Kailee Dunn

The Miss Washington competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state of Washington in the Miss America pageant.

Abbie Kondel of Brush Prairie, Washington was crowned Miss Washington 2019 on June 29, 2019, at the Hyatt Regency Lake Washington Hotel in Renton, Washington. She will compete for the title of Miss America 2020in December 2019.

Washington first sent delegates to Miss America in 1926 and 1927 with Leona Fengler, Miss Seattle. She was sponsored by the Seattle Times (a practice common in the early days of the Miss America pageants). She was pictured by the paper leaving in a biplane for her cross-country flight to Atlantic City, where she was voted 'Prettiest Girl in an Evening Gown'.In 1987, Fendler was welcomed home and featured once again at the newly revived Miss Seattle Pageant that year.

The Depression and war years caused sporadic participation by Washington contestants to the Miss America pageant, but the Miss Washington pageant was revived in 1948 and held in Ephrata, with a $1000 scholarship being offered to the winner. In 1949 the pageant was a 'financial flop' and the winner had to seek community donations to fund her appearance at Miss America. At the time the organization was so deeply in debt that the titleholder's tiara was nearly repossessed by the manufacturer.

From 1961 to 1997 it was hosted by Vancouver, under a number of executive directors before being moved to the Tri-Cities under the directorship of Chamber President, Dorothy Schoeppach, under whose direction the local programs again grew from 9 to 22. Two years later it moved to Tacoma under the directorship of Joan Dehn and Mike Shinkle.

The pageant has been held in Renton since 2008 under the directorship of Charlie VanTramp and then to date 2013 Peggy Miller, and Patti Belik. The Miss Washington pageant is a 501-C3 scholarship organization, and sponsorship is tax deductible, although tickets to the events are not.

• 

  Evelyn Atkinson,
  Miss Washington 1922
• Laurie Nelson,
  Miss Washington 1978

• 

  Elyse Umemoto,
  Miss Washington 2007

The following is a visual summary of the past results of Miss Washington titleholders at the national Miss America pageants/competitions. The year in parentheses indicates the year of the national competition during which a placement and/or award was garnered, not the year attached to the contestant's state title.

Placements

• 2nd runners-up: Anna Mae Schoonover (1939), Sharon Vaughn (1960), Elyse Umemoto (2008)
• 3rd runners-up: Honey Castro (1986), Jacquie Brown (2011), Alicia Cooper (2017)
• 4th runners-up: Laurie Nelson (1979)
• Top 10: Lauren Waddleton (1965), Susan Buckner (1972), Leslie Mays (1974), Kathleen Moore (1974), Doris Hayes (1981), Jennifer Wall (1990), SoYoung Kwon (1992), Kristen Eddings (2007), Mandy Schendel (2013)
• Top 15: Leona Natalia Fengler (1926), Amanda Beers (2003), Danamarie McNicholl (2019)
• Top 16: Karlyne Abele (1951)
• Top 18: Gladine Sweetser (1933)

Awards

Preliminary awards

• Preliminary Lifestyle and Fitness: Sharon Vaughn (1960), Susan Buckner (1972), Leslie Mays (1974), Kristine Weitz (1982), Mandy Schendel (2013)
• Preliminary Talent: Doris Hayes (1981) (tie)

Non-finalist awards

• Non-finalist Interview: Fianna Dickson (2004)
• Non-finalist Talent: Mardi Hagen (1964), Kippy Lou Brinkman (1966), Kristine Weitz (1982), Brittney Henry (2012)

Other awards

• Miss Congeniality: N/A
• Dr. David B. Allman Medical Scholarship: Honey Castro (1986)
• Miss America Scholar: Mariana Loya (1999)
• Quality of Life Award Finalists: Mandy Schendel (2013)
• STEM Scholarship Award Winners: Lizzi Jackson (2016)