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Miss America 2022 winner Emma Broyles was present at the 2023 beauty pageant to crown the winner. She wore a dress that paid tribute to all the winners before her.
Emma won the title in December 2021 and was the first Miss Alaska to be crowned the winner. Apart from that, she was also the first Korean American to win the crown.
This year, the pageant winner is Miss Wisconsin 2022 Grace Stanke, a 20-year-old nuclear engineering student. She is also the third woman from Wisconsin to win the title.
Apart from the crowning moment, another part that captivated everyone's attention was when Emma walked onto the stage in a dress that paid tribute to the past beauty queens.
Miss America 2022 Emma Broyles wore a custom-made gown by Project Runway alum Aaron Michael and Viper Apparel
Before crowning the winner, Emma took to the center stage, donning an impeccable black and white gown that left everyone star-struck.
The beautiful dress she wore was custom-made by Aaron Michael and Viper Apparel. What made the dress extra special was the design that was imprinted on it. The dress features images of the previous Miss America winners on the ruffles below. The gown was also signed by the previous beauty pageant winners.
Known as the Miss America Forever gown, it paid tribute to the beauty queens who previously won the crown. The pageant's host, Laura Rutledge, introduced Emma Broyles on stage and admired the dress by calling it a "beautiful gesture."
While walking the stage wearing the dress, Emma shared how proud she was to be a part of the family. She shared,
"We couldn't be here as an organization without them."
Laura and Emma shared that the previous beauty queens of the pageant were "pillars" of the Miss America family.
If the details on the dress weren't unique enough, Viper Apparel kept the dress on display while the pageant took place. They took to Instagram and uploaded videos and photos of the past winners who attended the beauty pageant, stopping by the dress to sign it.
Grace Stanke won the Miss America 2023 pageant and a $50,000 scholarship in cash. In the second preliminary round that happened the previous day, she won an additional $2,500 scholarship. Emma is using this platform to advocate for nuclear energy.
After her win, she shared,
"I am so incredibly honored. said backstage after her victory. “I am representing the women who can. We’re not put in boxes, we’re here to make a change and change the world."
Miss New York winner Taryn Delanie Smith came in as the first runner-up and won $25,000 in scholarships. Miss Texas winner Averie Bishop came in as the second runner-up and won $20,000 in scholarships. Third runner-up Miss West Virginia, Elizabeth Lynch, won a $15,000 scholarship. Fourth runner-up, Miss Georgia Kelsey Hollis, won a $10,000 scholarship.
Miss America 2023 aired live on Thursday, December 15 at 8 pm ET only on PageantsLive.com or on the PageantsLive app on Roku, Samsung TV, and Apple TV.
