Miss Alabama 2022 hasn’t been crowned yet, but this year’s competition kicked off Wednesday night with a preliminary round in Birmingham.
Forty women are vying for the state title, along with scholarship money and the chance to move on to the Miss America pageant.
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 and on-stage interview segments.
Preliminaries also help to determine the semi-finalists who’ll compete on Saturday in the pageant finale. Lauren Bradford, Miss Alabama 2021, will crown her successor that evening.
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Wednesday’s preliminary winners were:
- Lindsay Fincher, Miss University of Alabama, and Kate Webb, Miss North Jefferson Area, tied for the top score in the talent competition. Fincher, 22, performed a jazz dance routine to “Bossa Nova Baby.” She is a graduate of the University of Alabama, where she majored in dance and political science. Her social impact initiative is Catalyst: Arts for All. Webb, 22, sang “My Man” from “Funny Girl.” She attends Samford University, majoring in psychology. Her social impact initiative is Arts for Alzheimer’s.
- Ibby Dickson, Miss Jefferson County, earned the top score in the red carpet competition. Dickson, 21, attends the University of North Alabama, majoring in news media. Her social impact initiative is Mentoring Matters.
Overall, each contestant receives a preliminary score that’s based on the following categories: talent (35 percent), private interview (35 percent), on-stage interview and social impact pitch (15 percent), red carpet (15 percent). Red carpet is the new wording for the evening wear category, the Miss Alabama organization says. Private interview segments are held off stage during competition week.
Judges for this year are Jim Montgomery, Natalie Nudo, Molly Hazlett Simmons, Hannah Smith Bohn and Dave Morgan.
Wednesday’s preliminary event included performances by Bradford, Hailey Adams, Miss Alabama’s Outstanding Teen 2022, and previous Miss Alabama winners such as Tiara Pennington (Miss Alabama 2019-2020), Julie Coons Peterson (Miss Alabama 1989) and Jamie Langley Henderson (Miss Alabama 2007).
Courtney Porter Orazine, Miss Alabama 2011, was the emcee for Wednesday’s event.
Miss Alabama has been celebrating its 100th anniversary in a variety of ways this year, including a concert in March, luncheons in April, a gala in May and a cookbook published in March.
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Two centennial quilts have been created, as well, using T-shirt squares that represent the themes of various Miss Alabama productions dating back to 1982. The quilts have been autographed by several former Miss Alabama winners, and they’ll go to the highest bidders in a silent auction that runs through the preliminary competitions.
IF YOU GO:
The Miss Alabama 2022 competition is set for June 29-July 2 at the Wright Center of Samford University, 872 Montague Drive, Birmingham. Preliminary competitions are set for Wednesday through Friday, June 29-July 1, at 7 p.m. The finals are scheduled for Saturday, July 2, at 7 p.m.
Single tickets are $39-$48 Wednesday through Friday, $53-$55 on Saturday. ($65 tickets for Saturday are sold out.) Season tickets (for all four nights) are $95-$135. Visit the Miss Alabama website or call 205-871-6276 for more info.
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