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

Louisiana Louisiana ( ; ; ) is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It borders Texas to the west, Arkansas to the north, and Mississippi to the east. Of the 50 U.S. states, it ranks 31st in area and 25 ...

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. Miss Louisiana USA is produced by RPM Productions since 1990, which also produces the Miss USA and Miss Teen USA state pageants for

Alabama Alabama ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Deep South, Deep Southern regions of the United States. It borders Tennessee to the north, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gu ...

North Carolina North Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, South Carolina to the south, Georgia (U.S. stat ...

, and

South Carolina South Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders North Carolina to the north and northeast, the Atlantic Ocean to the southeast, and Georgia (U.S. state), Georg ...

. RPM Productions' headquarters is in Aiken,

. Sydney Taylor of

Livingston Livingston or Livingstonemay refer to: Businesses * Livingston Energy Flight, an Italian airline (2003–2010) * Livingston Compagnia Aerea, an Italian airline (2011–2014), also known as Livingston Airline * Livingston International, a North Am ...

was crowned Miss Louisiana USA 2024 on March 30, 2024, at Jefferson Performing Arts Center in Metairie. She will represent

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 ...

History

Louisiana is one of only seven states to have three or more Miss USA winners (in

1958 Events January * January 1 – The European Economic Community (EEC) comes into being. * January 3 – The West Indies Federation is formed. * January 4 ** Edmund Hillary's Commonwealth Trans-Antarctic Expedition completes the thir ...

1961 Events January * January 1 – Monetary reform in the Soviet Union, 1961, Monetary reform in the Soviet Union. * January 3 ** United States President Dwight D. Eisenhower announces that the United States has severed diplomatic and cons ...

, and

1996 1996 was designated as: * International Year for the Eradication of Poverty Events January * January 8 – A Zairean cargo plane crashes into a crowded market in the center of the capital city of the Democratic Republic of the Congo ...

). Four Miss Louisiana USA titleholders previously held the

Miss Louisiana Teen USA The Miss Louisiana Teen USA competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state of Louisiana in the Miss Teen USA pageant. Louisiana is in the top 10 most successful states at Miss Teen USA in terms of number and value of ...

title, including

Ali Landry Ali Germaine Landry (born July 21, 1973) is an American actress, model and beauty pageant titleholder who won Miss USA 1996. She played Rita Lefleur on the UPN sitcom ''Eve'' and was the Doritos Girl in a 1998 Super Bowl commercial. In 1998, ...

, who became the third woman from Louisiana to be crowned Miss USA. Jennifer Dupont, Miss Louisiana USA 2000, is one of only seven women who have competed in the

Miss Teen USA Miss Teen USA is a beauty pageant that has been run since 1983 by the Miss Universe Organization for girls aged 14–19 years old as of January 1st of the competition year. They must be US citizens, and cannot have been married, pregnant, or ...

, Miss USA and

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 ...

pageants. Louisiana's future success at Miss USA would be evident in the state's first contestant, Jeanne Vaughn Thompson, Miss Louisiana USA 1952 and 1953. She is the only woman to ever compete twice in the history of Miss USA, and to outright win a Miss USA state title twice. Thompson was also the only two-time state titleholder in Miss USA history, a record she held for 44 years until Shanna Lyn Searles became the second and only other double state titleholder. Searles won the

Miss California USA Miss California USA is the beauty pageant that selects the representative for the state of California in the Miss USA pageant, and the name of the title held by that winner. The pageant is directed by Crown Diva Productions. California's mos ...

title outright in 1996 after inheriting the state's 1992 title due to the original winner,

Shannon Marketic Shannon LaRhea Marketic (born January 14, 1971) is an American model and beauty pageant titleholder who was crowned Miss California USA 1992 and Miss USA 1992. Biography Pageants Marketic was crowned Miss Arizona Teen USA 1989 but held the ...

, being crowned

Miss USA 1992 Miss USA 1992 was the 41st Miss USA pageant, televised live from the Century II Convention Center in Wichita, Kansas on February 7, 1992. At the conclusion of the final competition, Shannon Marketic of Miss California USA, California was crowned ...

. Thompson's overall pageant success includes winning the

Miss Louisiana The Miss Louisiana competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state of Louisiana in the Miss America pageant. Although no delegate from Louisiana has ever won the Miss America title, four have placed 1st runner-up. As o ...

state title and competing at

1951 Events January * January 4 – Korean War: Third Battle of Seoul – Chinese and North Korean forces capture Seoul for the second time (having lost the Second Battle of Seoul in September 1950). * January 9 – The Government of the Uni ...

, winning the first two Miss Louisiana USA state titles and competing in the first and second Miss USA pageants, becoming the first-ever 1st runner-up in

1952 Events January–February * January 26 – Cairo Fire, Black Saturday in Kingdom of Egypt, Egypt: Rioters burn Cairo's central business district, targeting British and upper-class Egyptian businesses. * February 6 ** Princess Elizabeth, ...

and a semi-finalist and Miss Congeniality (Amity) winner in

1953 Events January * January 6 – The Asian Socialist Conference opens in Rangoon, Burma. * January 12 – Estonian émigrés found a Estonian government-in-exile, government-in-exile in Oslo. * January 14 ** Marshal Josip Broz Tito ...

