On Sunday night in Orlando, Florida, Madison Marsh, a 22-year-old second lieutenant in the U.S. Air Force and a master’s student at Harvard Kennedy School’s public policy program, was crowned Miss America 2024. Marsh, who represented Colorado, is the first active-duty Air Force officer to earn the national title.
Ellie Breaux from Texas was named first runner-up. The pageant featured 51 contestants from all 50 states and the District of Columbia.
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The competition included three preliminary rounds, narrowing the contestants down to 11 semi-finalists—10 selected by judges and one chosen through a public vote open to fans across the country.
The 11 semi-finalists participated in four segments: a fitness showcase featuring a runway walk in rhinestone-studded athleisure, a “hot topics” discussion round replacing the traditional Q&A with various discussion points, a talent performance, and an evening gown presentation.
The top five finalists were announced, including Marsh, Breaux, and the runners-up: Cydney Bridges from Indiana, Mallory Hudson from Kentucky, and Caroline Parente from Rhode Island.
In the discussion round, Marsh spoke on “drugs in America,” drawing from her late mother’s battle with pancreatic cancer. During the talent segment, she performed a spoken-word piece about achieving her pilot’s license at age 16.
