 | |
| Formation | 1933; 91 years ago (1933) |
|---|---|
| Type | Beauty pageant |
| Headquarters | Dover |
| Location | |
Membership | Miss America |
Official language | English |
Co-Executive Director | Amanda Debus Kuhl |
Co-Executive Director & President | Sue Kuhling |
| Website | Official website |
The Miss Delaware competition is the pageant that selects the representative of Delaware in the Miss America pageant. The event takes place annually in the month of June and has previously been held in Rehoboth Beach at Convention Hall, in the state capital of Dover, Delaware at the Dover Downs Hotel and Casino, and in Milton at the Milton Theatre. Miss Delaware serves as the official hostess to the state of Delaware.
Nova Gaffney of Milford was crowned Miss Delaware 2024 on June 22, 2024, at the Independence School in Newark. She will compete for the title of Miss America 2025.
The following is a visual summary of the past results of Miss Delaware 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.
| Year | Name | Hometown | Age | Local Title | Miss America Talent | Placement at Miss America | Special scholarships at Miss America | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Nova Gaffney | Milford | 24 | Miss Southern Delaware | Ballet | TBA | TBA | |
| 2023 | Emily Beale | Ocean View | 27 | Miss Ocean View | Tap Dance | |||
| 2022 | Grace Otley | Hockessin | 22 | Miss Dover | Violin, "Smooth Criminal" | Forever Miss Americas Scholarship | Previously Miss Delaware's Outstanding Teen 2014 | |
| 2021 | Sophie Phillips[1] | Bear | 25 | Miss Milford | Piano, "Good Golly, Miss Molly" | Equity and Justice Finalist | ||
| 2019–20 | Hillary May[2] | Mount Vernon, IN | 23 | Miss Hockessin | Vocal, "I Could Have Danced All Night" | 2020 competition was postponed indefinitely due to COVID-19 pandemic | ||
| 2018 | Joanna Wicks[3] | Wilmington | 24 | Miss Wilmington | Speed Painting, "Confident" | |||
| 2017 | Chelsea Bruce[4] | Manasquan, NJ[5] | 21 | Miss Newark | Contemporary Dance | Eligible as a student at the University of Delaware[4] | ||
| 2016 | Amanda Debus[6][7] | Middletown | 23 | Miss First State | Contemporary Ballet, "Fight Song" | Previously Miss Delaware's Outstanding Teen 2008[7] Previously Miss Delaware Teen USA 2011[8] 3rd runner-up at Miss Delaware USA 2018 pageant[9] 1st runner-up at Miss Delaware USA 2019 pageant[9] | ||
| 2015 | Brooke Mitchell[10] | Selbyville | 19 | Miss Milford | Tap Dance/Baton Twirling, "Uptown Funk" | Non-finalist Talent Award | Contestant at National Sweetheart 2014 pageant[citation needed] | |
| 2014 | Brittany Lewis | Brigantine, NJ | 23 | Miss Wilmington | Jazz Dance | Quality of Life Award 1st runner-up | Originally first runner-up, assumed title when Longacre was dethroned[11] | |
| Amanda Longacre | Bear | 24 | Miss Pike Creek | Vocal | Unable to compete; dethroned due to her not meeting the Miss America Organization's age requirement[11] | |||
| 2013 | Rebecca Jackson | Kennett Square, PA | 21 | Miss Dover | Vocal, "Think of Me" from The Phantom of the Opera | Non-finalist Talent Award | ||
| 2012 | Alyssa Murray | Selbyville | 20 | Miss Coastal Bay | Jazz Dance, "River Deep – Mountain High" | Non-finalist Interview Award Quality of Life Award Finalist |
