Do you cognize the quality betwixt Miss USA and Miss America?
They're the 2 biggest pageants successful the country, and some impact a sash and crown. But that's wherever astir of their similarities end.
From eligibility requirements and prize packages to swimsuit versus talent competitions, present are each the differences betwixt Miss America and Miss USA.
The Miss USA pageant began because of a Miss America winner's protest
Miss America predates Miss USA by 31 years. The first pageant — held successful September 1921 — was portion of a strategy to bring visitors to Atlantic City aft Labor Day, according to the Miss America website. It was won by a 16-year-old named Margaret Gorman, who was competing arsenic Miss Washington, DC.
The Miss America website states that the pageant besides featured a "bathing beauty review," which was an "act of rebellion during a clip erstwhile women weren't permitted to deterioration swimsuits successful public."
Miss USA began because of a very different enactment of rebellion. In 1951, the caller Miss America winner, Yolande Betbeze, refused to airs for pictures successful a swimsuit. Catalina, a swimwear institution sponsoring the competition, was upset by her determination and decided to create its ain pageants.
In 1952, Jackie Loughery was crowned the first Miss USA, and Armi Kuusela from Finland became the first Miss Universe. Nine American women person won Miss Universe since its inception — the astir of immoderate country.
The pageants person very different eligibility requirements
To beryllium eligible to compete successful Miss America, contestants must beryllium betwixt the ages of 18 and 28. Women betwixt 14 and 18 tin compete successful Miss America's Teen, its sister pageant.
Miss America contestants cannot beryllium joined aliases person children. It's a norm that past winners, including Grace Stanke and Camille Schrier, defended successful interviews pinch Business Insider.
The Miss America pageant besides antecedently had a strict "anti-boyfriend" rule. Madison Marsh, who won Miss America successful January 2024, told Business Insider astatine the clip that the argumentation had changed nether existent CEO Robin Fleming.
"She has been saying it's a caller time astatine Miss America, and she really meant that," Marsh said. "There are a batch of outdated rules that person gone away, 1 being that you can't beryllium engaged and beryllium Miss America."
Miss USA has importantly changed its eligibility rules successful caller years. The pageant began allowing married women and mothers to compete successful 2023, and 2024 was the first twelvemonth that each women 18 and complete were eligible (the erstwhile cutoff property was 28).
Women ages 14 to 19 tin compete successful Miss Teen USA.
Unlike Miss USA, Miss America does not person a swimsuit competition
Miss USA contestants are judged connected swimsuit, evening gown, and question and reply rounds.
Unlike Miss USA, Miss America features a talent competition. It besides has evening wear, interview, and fittingness rounds.
The pageant removed its swimsuit round successful 2018, announcing that it would nary longer judge contestants based connected their "outward beingness appearance."
The pageants besides person very different prize packages
According to its website, Miss America was 1 of the first organizations successful the state to connection assemblage scholarships to women, opening successful 1945.
Instead of offering scholarships, the Miss USA Organization has typically paid the victor a net for their yearlong reign. In past years, the prize package has besides included an flat successful New York aliases Los Angeles for their clip arsenic Miss USA.
Both Miss USA and Miss America person had their stock of controversies
Sam Haskell ran the Miss America Organization for 12 years earlier he stepped down successful 2017 aft his soul emails astir past Miss America winners were leaked to the press.
In the 2023 A&E docuseries "Secrets of Miss America," Mallory Hagan, who won successful 2013, said Haskell many times dispersed mendacious rumors astir her activity life. Haskell said Hagan slept pinch much than 25 men successful 1 of the emails, which were leaked to The Huffington Post.
Haskell resigned from the statement days aft the emails were published. In a connection included successful the docuseries, he said that overmuch of what was reported was "dishonest, deceptive, and despicable" and "based connected backstage emails that were stolen by ex-employees."
Fox News big and Miss America 1989 Gretchen Carlson took complete the pageant astatine the opening of 2018, but her reign was short-lived. Carlson resigned successful June 2019 aft Cara Mund, who was Miss America astatine the time, said retired against her leadership.
Miss USA made headlines successful October 2022 erstwhile then-president Crystle Stewart was suspended aft contestants said that year's pageant had been rigged. The Miss Universe Organization, which oversees Miss USA, said it recovered nary grounds of rigging during its investigation, though Stewart and the statement parted ways.
The pageant was backmost successful the headlines aft Miss USA Noelia Voigt and Miss Teen USA UmaSofia Srivastava relinquished their crowns successful May 2024. It was the first clip successful the pageant's history that a female had fixed up her title.
Both pageant queens said they could not stock specifications publically owed to nondisclosure agreements, but their mothers, Jackeline Voigt and Barbara Srivastava, told Business Insider successful an question and reply successful May 2024 that their daughters knowledgeable "eight months of torture and abuse" while moving pinch Rose — allegations that Rose has denied.
In September 2025, Thom Brodeur announced he was taking complete Miss USA. A time aft Brodeur's announcement, Rose took to Miss USA's charismatic Instagram page and said she was still successful charge. The Miss Universe Organization officially announced Brodeur arsenic the caller CEO and president weeks later.
The adjacent Miss USA pageant will return spot successful Miami connected August 27 and will stream unrecorded connected the Queen Beauty Network astatine 8 p.m. ET.
The adjacent Miss America pageant will return spot successful West Palm Beach connected September 6. It will watercourse connected PageantVision.com.
Read next
Anneta Konstantinides is simply a manner analogous astatine Business Insider, pinch a attraction connected nutrient and travel. She loves taking readers inside Michelin-starred kitchens and exploring the world of fine-dining, and she's ever trying to find the best Ina Garten and Gordon Ramsay recipes. Her 2nd location is LAX, wherever she's often catching a formation and reviewing airlines.Anneta has besides been reporting connected the pageant manufacture for the past six years and has interviewed each Miss USA and Miss Universe victor since 2019. She was a finalist astatine the LA Press Club Awards for her investigation into the 2022 Miss USA ungraded and was featured successful The New York Times Presents section "How to Fix a Pageant" connected Hulu successful September 2023. After graduating from UCLA pinch a B.A successful English Literature and a insignificant successful movie & television, Anneta worked arsenic a journalist successful London, Sydney, New York City, Los Angeles, and Washington, DC. You tin scope Anneta astatine [email protected].
English (US) · 
Indonesian (ID) · 
