Miss Wisconsin Grace Stanke has been crowned Miss America 2023.
The 20-year-old won the competition Thursday, making her the pageant’s 95th winner.
Stanke is a nuclear engineering student at UW-Madison and is the third woman from Wisconsin to win the title.
She was crowned by her predecessor, Emma Broyles, the first Korean-American woman to win the Miss America honor.
Miss Wisconsin Grace Stanke was crowned Miss America 2023 by her predecessor, Miss America 2022 Emma Broyles.
(AP Photo/Steven Senne)
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Stanke won the title out of 51 contestants representing the 50 states and the District of Columbia at the competition held at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut.
Her career ambition, according to the Miss America website, is to produce efficient, clean, zero-carbon energy for America through nuclear energy in a core design position. Now, she will be able to spread her message during her year-long national tour.
Miss Wisconsin Grace Stanke acknowledges the audience moments after she was crowned Miss America 2023.
(AP Photo/Steven Senne)
The newly crowned Miss America’s prize was a $50,000 scholarship. She also took home $2,500 after winning the Miss America Talent Scholarship with her classical violin performance.
Grace Stanke won the Miss America Talent Scholarship for her classical violin performance.
(John Angelillo/UPI/Shutterstock)
The pageant’s first runner-up was Miss New York Taryn Delanie Smith, followed by second runner-up Miss Texas Averie Bishop, third runner-up Miss West Virginia Elizabeth Lynch and fourth runner-up Miss Georgia Kelsey Hollis.
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Runner-up Miss New York Taryn Delanie Smith, center left, and Miss Wisconsin Grace Stanke, center right, react as they learn that Stanke has become Miss America 2023.
(AP Photo/Steven Senne)
The top five women were asked questions about causes they are passionate about. During the segment, Stanke expressed her excitement to have opportunities to talk about meaningful issues as Miss America, according to People magazine.
“As Miss America, I am representing this organization. If they ask further questions, I am able to preface saying, ‘This isn’t the organization’s point of view, this is my personal point of view as Grace Stanke, and I can go on to state it — especially when it comes to things like nuclear energy and so many other hot political topics,” she explained.
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Thursday’s competition was hosted by Laura Rutledge, Miss Florida 2012 and the host of ESPN’s NFL Live and SEC Network’s SEC Nation. The panel of judges included the star of “Indian Matchmaking” Aparna Shewakramani, former NBA player Trevor Booker, podcast host Trish Regan, “Home Improvement” actress Debbe Dunning, and Olympic figure skater Mirai Nagasu.
