More than 70 young women compete for spots at Miss America, Miss America’s Teen national pageants
HIGH POINT (June 26, 2025) – The Miss North Carolina and Miss North Carolina’s Teen preliminary competitions kicked off at the High Point Theatre yesterday evening. More than 70 contestants from across the Tar Heel state competed in the first night of preliminaries to qualify for the final competition on Saturday, June 28 which will lead two young women to the Miss America and Miss America’s Teen national pageants.
Miss North Carolina Preliminary Winners:
- Miss Preliminary Talent Award for a $1,000 scholarship provided by Funded by David Clegg, President and Chairman of the MNCO Board of Directors is Ashtyn Thomas, Miss Zebulon, who performed a vocal presentation of “Rise Up.” She is from Pembroke, North Carolina.
- Miss Preliminary Evening Gown Award for a $1,000 scholarship by Mike Golden, Vice President of the MNCO Board of Directors & Debra Golden was a three-way tie between Grayson Johnson (Miss Johnston County), D’Amrah Rowdy (Miss Lake Norman), and McKayla Young (Miss Smithfield). All three were dressed in evening gowns from An Affair to Remember in Fayetteville, North Carolina.
Miss North Carolina’s Teen Preliminary Winners:
- Teen Preliminary Talent Award for a $500 scholarship provided by Lizzie Horton Peress, Miss North Carolina 2006, is Emma Katherine Warren, Miss Cleveland’s Teen who performed Quando me’n vo’ from Puccini’s 1896 opera La bohème. She is a native of Wilmington, North Carolina.
- Teen Preliminary Evening Gown Award for a $250 scholarship was awarded to Kate Ward, Miss Johnston County’s Teen, a native of Kenansville, North Carolina.
Final competitions for Miss North Carolina’s Teen and Miss North Carolina begin on Saturday at 2:30PM and 7:30PM, respectively. All on-stage preliminaries and finals will also be available for streaming online. To learn more about individual candidates, please visit the Miss North Carolina and Miss North Carolina’s Teen Class of 2025 contestant biographies.
About the Miss North Carolina Organization
As an official state preliminary associated with the Miss America Organization, the Miss North Carolina Organization is a part of the largest scholarship providing organization for women in the world. Promoting an emphasis on academics and communication skills, the MNCO is considered a launching pad for young women to further their academic and career goals. Carrie Everett, a Talent Award winner at Miss America 2025 currently serves as Miss North Carolina 2024. Hanley House, crowned Miss North Carolina’s Teen 2023, became the first teen from North Carolina to win the national title as Miss America’s Teen 2024. Kamryn Hollowell serves as Miss North Carolina’s Teen 2024. For more information about volunteering or competing, please visit www.missnc.org.
About the Miss America Brand
The Miss America brand mission is “Empowering Women to Lead” in every area of life from philanthropy, business, arts, politics, education and more. Miss America and Miss America’s Teen local and state ambassadors contribute thousands of community service hours annually, raising funds for philanthropic partners.
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