. Her two consecutive participations in Miss USA and subsequent final placements prompted organizers to create a rule allowing a person to compete for the title only once. Miss Louisiana USA contestants accomplished another feat first, winning both the Miss Congeniality (Amity) and Miss Photogenic awards ever given to a Miss USA state delegate. Thompson was the winner of the Miss Congeniality award given to the first Miss USA state contestant in 1953. The second Miss Congeniality award given also went to another contestant from Louisiana, Judy Fletcher in

1960 It is also known as the "Year of Africa" because of major events—particularly the independence of seventeen African nations—that focused global attention on the continent and intensified feelings of Pan-Africanism. Events January * Janu ...

. That year, during the era when both Miss USA and

Miss Universe Miss Universe is an annual international major beauty pageant that is run by a Thailand and Mexican-based Miss Universe Organization.Natalie Tadena (July 2, 2015"Donald Trump's Miss USA Pageant Lands on Reelz Cable Channel". ''The Wall Stree ...

pageants were held at the same time, Fletcher tied with a Miss Universe contestant from

Myanmar Myanmar, officially the Republic of the Union of Myanmar; and also referred to as Burma (the official English name until 1989), is a country in northwest Southeast Asia. It is the largest country by area in Mainland Southeast Asia and has ...

(known at the time as

Burma Myanmar, officially the Republic of the Union of Myanmar; and also referred to as Burma (the official English name until 1989), is a country in northwest Southeast Asia. It is the largest country by area in Mainland Southeast Asia and ha ...

) for the award. Sharon Brown, who represented Louisiana in

, won the first Miss Photogenic award given to a Miss USA state delegate. She also won the Miss USA title, the first Miss Photogenic winner to obtain that feat. Louisiana is one of only two states (California the other) to have won both the Miss USA title and the Miss Photogenic award in the same year on two separate occasions (Brown in 1961 and Landry in 1996).

Gallery of titleholders

File:Eurlyne Howell as Miss USA.jpg,

Arlene Howell Arlene Howell (born Eurlyne Howell; October 26, 1939) is an American former actress and beauty pageant titleholder who won the title of Miss USA 1958. Early life and education Howell was born in Delhi, Louisiana, the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. ...

, Miss Louisiana USA 1958 &

Miss USA 1958 Miss USA 1958 was the seventh Miss USA pageant, held at Long Beach Municipal Auditorium, Long Beach, California on July 23, 1958. At the end of the event, Charlotte Sheffield of Utah crowned Eurlyne Howell of Louisiana as Miss USA 1958. It is the f ...

File:Sharon Brown, Miss United States of America.jpg, Sharon Brown, Miss Louisiana USA 1961 & Miss USA 1961 File:Ali Landry.jpg,

, Miss Louisiana USA 1996 &

Miss USA 1996 Miss USA 1996 was the 45th Miss USA pageant, held at South Padre Island Convention Centre on South Padre Island, Texas culminating in the final competition and crowning on February 2, 1996. At the conclusion of the final competition, Ali Landr ...

File:Elizabeth McNulty Miss Louisiana USA.jpg, Elizabeth McNulty, Miss Louisiana USA 2007 File:Michelle Berthelot headshot.png, Michelle Berthelot, Miss Louisiana USA 2008 File:Sara Brooks.jpg, Sara Brooks, Miss Louisiana USA 2010

Results summary

Placements

*Miss USAs:

Eurlyne Howell Arlene Howell (born Eurlyne Howell; October 26, 1939) is an American former actress and beauty pageant titleholder who won the title of Miss USA 1958. Early life and education Howell was born in Delhi, Louisiana, the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. ...

(1958), Sharon Brown (1961),

(1996) *1st runners-up: Jeanne Thompson (1952) *2nd runners-up: Lisa Lynn Moss (1981) *3rd runners-up: Kathy Hebert (1968), Pamela Forrest (1983), Sarie Joubert (1985), Elizabeth Primm (1989), Brittany Guidry (2014) *4th runners-up: Robyn Sanders (1976) *Top 6: Shirelle Hebert (1994), Elizabeth Coxe (1995) *Top 10/11/12: Bonnie Martin (1972), Storm Hensley (1973), Karen Hoff (1974), Christy Saylor (1992), Debbie Delhomme (1998), Anne-Katherine Lene (2002), Kristen Girault (2013), Candice Bennatt (2015) *Top 15/16/20: Jeanne Thompson (1953), Mary Lobianco (1959), Judy Fletcher (1960), Elizabeth McNulty (2007), Erin Edmiston (2012), Victoria Paul (2019), Mariah Clayton (2020), Tanya Crowe (2021) Louisiana holds a record of 29 placements at

Awards

*Miss Photogenic: Sharon Brown (1961), Kathy Hebert (1968), Elizabeth Primm (1989), Ali Landry (1996) *Miss Congeniality: Jeanne Thompson (1953), Judy Fletcher (1960) *Best State Costume: 2nd Place: Elizabeth Primm (1989)

Winners

;Color key ¹ Age at the time of the Miss USA pageant

References

External links

Official website
{{Miss USA state

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