Miss Teen America
{{short description|Beauty pageant}}
{{update|date=May 2025}}
Miss Teen America is an American beauty contest that serves as a training ground for many young American girls, many of whom go on to win other titles. Winners have had ongoing columns in Supermodels Unlimited and Pageantry magazines. Miss Teen America is not associated with the Miss America Organization nor should it be confused with Miss Teen USA. In July 2010, Nikki Clark, President of Miss Teen America, Inc. became the new Executive Director of Miss Teen America. Miss Teen America 2020 has yet to be crowned.
Winners
| class="wikitable" | |||
| Year
! Winner ! State ! Notes | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1995-96 | Bethany Logan | {{flag|Connecticut}} | |
| 1997-98 | Christella Carpenter | {{flag|Kentucky}} | |
| 1999 | Heather Konitshek | {{flag|Connecticut}} | Now married and has her own photography business, Photographic Vision;[http://www.ctphotographicvision.com Ctphotographicvision.Com] Official Photographer of the International Junior Miss Pageant and Miss Teen America Pageant |
| 2000 | Amanda Zachary | {{flag|Illinois}} | Competed in the Miss Indiana and Miss Illinois systems and won preliminary titles |
| 2001 | Cara Hays | {{flag|Arkansas|1924}} | |
| 2002 | Lacey Minchew | {{flag|Georgia (U.S. state)|2001|name=Georgia}} | Later Miss Louisiana USA 2009 |
| 2003 | Alysha Castonguay | {{flag|Rhode Island}} | Previously Miss Rhode Island Teen USA 2002 & Top 10 at Miss Teen USA 2002;[http://www.pageant.com/teenusa2002/index.htm Pageant News Bureau – Miss Teen USA 2002] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070107112409/http://www.pageant.com/teenusa2002/index.htm |date=2007-01-07 }} Cheerleader for the New England Patriots from 2006 to 2008;[http://www.patriots.com/cheerleaders/index.cfm?ac=photogallery&searchstring=castonguay New England Patriots CheerLeaders] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061103161602/http://www.patriots.com/cheerleaders/index.cfm?ac=photogallery&searchstring=castonguay |date=2006-11-03 }} Later Miss Teen Galaxy 2005 & Miss Rhode Island USA 2009 |
| 2004 | Chelsea Fahey | {{flag|Illinois}} | Competed in the Galaxy System; Featured by ABC news health beat story[https://abcnews.go.com/GMA/MedicalMinute/story?id=969021&page=1&CMP=OTC-RSSFeeds0312/ ABC News: Former Miss Teen America Talks About Her Battle with Acne] |
| 2005 | Meghan Bryan | {{flag|North Carolina}} | |
| 2006 | Brittany Monico | {{flag|Connecticut}} | |
| 2007 | Brittany Dawn Brannon | {{flag|Arizona}} | Later Miss Arizona USA 2011 |
| 2008-09 | Kaitlyn Tarpey | {{flag|New York}} | Later Miss Connecticut 2013 |
| 2010 | Katie Himes | {{flag|Kentucky}} | |
| 2011 | Katarina Kneer | {{flag|New Jersey}} | |
| 2012 | Eleana Frangedis | {{flag|Florida}} | |
| 2013 | Lindsay Dobbs | {{flag|Georgia (U.S. state)|name=Georgia}} | Later contestant on season 26 of The Bachelor |
| 2014 | Catherine Kirkland | {{flag|South Carolina}} | |
| 2015 | Summer Rogers | {{flag|South Carolina}} | |
| 2016 | Megan Whittaker | {{flag|Texas}} | |
| 2017 | Ciana Pelekai | {{flag|Hawaii}} | |
| 2018 | Olivia Occhingrossi | {{flag|Florida}} | |
| 2019 | Jillian Elliott | {{flag|Louisiana}} |
Notable national contestants
- Marla Prete (Connecticut - 1997) - Miss Connecticut 2003
- Renelle Richardson (Connecticut - 1999) - Miss Connecticut 2000
- Tori Carter (Colorado & 4th RU at Nationals - 2001, Rocky Mountain State & 1st RU at Nationals - 2002) - Miss Colorado Teen USA 2004
- Christina Ellington (Connecticut - 2001 & 1st RU at Nationals) - Miss New York 2004 & Top 10 at Miss America 2005
- Candace Cragg (Florida - 2001 & 2nd RU at Nationals) - Miss Florida 2005 (resigned)
- Dana Daunis (Connecticut - 2002, Nutmeg State & Top 10 at Nationals - 2003) - Miss Connecticut 2007 & Preliminary Talent Winner at Miss America 2008
- Raquel Beezley (Southern California - 2002) - Miss California USA 2008 & Top 15 at Miss USA 2008
- Caressa Cameron (Commonwealth of Virginia - 2003 & 3rd RU at Nationals, Nation's Capitol - 2005) - Miss Virginia 2009 & Miss America 2010
- Jennifer Brooks (Connecticut - 2003 & Top 10 at Nationals) - Miss Connecticut Teen USA 2005
- Alla Ilushka (Minnesota - 2003) - Miss Minnesota Teen USA 2002, Top 10 at Miss Teen USA 2002, & Miss Minnesota USA 2007
- Hope Wiseman (Chesapeake - 2006 & Top 10 at Nationals) - Miss District of Columbia's Outstanding Teen 2009
- Savannah Schechter (New Jersey - 2008 & 1st RU at Nationals) - Miss New Jersey Teen USA 2011
- Brittany Dawn Brannon (Arizona - 2007 & Miss Teen America 2007) - Miss Arizona USA 2011
- Kaitlyn Tarpey (New York - 2008 & Miss Teen America 2008/09) - Miss Connecticut 2013
- Ciana Pelekai (Hawaii - 2017 Miss Teen America) - America's Got Talent Season 4 and Season 8 Finalist