4th runner-up at Miss Delaware USA 2015 competition[9] 1st runner-up at Miss Delaware USA 2018 competition[9] | |
| 2011 | Maria Cahill[12] | Newark | 20 | Miss Rehoboth Beach | Irish Dance, "Lord of the Dance" | Non-finalist Talent Award | ||
| 2010 | Kayla Martell | Milford | 21 | Miss Kent County | Contemporary Ballet en Pointe, "The Way You Make Me Feel" | Top 10 | Quality of Life Award 1st runner-up | Voted into the Top 15 as a "People's Choice" by public voting[citation needed] First contestant with alopecia areata to compete in Miss America pageant[citation needed] |
| 2009 | Heather Lehman | Magnolia | 20 | Miss Diamond State | Classical Vocal, "Adele's Laughing Song" from Die Fledermaus | |||
| 2008 | Galen Giaccone[13] | Wyoming | 20 | Miss Diamond State | Piano, "El Cumbanchero" by Rafael Hernández Marín | Top 15 | Preliminary Talent Award | |
| 2007 | Brittany Dempsey | Dover | 20 | Miss Capital | Jazz Dance, "Rhythm of the Night" | Previously Delaware's Junior Miss 2005 | ||
| 2006 | Jamie Ginn | Wilmington | 25 | Miss Brandywine | Dance, "Dancin' Fool" from Copacabana | 4th runner-up at National Sweetheart 2005 pageant as Miss New Jersey[citation needed] | ||
| 2005 | Rebecca Bledsoe | Middletown | 22 | Miss Central Delaware | Classical Vocal, "Una Voce Poco Fa" from The Barber of Seville | Non-finalist Talent Award | ||
| 2004 | Linda Kurtz | Dover | 21 | Miss Dover | Ballet, "Man of La Mancha" | Quality of Life Award Finalist | Contestant at National Sweetheart 2003 pageant[citation needed] | |
| 2003 | Erin Elizabeth Williams | Lincoln | 20 | Miss Eastern Shore | Classical Vocal, "Time to Say Goodbye" | |||
| 2002 | Shoha Parekh | Newark | 24 | Miss Greenville | Bharatnatyam Style Dance | Appeared in the movie, Annapolis[14] | ||
| 2001 | Erin Cooper | Camden | 22 | Miss Hockessin | Lyrical Ballet, "Book of Days" | |||
| 2000 | Junnie Cross | Dover | 22 | Miss Hockessin | Vocal, "Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again" from The Phantom of the Opera | Bert Parks Talent Award Bernie Wayne Scholarship for the Performing Arts Award Preliminary Talent Award Quality of Life Award Finalist |
||
| 1999 | Kama Boland | Hockessin | 22 | Miss Diamond State | Piano, "Jerry Lee Lewis Medley" | |||
| 1998 | Jody Kelly | Dover | 22 | Miss Hockessin | Flute, "Shenandoah" and "Dueling Banjos" | |||
| 1997 | Alison White | Millsboro | 18 | Miss Millsboro | Classical Vocal, "Poor Wand'ring One" from The Pirates of Penzance | Non-finalist Talent Award | ||
| 1996 | Aimee Michelle Voshell | Felton | 18 | Miss Dover | Ballet en Pointe "Return to Innocence" | Mother to Miss Delaware's Outstanding Teen 2022, Brynn String | ||
| 1995 | Michelle Harris | Newark | 24 | Miss Brandywine | Vocal, "I Will Always Love You" | Bert Parks Talent Award | ||
| 1994 | Letitia Lee Pusey | Millsboro | 23 | Miss Sussex County | Lyrical Tap Dance | |||
| 1993 | Jennifer Lin Kaczmarczyk | Hockessin | 20 | Miss Brandywine | Popular Vocal, "This Is the Moment" | Non-finalist Talent Award | ||
| 1992 | Kathleen Ann Slavin | Dagsboro | 25 | Miss Sussex County | Vocal, "My Man" | |||
