Miss America 2016 Betty Cantrell; Miss Louisiana, April Nelson;
Miss Alabama, Meg McGuffin (Getty Images for DCP)
Miss Georgia, Betty Cantrell, was crowned Miss America 2016 on Sunday (September 13) and received a $50,000 scholarship award for the 95th Anniversary broadcast on the ABC Television Network.For her talent, Betty performed an operatic vocal performance of “Tu Tu Piccolo Iddio” and her personal platform is Healthy Children, Strong America.
First runner-up in the competition was Miss Mississippi, Hannah Roberts, who earned a $25,000 scholarship. Her talent was classical violin, and her personal platform is Pages of Love. Second runner-up honors and a $20,000 scholarship was awarded to Miss Colorado, Kelley Johnson. Her talent was original monologue, and her personal platform is The Health Initiative PLUS. Third runner-up in the competition was Miss Louisiana, April Nelson, who earned a $15,000 scholarship. Her talent was a vocal performance, and her personal platform is I.O.U. – Improving Others through U! Fourth runner-up honors and a $10,000 scholarship was awarded to Miss Alabama, Meg McGuffin. Her talent was Contemporary Dance en Pointe, and her personal platform is Healthy is the New Skinny – Promoting Positive Body Image.
The 52 contestants, who represented all 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico, participated in preliminary competitions earlier in the week and four contestants were awarded Non-Finalist Talent scholarship awards for $1,000 each! Congratulations to: Miss Delaware, Brooke Mitchell for her tap and twirl performance; Miss Idaho, Kalie Wright for her vocal and guitar performance; Miss Maryland, Destiny Clark for her original vocal and guitar performance; and Miss Vermont, Alayna Westcom for her monologue and S.T.E.M. (Science, Technology, Engineering & Math) performance!
The Louanne Gamba Non-Finalist Instrumentalist $500 scholarship was awarded to Miss Mississippi, Hannah Roberts for her classical violin performance and the John Curran Non-Finalist Interview scholarship for $1,000 was awarded to Miss New Mexico, Marissa Livingston who is pursuing a Master’s Degree in Communications. Voted by the Miss America 2016 Contestants, the Miss Congeniality $2,000 scholarship was awarded to Miss Hawaii Jeanne’ Kapela.
Founded in 1921, the Miss America Organization is one of the nation’s leading advocates for women’s education and the largest provider of scholarship assistance to young women. The Miss America Organization and its 52 state organizations award millions in cash and in-kind scholarships annually. The Miss America Organization also provides young women with a vehicle to further their personal and professional goals and instills within them a spirit of community service through a variety of nationwide community-based programs.
