Madison Marsh, a 22-year-old second lieutenant in the US Air Force and a master’s student in the public policy program at the Harvard Kennedy School, won the 2024 Miss America pageant held in Orlando, Florida, on Sunday night. Representing Colorado, Marsh is the first active-duty Air Force officer to receive the national title.
Ellie Breaux of Texas was named first runner-up. A total of 51 contestants participated in the event, representing all 50 US states and the District of Columbia. The competition included three nights of preliminary rounds, after which the field was narrowed to 11 semi-finalists—10 selected by the preliminary judges and one chosen through a public vote open to fans across the United States.
The 11 semi-finalists competed in four rounds: a fitness showcase (a runway walk in rhinestone-embellished athleisure), a “hot topics” discussion round (replacing the traditional Q&A with diverse talking points), a talent performance, and an evening gown presentation. The top five finalists were then announced: Marsh, Breaux, and runners-up Cydney Bridges of Indiana, Mallory Hudson of Kentucky, and Caroline Parente of Rhode Island.
During the discussion round, Marsh addressed the topic of “drugs in America,” sharing her late mother’s struggle with pancreatic cancer. In the talent round, she delivered a spoken-word piece about earning her pilot’s license at the age of 16.
