# Miss Minnesota USA

The Miss Minnesota USA competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state of Minnesota in the Miss USA pageant. It is directed by Future Productions based in Savage, Minnesota since its inception in 1995, which also directs the state pageants for Colorado, Iowa, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wisconsin and Wyoming.
Barbara Elaine Peterson was the first Miss Minnesota USA to be crowned Miss USA (in 1976), and was also the first Miss USA to not place in the Miss Universe pageant. Her sister, Polly Peterson Bowles, was Miss Minnesota USA 1981.
In 2016, Halima Aden became the first contestant to compete wearing a burkini, and the first to wear a hijab the entire time. In 2017, Mikayla Holmgren was the first woman with Down syndrome to compete in a statewide Miss USA pageant.
The current titleholder is Muna Ali of Saint Paul was crowned on June 23, 2024, at Ames Center in Burnsville. She will represent Minnesota at Miss USA 2024.

## Gallery of titleholders

* Barbara Peterson, Miss Minnesota USA 1976 & Miss USA 1976
* Kaylee Unverzagt, Miss Minnesota USA 2008
* Kalie Wright, Miss Minnesota USA 2018

## Results summary
### Placements

* Miss USA: Barbara Peterson (1976)
* 2nd runners-up: Deborah Cossette (1977), Meridith Gould (2017)
* 3rd runners-up: Lanore Van Buren (2002)
* 4th runners-up: Kari Lee Johnson (1985)
* Top 6: Angelique de Maison (1995)
* Top 10/12: Jodell Stirmlinger (1952), Carla Reid Peterson (1980), Jolene Stavrakis (1994), Madeline Helget (2022)
* Top 15/19/20: Mary Ann Papke (1953), Dawn Joyce (1954), Kaylee Unverzagt (2008), Erica Nego (2009), Haley O'Brien (2014), Cat Stanley (2019)
Minnesota holds a record of 16 placements at Miss USA.

### Awards

* Miss Congeniality: Elizabeth Jane Carroll (1965), Janet Tveita (1990), Dottie Cannon (2006), Amber Davis (2020)
* Miss Photogenic: Paige Swenson (2000), Sarah Cahill (2003)

