Last year’s winner, Cassie Donegan, crowned her successor onstage in West Palm Beach, Fla., on Sunday, Sept. 6
By Zoey Lytle, People Magazine
September 6, 2026
Miss America has named its 2027 winner.
On Sunday, Sept. 6, the storied organization hosted the national pageant in West Palm Beach, Fla., with delegates from all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands vying for the coveted crown.
Regan Hutsell from Texas was selected as the 2027 winner, making her the 99th woman to wear the crown and sash. She will also receive scholarship money as part of her victory prize.
The first runner-up was Miss Louisiana, Shelby Bordelon, and the second runner-up was Miss Illinois, Kate Dimmett.
Hutsell, 25, became the fourth Miss Texas to capture the Miss America title in 105 years, according to an official press release. She began her professional dance career at 18 years old as a Radio City Rockette and later performed internationally with the Birmingham Royal Ballet.
While dancing professionally, Hutsell overcame an eating disorder, per the release, and that experience became the inspiration for her community service initiative, Your Body Is Your Home, which encourages people to “cultivate healthy self-worth, build positive inner dialogue, and understand that their value is never defined by appearance.”
“Miss America has always represented hope and inspiration,” Hutsell said in a statement. “I am incredibly honored to represent an organization that empowers women through scholarships, service and opportunity. I look forward to encouraging individuals of all generations to walk boldly in their purpose, pursue their wildest dreams, and never give up on themselves.”
Miss America 2026 Cassie Donegan, 28, crowned her successor, per pageant tradition. She won the pageant last September, a few months after she won the New York state pageant. Donegan — who is an accomplished singer — spent the past year touring the country for speaking engagements, philanthropic opportunities and even some singing gigs, like when she sang the national anthem at the Daytona 500.
In April, Donegan told PEOPLE that being Miss America is “different every day,” an element she very much appreciated. Her schedule stayed consistently busy throughout the year, but Donegan managed to balance it all. She credits her ability to keep up to her entertainment industry experience.
“I am used to living out of a suitcase or being on a plane all the time, going contract to contract or performance opportunity, so I think I’m a little bit more conditioned to that than some of our previous Miss Americas have been,” she told PEOPLE.
“Some days, am I exhausted? 100%. Absolutely. There are some 10-hour days where I’d get home, and I was like, ‘What are words? I don’t know how to be human right now,’ ” Donegan joked. “Your brain just goes to mush, but your heart is so full at the same time, so it’s worth it.”
The 2026 winner also said she went into the year with very few expectations, riding simply on her belief that it would be an incredible experience.
“I decided from the beginning it was going to be an amazing year because I wanted it to be an amazing year, and I think you roll with the punches, you know what I mean?” the beauty queen told PEOPLE.
Read the article here: https://people.com/miss-america-crowns-2027-winner-regan-hutsell-texas-12108102