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Miss America is older. Miss USA has no talent round. Here's the difference.
Miss America is the older pageant by 31 years. Miss USA has no talent round. Here are the key differences in eligibility, prizes, and leadership history.
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Miss USA and Miss America are the two biggest pageants in the country, and they share a sash and crown. The similarities end there.
Miss America is older by 31 years. The first competition, held in September 1921, was designed to draw tourists to Atlantic City after Labor Day, according to the Miss America website. Margaret Gorman, then 16, won as Miss Washington, DC. The pageant featured a "bathing beauty review," described by the website as an "act of rebellion during a time when women weren't permitted to wear swimsuits in public."
Miss USA emerged from a different act of rebellion. In 1951, the new Miss America winner, Yolande Betbeze, refused to pose for swimsuit pictures. Catalina, the swimwear company sponsoring the competition, broke away and created its own pageants. Jackie Loughery was crowned the first Miss USA in 1952. Armi Kuusela from Finland became the first Miss Universe the same year. Nine American women have won Miss Universe since, the most of any country.
Eligibility rules differ sharply. Miss America requires contestants to be 18 to 28 years old, unmarried, and childless. Past winners including Grace Stanke and Camille Schrier defended that rule in interviews with Business Insider. The pageant previously had a strict "anti-boyfriend" policy. Current CEO Robin Fleming changed it. Madison Marsh, who won Miss America in January 2024, told Business Insider that the policy had shifted. "She has been saying it's a new day at Miss America, and she really meant that," Marsh said. "There are a lot of outdated rules that have gone away, one being that you can't be engaged and be Miss America."
Miss USA overhauled its eligibility rules more recently. The pageant started allowing married women and mothers to compete in 2023. In 2024, it lifted the previous age cap of 28, making all women 18 and over eligible. Women 14 to 19 compete in Miss Teen USA.