Meet Madison Marsh
A new day has dawned for Miss America with a new CEO, a new name, a new venue, a new pillar to the crown, and a new sense of purpose. Welcome to Miss America 2024. The Miss America Opportunity and its 51 state delegates, under the leadership of new CEO Robin Fleming, ventured to Orlando, Florida, to welcome a new time period for the pageant. With the 5 pillars of the Miss America crown of Service, Style, Scholarship, Success, and Sisterhood firmly on display, the organization, delegates, fans, and supporters eagerly awaited the new era and the promise of “Bringing Back the Magic” that has been synonymous with Miss America for over 100 years.
Immediately following the introduction of the 51 state representatives, the Top 11, consisting of a Top 10, with the additional People’s Choice delegate, were announced: Miss Texas Ellie Breaux, Miss North Carolina Taylor Loyd, Miss Indiana Cydney Bridges, Miss Kansas Courtney Wages, Miss Colorado Madison Marsh, Miss Maryland Kennedy Taylor, Miss Florida Juliette Valle, Miss Rhode Island Caroline Parente, Miss Kentucky Mallory Hudson, Miss Arkansas Cori Keller, and Miss New York Amelia Collins. At the conclusion of the night’s competitions, one of these empowered young women would capture the crown of Miss America 2024.
Beginning the competition on an even stage with a clean slate, each semi-finalist would have an equal opportunity in her journey to the crown. The four final competitions of Fitness, On-stage Conversation, and Talent would carry an equal weight of 25%, with the Top 5 addressing the Final Question for the remaining percentage.
Fitness, Talent, and the always elegant Evening Gown competitions remained a Miss America stalwart of competition and the newly introduced format of the On-Stage Conversation brought renewed excitement to the audience. Seated on-stage, the finalists, in a random order, addressed pertinent topics related to America such as Terrorism, Families, Education, Money, Drugs, Climate Change, Women, Politics, Nutrition, Technology, and Immigration. It was a unique addition to Miss America, one that could not be prepared for, and the finalists displayed a knowledgeable comprehension of the topics our country faces on a daily basis.
With the conclusion of the four competitions, the Top 5 were announced: Miss Rhode Island, Miss Indiana, Miss Kentucky, Miss Colorado, and Miss Texas. These five had captured the eyes of the judges and would continue onto the Final Question in their quest for the crown and title of Miss America 2024. Here were the presented questions: What social media campaign would you launch, what would you want to be known for, how would you connect with the general public, how has your job equipped you to be Miss America, and if you were chosen as Miss America, what would you do with the opportunity?
A crescendo of applause and screams of approval rose throughout the auditorium with each proclamation: 4th Runner-up Miss Rhode Island, 3rd Runner-up Miss Kentucky, and 2nd Runner-up Miss Indiana. With the final two embracing center stage, the crowd erupted as Miss Texas earned 1st Runner-up with the announcement that Miss Colorado Madison Marsh had captured the title of Miss America 2024.
Pageantrymagazine recently spoke with Miss America 2024 Madison Marsh about her competition experience, her personal platform, and her place as a role model, being she is the first active-duty Miss America as an Air Force 2nd Lieutenant officer.
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