| 1991 | Beth Ann Jones | Wilmington | 22 | Miss Brandywine | Vocal Medley | |||
| 1990 | Lisa Marie Munzert | New Castle | 20 | Dance / Twirling, "They're Playing Our Song" | Non-finalist Talent Award | |||
| 1989 | Robin Lee Coutant | Millsboro | 21 | Miss University | Vocal, "Think of Me" | |||
| 1988 | Laura Kathleen Ludwig | Lewes | 21 | Miss Sussex County | Popular Vocal, "Happy Days Are Here Again" | |||
| 1987 | Anne Marie Jarka | Newark | 21 | Miss University | Vocal / Piano, "Almost Over You" | George Cavalier Talent Award | ||
| 1986 | Lori Ann Scott | Wilmington | 23 | Miss Wilmington | Popular Vocal, "Love Is Spreading All Over" | |||
| 1985 | Lisa Anne Patrick | Newark | 24 | Miss Newark | Character Ballet en Pointe | |||
| 1984 | Nancy Lynn Ball | Rehoboth Beach | 24 | Miss Cape Henlopen | Jazz Ballet en Pointe | |||
| 1983 | Tammy Renee Copeland | Newark | 21 | Miss Greater Wilmington | Vocal, "Cry Me a River" | |||
| 1982 | Nancy Ellen Farley | Elsmere | 21 | Miss New Castle | Comedy Monologue, "Report of the Nominating Committee" | |||
| 1981 | Jodi Meade Graham[15] | Wilmington | 19 | Miss Brandywine College | Vocal, "Can You Read My Mind" | Daughter of Miss Pennsylvania 1956, Lorna Ringler Graham,[15] and grand-niece of Miss America 1924, Ruth Malcomson[16] | ||
| 1980 | Andra Lee Dickerson | Newark | 21 | Miss Newark | Piano / Vocal | |||
| 1979 | Ann Lorraine Harrington | Milford | 22 | Miss Milford | Magic Act | |||
| 1978 | Janice Anne Albro | Claymont | 25 | Miss Brandywine Hundred | Piano Medley, "The Entertainer" & "Maple Leaf Rag" | Preliminary Swimsuit Award | ||
| 1977 | Sandra Louise Aiken | Seaford | 21 | Miss Seaford | Classical Vocal, "Quando me'n vo'" | Non-finalist Talent Award | ||
| 1976 | Debora Rica Lipford | Newark | 21 | Miss Newark | Dramatic Interpretation, "It Was a Good Time" from Ryan's Daughter | Top 10 | First African-American contestant to reach the top 10 at Miss America pageant[17] | |
| 1975 | Elaine Campanelli | Ocean View | 20 | Miss Ocean View | Fire Baton Routine | Non-finalist Talent Award | ||
| 1974 | Kathleen Attanasi | Rehoboth Beach | 22 | Miss Rehoboth Beach | Harp Medley, "Harmonious Blacksmith" & "Close To You" | |||
| 1973 | Jackie LaGuardia | Milford | 19 | Miss Sussex West | Vocal from Irma La Douce | |||
| 1972 | Catherine Lawton[18] | Clayton | 20 | Miss University Motors | Banjo, "Banjo Memories" | Top 10 | Preliminary Talent Award | |
| 1971 | Paula Kusmer | Wilmington | 19 | Miss Goldey-Beacom College | Dramatic reading from The Diary of Anne Frank | Miss Congeniality | ||
| 1970 | Linda Sue Hitchens | Seaford | 20 | Miss Nylon Capital | Vocal / Dance, "Give My Regards to Broadway" | |||
| 1969 | Margo Ewing | Wilmington | 19 | Miss Talleyville | Vocal, "My Mother's Wedding Day" | Served as a Delaware state senator[19] | ||
| 1968 | Gayle Freeman | 19 | Miss Brandywine College | Vocal & Guitar, "Times They Are a-Changin'" | ||||
| 1967 | Susan Alice Levens | Dover | 18 | Miss Wesley College | Vocal, "Who Will Buy" from Oliver! | |||
| 1966 | Mary Lee Mancini | Wilmington | 19 | Miss Greater Wilmington | Ballet / Sketch | |||