## Winners
### Color key

* Declared as Winner
* Ended as runner-up
* Ended as one of the finalists or semifinalists
| Year | Name | Hometown | Age$^1$ | Local title | Placement | Special awards | Notes |
| 2024 | Muna Ali | Saint Paul | 27 | Miss Minnesota City | | | |
| 2023 | Sarah Anderson | Maple Grove | 20 | Miss Maple Grove | | | |
| 2022 | Madeline Helget | Clearwater | 24 | Miss Clearwater | Top 12 | | |
| 2021 | Katarina Spasojevic | Minnetonka | 20 | Miss Minnetonka | | | Shortest reigning Miss Minnesota USA (9 months and 28 days) |
| 2020 | Taylor Fondie | Ham Lake | 22 | | | | Former Minnesota Vikings Cheerleader Longest reigning Miss Minnesota USA (1 year and 8 months) |
| 2019 | Catherine "Cat" Stanley | Bloomington | 23 | | Top 15 | | Previously Miss Minnesota Teen USA 2014 |
| 2018 | Kalie Wright | Eagle Bend | 24 | | | | Previously National Sweetheart 2014 Previously Miss Idaho 2015 |
| 2017 | Meridith Gould | Minneapolis | 22 | | 2nd Runner-Up | | Previously Miss South Dakota's Outstanding Teen 2012 Previously Miss South Dakota 2014 Eligible as a student of University of Minnesota at the time of crowning |
| 2016 | Bridget Jacobs | Maple Grove | 20 | | | | |
| 2015 | Jessica Scheu | Prior Lake | 23 | | | | |
| 2014 | Haley O'Brien | Excelsior | 21 | | Top 20 | | Previously Miss Minnesota Teen USA 2010 Previously Miss Collegiate America 2012 |
| 2013 | Danielle Hooper | Inver Grove Heights | 20 | | | | |
| 2012 | Nitaya Panemalaythong | Savage | 26 | | | | Born in Thailand |
| 2011 | Brittany Thelemann | Plymouth | 23 | | | | Cousin of Olivia Herbert, Miss Minnesota Teen USA 2019 |
| 2010 | Courtney Basara | Duluth | 20 | | | | |
| 2009 | Erica Nego | Plymouth | 24 | | Top 15 (12th place) | | Later Miss Universe Ghana 2011 |
| 2008 | Kaylee Unverzagt | Eagan | 20 | | Top 15 (15th place) | | |
| 2007 | Alla Ilushka | Eden Prairie | 22 | | | | Previously Miss Minnesota Teen USA 2002 and Top 10 at Miss Teen USA 2002 |
| 2006 | Dottie Cannon | Eagan | 22 | | | Miss Congeniality | |
| 2005 | Carrie Lee | Sebeka | 25 | | | | |
| 2004 | Jessica Dereschuk | Stacy | 20 | | | | |
| 2003 | Sarah Cahill | Waseca | 24 | | | Miss Photogenic | Previously Miss Minnesota Teen USA 1996 |
| 2002 | Lanore Van Buren | Edina | 26 | | 3rd Runner-Up | Bluepoint Apparel Swimsuit and Fitness Award | |
| 2001 | Anne Marie Clausen | Golden Valley | 23 | | | | |
| 2000 | Paige Swenson | Fridley | | | | Miss Photogenic | Previously Miss Minnesota Teen USA 1994 |
| 1999 | Crystal Vandenberg | Brooklyn Center | 19 | | | | |
| 1998 | Josan Hengen | Eden Prairie | 19 | | | | |
| 1997 | Melissa Hall | Minneapolis | | | | | |
| 1996 | Karin Smith | Brooklyn Park | 25 | | | | |
| 1995 | Angelique de Maison | St. Louis Park | | | Finalist (5th place) | | |
| 1994 | Jolene Stravrakis | Burnsville | | | Semifinalist (10th place) | | |
| 1993 | Kristi Bennecke | Anoka | | | | | |
| 1992 | Amber Rue | Minneapolis | | | | | |
| 1991 | April Ann Herke | Eden Prairie | | | | | |
| 1990 | Janet Tveita | Minneapolis | | | | Miss Congeniality | |
| 1989 | Julie Knutson | Crystal | 22 | | | | |
| 1988 | Sue Bolich | Mound | | | N/A$^2$ | | |
| 1988 | Jolene Stavrakis | Apple Valley | | | N/A$^2$ | | |
| 1988 | Julie Nelson | Bloomington | | | | | |
| 1987 | Christine Rosenberger | South St. Paul | | | | | |
| 1986 | Cynthia Jane Peterson | Edina | | | | | |
| 1985 | Kari Lee Johnson | Minneapolis | | | 4th Runner-Up | | |
| 1984 | Martha Mork | Edina | | | | | |
| 1983 | Carolyn Mattson | New Hope | | | | | |
| 1982 | Lori Kmetz | New Brighton | | | | | |
| 1981 | Polly Peterson | Edina | | | | | sister of Miss USA 1976 Barbara Peterson |
| 1980 | Carla Peterson | Albert Lea | | | Semifinalist (12th place) | | |
| 1979 | Cynthia Sue Lee | St. Paul | | | | | |
| 1978 | Janey Gohl | St. Cloud | | | | | |
| 1977 | Deborah Cossette | Minneapolis | | | 2nd Runner-Up | | |
| 1976 | Barbara Elaine Peterson | Edina | | | Miss USA 1976 | | Non-semi-finalist at Miss Universe 1976 |
| 1975 | Dawn Lamotte | St. Paul | | | | | |
| 1974 | Gayle Johnson | Minneapolis | | | | | |
| 1973 | Cyndi James | Minneapolis | | | | | |
| 1972 | Darlene Koskiniemi | Roseville | | | | | |
| 1971 | Shirley Kittleson | Sherburn | | | | | |
| 1970 | Sally Strickland | St. Paul | | | | | |
| 1969 | Laureen Darling | Minneapolis | | | | | |
| 1968 | Arlene Larson | Minneapolis | | | | | |
| 1967 | Betty Ann Brewer | Richfield | | | | | |
| 1966 | Patricia Thatcher | Austin | | | | | |
| 1965 | Elizabeth Jane Carroll | Bloomington | | | | Miss Congeniality | |
| 1960-64 | No Representative | No Representative | No Representative | No Representative | No Representative | No Representative | No Representative |
| 1959 | Muriel Fairbanks | Minneapolis | | | | | |
| 1958 | Sue Bouchard | Minneapolis | | | | | |
| 1957 | Mary Margaret Ford | Minneapolis | | | | | |
| 1956 | Marilyn Johnson | Minneapolis | | | | | |
| 1955 | Sally Ann Colombo | Stillwater | | | | | |
| 1954 | Dawn Joyce | Minneapolis | | | Semifinalist (Top 19) | | |
| 1953 | Mary Ann Papke | Minneapolis | | | Semifinalist (Top 20) | | |
| 1952 | Jodell Stirmlinger | St. Paul | | | Semifinalist (Top 10) | | |
$^1$ Age at the time of the Miss USA pageant $^2$ Contestant resigned title before the Miss USA pageant