the next application cycle.
3. There’s a reason the words are, “There she is, Miss America!” Hopefuls cannot be married at the time of competition (though they can be divorced). They also must certify that they’re not pregnant and have no children.
4. As for all those state titleholders, they must stay in their lanes, so to speak. In order to compete for a state title, delegates must provide proof that they’ve lived in the state at least 120 consecutive days before they took the stage.
Other options: Proving that they’ve worked in the state a minimum of 40 hours a week for at least 120 days or are enrolled full-time at one of the state’s accredited colleges or universities.
5. They’ve got talent, yes they do. Because the contestant’s 90-second performance in the talent portion—singing, instrumental performances and dance are among the most popular, though Miss Vermont 2015 Alayna Westcom provided a chemistry lesson and that year’s winner Kira Kazantsev played the cups Pitch Perfect-style—counts for 20 percent of the scoring in each round.
Not a part of the tally: The swimsuit competition, which was washed away in 2018.
6. Contestants know how to keep score. In both the prelims and the final rounds, those coveting the crown are judged on their private interview (worth 30 percent of their total score), a fitness category (20 percent), the talent portion (another 20 percent), the evening wear portion (their 20 percent is tallied based on confidence and composure) and the stage question segment (worth 10 percent).