| 1965 | Kathleen Grandell | 18 | Miss Brandywine | Multi-lingual Monologue | ||||
| 1964 | Anita Gail Eubank | 20 | Popular Vocal & Dance | |||||
| 1963 | Diane Beverly Isaacs | Greenwood | Miss Greenwood | Piano & Popular Vocal | Previously married to current United States Senator, Tom Carper[20] | |||
| 1962 | Alice Richards Watts | Lewes | 19 | Miss Harrington | Pantomime, "Seventeen" | |||
| 1961 | Robin Jane Whempner | Wilmington | 18 | Miss Newark | Vocal & Dance, "That's What Makes Paris Paree" from April in Paris | Non-finalist Talent Award | ||
| 1960 | Deborah Dunkenfield Benoit | 21 | Composite Expression of Special Training | |||||
| 1959 | Ester Olney | Newark | 18 | Vocal | ||||
| 1958 | Nancy M. Williams | Wilmington | Dance to musical selections from Gone With the Wind | |||||
| 1957 | Kathleen Ann D'Attillio | Piano | ||||||
| 1956 | Janice Olson | Newark | ||||||
| 1955 | Joanne Sakowski | Wilmington | Vocal | |||||
| 1954 | Barbara Woodall | Claymont | Piano | |||||
| 1953 | Lois Anne Alava | Wilmington | Piano, "Concerto in A Minor" | Top 10 | Preliminary Talent Award | |||
| 1952 | Helen Blackwell | Wilmington | Classical Vocal | Later, competed in Miss USA 1955asMiss Delaware USA | ||||
| 1951 | Suzanne Parrott | Dover | Piano | |||||
| 1950 | Lorna Edwardson | Classical Vocal, "Un Bel Di" from Madame Butterfly | ||||||
| 1949 | No Delaware representative at Miss America pageant | |||||||
| 1948 | ||||||||
| 1947 | ||||||||
| 1946 | ||||||||
| 1945 | ||||||||
| 1944 | Jacquelyn Vasseur | Wilmington | ||||||
| 1943 | Mona Crawford | |||||||
| 1942 | Dorothy McGovern | |||||||
| 1941 | Verona Smith[21] | Bridgeville | ||||||
| 1940 | Peggy Insolo | Wilmington | Piano | Top 15 | ||||
| 1939 | No Delaware representative at Miss America pageant[22][23] | |||||||
| 1938 | ||||||||
| 1937 | Nickey Harriet | Harrington | ||||||
| 1936 | Lillian Shamers | Wilmington | ||||||
| 1935 |
No Delaware representative at Miss America pageant[24]
| |||||||
| 1934 |
No national pageant was held[25]
| |||||||
| 1933 | Victoria A. George | Wilmington | 18 | N/A[26] | ||||
| 1932 |
No national pageants were held[25]
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| 1931 | ||||||||
| 1930 | ||||||||
| 1929 | ||||||||
| 1928 | ||||||||
| 1927 | ||||||||
| 1926 | ||||||||
| 1925 | ||||||||
| 1924 | ||||||||
| 1923 | Ruth Agnes Brady[31] | Wilmington | Miss Wilmington | N/A[26] | Competed under local title at national pageant | |||
| 1922 | A. Adele Senft[32] | |||||||
| 1921 |
No Delaware representative at Miss America pageant[33]
| |||||||
Jodi Graham, Miss Delaware, is the third generation of her family to compete in the Miss America pageant. Her aunt, Ruth Malcomson Schaubel, was the third Miss America in 1924. Her mother, Lorna Ringler Graham, competed in the 1956 pageant as Miss Pennsylvania.
...talent contest that was established in 1935.
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Miss America state pageants
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| Active (1921-present) |
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| Inactive since 2019 (under Miss America 2.0) |
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