Miss Alabama 2024 has yet to be crowned, but this year’s competition kicked off Wednesday night with a preliminary round in Birmingham.
A total of 40 women are vying for the state title, along with scholarship money and the chance to move on to the Miss America pageant.
READ MORE: Miss Alabama 2024: Meet 40 women competing for the crown
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Preliminary events held this week, Wednesday through Friday at Samford University’s Wright Center, will give each contestant a chance to strut her stuff in talent, evening wear, health and fitness and on-stage interview segments. The contestants also chat with the judges this week during off-stage interviews and showcase their community service initiatives.
Preliminaries also help to determine the semi-finalists who’ll compete on Saturday in the pageant finale. Brianna Burrell, Miss Alabama 2023, will crown her successor that evening. Also, a People’s Choice Contest allows the pubic to vote online for their favorite contestants in advance of the Miss Alabama finals. Each vote costs $1.
READ: Miss Alabama 2023, the state’s third Black woman crowned: ‘I’m proud to represent the South’
Ella Kate Nichols, left, Miss Shelby County, and Abbie Stockard, right, Miss Hoover, were the winners of Wednesday preliminary competitions for Miss Alabama 2024. Miss Alabama 2023, Brianna Burrell, is at center.(Courtesy of Miss Alabama Organization)
Wednesday’s preliminary winners were:
- Ella Kate Nichols, Miss Shelby County, earned the top score in the talent competition. Nichols, 21, sang “New York State of Mind.” She’s from Andalusia and a student at the Auburn University, majoring in human development and family science. Her community service initiative is Buckets of Smiles: Advocating for Children with Cancer.
- Abbie Stockard, Miss Hoover, earned the top score in the evening gown competition. Stockard, 21, is from Birmingham and attends Auburn University, majoring in nursing. Her community service initiative is Be the Change: Find a Cure — Cystic Fibrosis Awareness.
Wednesday’s preliminary event included production numbers by the current Miss Alabama and this year’s contestants, performing to songs such as “How Will I Know,” “Stars Fell on Alabama” and “Stronger.” Courtney Porter Orazine, Miss Alabama 2011, was the emcee for Wednesday’s event.
Judges for this year are Amanda Joseph May. Amanda Tapley McGriff, Sharron Melton, Jay Pitts and Rick Pruitt.
If you go:
The Miss Alabama 2024 competition is set for June 26-July 29 at Samford University’s Wright Center, 872 Montague Drive in Birmingham. Preliminary competitions are set for Wednesday through Friday, June 26-28, at 7 p.m. The finals are scheduled for Saturday, June 29, at 7 p.m.
Single tickets are $45-$55 Wednesday through Friday, $63-$75 on Saturday. Season ticket packages (for all four nights) are $120-$150. See the Miss Alabama website or call 205-871-6276 for more info.
