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

Washington Washington most commonly refers to: * George Washington (1732–1799), the first president of the United States * Washington (state), a state in the Pacific Northwest of the United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A ...

in the

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 ...

pageant. Hermona Girmay of

Seattle Seattle ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Washington and in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. With a population of 780,995 in 2024, it is the 18th-most populous city in the United States. The city is the cou ...

was crowned Miss Washington 2024 on July 6, 2024, at the Capital High School Performing Arts Center in Olympia. She competed for the title of Miss America 2025.

History

Washington first sent delegates to Miss America in 1926 with Leona Fengler, Miss Seattle. She was sponsored by the Seattle Times newspaper, a practice common in the early days of Miss America pageants. She was pictured in the paper leaving in a biplane for her cross-country flight to Atlantic City, where she was voted "Prettiest Girl in an Evening Gown." In 1987, Fendler was featured again in the newly-revived Miss Seattle Pageant. The Depression and war years caused sporadic participation by Washington contestants in the Miss America pageant, but the Miss Washington pageant was revived in 1948 and held in Ephrata, with a $1000 scholarship offered to the winner. In 1949 the pageant was a "financial flop" and the winner had to seek community donations to fund her appearance at Miss America. At the time the organization was so deeply in debt that the titleholder's tiara was nearly repossessed by the manufacturer. From 1961 to 1997 the pageant was hosted by

Vancouver Vancouver is a major city in Western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the cit ...

, under a number of executive directors before moving to the Tri-Cities under the directorship of Chamber President, Dorothy Schoeppach. Under the direction of Schoeppach the local programs again grew from 9 to 22. Two years later the pageant moved to

Tacoma Tacoma ( ) is the county seat of Pierce County, Washington, United States. A port city, it is situated along Washington's Puget Sound, southwest of Seattle, southwest of Bellevue, northeast of the state capital, Olympia, northwest of Mount ...

under the directorship of Joan Dehn and Mike Shinkle. The competition was held in Renton or Des Moines, WA beginning in 2008 under the directorship of Charlie VanTramp and then Peggy Miller and Patti Belik, except for 2021, which was held at Little Creek Casino Resort in Shelton, WA, due to pandemic restrictions. . In 2023, the competition as well as all of its annual events moved to the Capital High School Performing Arts Center in Olympia. The Miss Washington Scholarship Organization is a 501(c)4 organization, and its scholarship arm, MWSO Miracle, Inc. is a 501(c)3, where donations are tax deductible.

Gallery of past titleholders

File:Susan Buckner, When the Whistle Blows front.jpg, File:Miss Washington 1978.jpg, File:Elyse Umemoto.png,

Results summary

Following is a summary of the results of Miss Washington titleholders at the national Miss America pageants/competitions. The year in parentheses indicates the year of the national competition during which a placement and/or award was garnered, not the year attached to the contestant's state title.

Placements

* 2nd runners-up: Anna Mae Schoonover (1939), Sharon Vaughn (1960), Sharon Rogers (1983), Elyse Umemoto (2008) * 3rd runners-up: Honey Castro (1986), Jacquie Brown (2011), Alicia Cooper (2017) * 4th runners-up: Laurie Nelson (1979) * Top 10: Lauren Waddleton (1965), Susan Buckner (1972), Leslie Mays (1974), Kathleen Moore (1975), Doris Hayes (1981), Jennifer Wall (1990), SoYoung Kwon (1992), Kristen Eddings (2007), Mandy Schendel (2013) * Top 15: Leona Natalia Fengler (1926), Amanda Beers (2003), Danamarie McNicholl (2019) * Top 16: Karlyne Abele (1951) * Top 18: Gladine Sweetser (1933)

Awards

Preliminary awards

* Preliminary Lifestyle and Fitness: Sharon Vaughn (1960), Susan Buckner (1972), Leslie Mays (1974),

Kristine W Kristine Elizabeth Weitz (born June 8, 1962), widely known by her stage name Kristine W, is an American singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and entrepreneur. She is most widely known as a dance music artist. Born and raised in Pasco, Washi ...

eitz (1982), Mandy Schendel (2013) * Preliminary Talent: Doris Hayes (1981) (tie)

Non-finalist awards

* Non-finalist Interview: Fianna Dickson (2004) * Non-finalist Talent: Mardi Hagen (1964), Kippy Lou Brinkman (1966),

eitz (1982), Brittney Henry (2012)

Other awards

* Miss Congeniality: N/A * Dr. David B. Allman Medical Scholarship: Honey Castro (1986) * Miss America Scholar: Mariana Loya (1999) * Quality of Life Award Finalists: Mandy Schendel (2013) * STEM Scholarship Award Winners: Lizzi Jackson (2016)

Winners

References

External links

Miss Washington official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Washington, Miss Miss America state pageants Washington (state) culture People from Washington (state) Women in Washington (state) 1926 establishments in Washington (state) Annual events in Washington (state) Recurring events established in 1926