Miss Virginia, Camille Schrier, was crowned Miss America 2020 at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut.
The 99th Miss America Competition was co-hosted by Kit Hoover And Mario Lopez from “Access Hollywood,” “Superstore” co-star Lauren Ash, “Queer Eye” culture expert Karamo and singer/songwriter/actress Kelly Rowland served as judges for the broadcast.
As Miss America 2020, Camille Schrier a graduate of Virginia Tech where she majored in Biochemistry and Systems Biology, she is currently studying to obtain a Doctor of Pharmacy Degree. Along with the coveted title of Miss America 2020, Camille won a $50,000 scholarship to continue her education. Through her social impact initiative, Mind Your Meds: Drug Safety and Abuse Prevention from Pediatrics to Geriatrics, she will educate the public on drug safety and abuse prevention. For the talent portion of the competition, Camille performed a chemistry demonstration.
She won the crown just minutes after wowing the crowd with science. Dressed in a lab coat, she gave a colorful chemistry demonstration of the catalytic decomposition of hydrogen peroxide.
First runner up in the competition was Miss Georgia, Victoria Hill, who earned a $25,000 scholarship.
The final night of the 99th Miss America competition kicked off with a glamorous red carpet photo shoot Thursday, but organizers hoped to make it clear this wasn’t your grandmother’s beauty pageant.
No longer called contestants, the 51 women “candidates,” who hailed from all 50 states and the District of Columbia, vied for a $50,000 scholarship and the “job” of Miss America, a one-year paid position they hoped to use as a public platform for their “social impact initiative.”
For the second year in a row, women were not judged in a swimsuit or how they looked in an evening gown. Instead, a series of interviews and talent demonstrations determined who was best qualified to wear this year’s crown.
WOMEN IN BUSINESS SCHOLARSHIPS:
Alex Franke (Kentucky), received first place, with a $5,000 scholarship
Nikki Holbrook (Hawaii), received second place, with a $4,000 scholarship
STEM SCHOLARSHIPS:
Morgan Nichols (South Carolina), received first place, with a $5,000 scholarship
Lyndsey Littlefield (Massachusetts), received second place, with a $4,000 scholarship
Lauren Molella (New York), received third place, with a $3,000 scholarship
EQUITY AND JUSTICE SCHOLARSHIP:
Alexandra Badgett (North Carolina) received a $3,000 scholarship
SOCIAL IMPACT INITIATIVE SCHOLARSHIPS:
Anika Wooton (Kansas), received first place, with a $6,000 scholarship
Morgan Nichols (South Carolina), received second place, with a $4,000 scholarship
Amber Hulse (South Dakota), received third place, with a $2,000 scholarship
NATIONAL MIRACLE MAKER AWARD
Morgan Nichols (South Carolina), received first place, with a $5,000 for raising $47,202
Alexandra Badgett (North Carolina), received second place, with $3,000 for raising $30,490
Katelynn Cox (District of Columbia), received third place, with $2,000 for raising $25,720
STATE ORGANIZATION MIRACLE MAKER AWARD
South Carolina, received first place, with a $5,000 scholarship for raising $129,482.79
Utah, received second place, with a $3,000 scholarship for raising $106,194.78
North Carolina, received third place, with a $2,000 scholarship for raising $83,816.77
The following scholarships were also awarded on Tuesday evening:
Arianna Beyer (Florida 2016 candidate), winner of the Jean Bartel Military Scholarship, $3,000
Mo Shea (Montana), winner of the Allman Medical Scholarship, $5,000
Allie Swanson (Nebraska), winner of the Athlete Scholar Scholarship, $2,000
Simone Esters (Missouri), winner of the Dakota State University and Beacom College of Computer and Cyber Sciences STEM Scholarship, received an unrestricted cash award of $5,000, and the ability to enroll at Dakota State for either an undergraduate degree, or a post-graduate degree, for a total scholarship value that could exceed $85,000. The winner focused her writing on social engineering.