Miss Colorado Madison Marsh emerged victorious at the 2024 Miss America Pageant in Orlando, FL, on Sunday. CNN reported Monday Marsh was the first active-duty United States Air Force officer to become Miss America. Miss Texas Ellie Breaux came in second place. Fifty-one contestants participated in Miss America, representing all 50 US states and the District of Columbia. Miss America involved three nights of preliminary competitions. At the beginning of the main event, the field was narrowed to eleven semi-finalists — 10 chosen by the preliminary judges and one by a public vote open to pageant fans and followers across the US. These 11 women participated in four rounds of competition — a fitness showcase, a hot topics discussion round, a talent performance and an evening gowns presentation. After these rounds, five finalists were announced. Marsh and Breaux were followed in the final rankings by third place recipient Cydney Bridges, fourth place recipient Mallory Hudson and fifth place recipient Caroline Parente. In the discussion round, Marsh spoke about the topic of drugs in the US by recalling her late mother’s battle with pancreatic cancer. In the talent round, she presented a spoken word poem centred on receiving a pilot’s licence at 16 years old. The five finalists faced an additional question about their goals as Miss America. Marsh responded by highlighting her military credentials as an embodiment of her commitment to learning and leading with passion. She succeeded Miss America 2023 Grace Stanke.
