Miss Wisconsin

Beauty pageant competition
the state pageant affiliated with Miss USA

The Miss Wisconsin competition is the pageant, held annually in Oshkosh, that selects the representative for the U. S. state of Wisconsin in the annual Miss America pageant. Wisconsin has won the Miss America crown three times (1973, 2012, and 2023). Grace Stanke of Wausau was crowned Miss Wisconsin 2022 on June 18, 2022. She represented Wisconsin and won the title of Miss America 2023 on December 16, 2022, in Uncasville, Connecticut. On December 26, 2022, the Miss Wisconsin Organization announced that the 2022 Miss Wisconsin pageant 1st runner up Kylene Elizabeth Spanbauer of Fond du Lac will assume the title of Miss Wisconsin 2022. She was subsequently officially crowned in January 2023 by Grace Stanke in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. The 2023 Miss Wisconsin pageant was held on June 24, 2023, at the Alberta Kimball Civic Auditorium at Oshkosh West High School in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. After placing in the top ten in 2022 as Miss Sugar Maple, Lila Hui Szyryj of Madison competed and won the 2023 Miss Wisconsin title as Miss South Central, a state open title she won in Beloit on January 7, 2023. She was named the Wednesday (June 21, 2023) preliminary talent winner and later bested 24 other women to win the state pageant held on June 24, 2023, at Oshkosh West High School's Alberta Kimball Auditorium, where the state pageant has been held since 1963. This year marked the 60th year anniversary for Oshkosh to host the competition. There was no pageant held in 2020 due to the COVID 19 health pandemic.

The following is a visual summary of the past results of Miss Wisconsin 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.

Year Name Hometown Age Local title Miss America talent Placement at Miss America Special scholarships at Miss America Notes2023 Lila Hui Szyryj Madison 22 Miss South Central Classical piano, "Revolutionary Etude" by Frederic Chopin She is the fifth Asian American, first Chinese American, and first Madison native to win Miss Wisconsin.2022Kylene Elizabeth SpanbauerFond du Lac23Miss Harbor CitiesBaton, "Holding Out for a Hero" colspan="3" Previously Miss Wisconsin's Outstanding Teen 2016 Grace Stanke Wausau 20 Miss Badgerland Classical Violin, "The Storm" by Antonio VivaldiWinner Preliminary Talent Award Winner Previously Miss Wisconsin's Outstanding Teen 2017; first woman to hold both state titles 2021 Jennifer Marie Schmidt Racine 25 Miss Rock River Valley Jazz DanceSTEM Scholarship 2nd runner up 2019–20Alyssa Marie BohmMount Pleasant24Tap Dance, "Feeling Good"2018Tianna Marie VanderheiWisconsin Rapids25Miss Wood VioletContemporary Dance, "Lean on Me" by Bill Withers Top 15 Preliminary On Stage Interview Award Competed for Miss Wisconsin six times, a state pageant record2017 McKenna Holly Collins Waunakee 20 Miss Madison Ballet en Pointe, “Habanera” from Carmen Previously a company member at the Madison BalletDaughter of Wisconsin's Alice in Dairyland 1992, Kristan Ann Conrad 2016 Courtney Jean Pelot Manitowoc 22 Miss Green Bay Area Dance, "Burnin' Up" by Jessie J 2015 Rosalie Elizabeth Smith Waukesha 19 Miss New Berlin Lyrical Dance, "Heaven" by Beyoncé 2014 Raeanna Mary Johnson Holmen 24 Miss Madison Lyrical Dance, "Hallelujah" 3rd runner up at National Sweetheart 2011 pageantFirst woman to hold the Miss Wisconsin title twice4th runner up at Miss Wisconsin USA 2017 pageant2013 Paula Mae Kuiper Mount Pleasant 19 Miss Madison Piano, "Hungarian Rhapsody" Top 122012 Kathryn (Kate) Bess Gorman Onalaska 23 Miss La Crosse/Oktoberfest Vocal, "20th Century Fox Mambo" from Smash2011 Raeanna Mary Johnson Holmen 21 Miss Seven Rivers Lyrical Dance, "Hallelujah" by Alexandra Burke colspan=3 Laura Kaeppeler Kenosha 23 Miss Southern Wisconsin Operatic Vocal, "Il Bacio" by Luigi Arditi Winner Preliminary Talent Award Contestant at National Sweetheart 2010 pageantMarried TV producer, Mike Fleiss in 20142010 Kimberly Brooke Sawyer Egg Harbor 22 Miss Green Bay Area Classical Vocal, "Donde lieta uscì" from La bohème2009 Kristina Kelly Smaby Holmen 22 Miss Madison Ballet en Pointe, "River Deep – Mountain High"2008 Briana Rose Lipor Racine 21 Miss South Central Classical Vocal, "Chi Il Bel Sogno di Doretta" from La rondine2007 Christina Anna Thompson Pleasant Prairie 23 Miss Madison Classical Violin, "Praeludium & Allegro" by Fritz Kreisler Top 82006 Meghan Marie Coffey New Berlin 22 Miss New Berlin Baton Twirling, "Stuff Like That There" Previously Wisconsin's National Teenager 20032005 Tracy Ann Gest Menomonee Falls 20 Miss New Berlin Classical Piano, "Morceaux de fantaisie" Previously Beauties of America Teen 20032004 Molly Jean McGrath Wisconsin Rapids 22 Miss Madison Theatrical Ballet en Pointe, "All That Jazz" Quality of Life Award Finalist2003 Tina Marie Sauerhammer Green Bay 22 Miss Madison Classical Cello, "Le cygne" 2nd runner up Preliminary Talent Award2002 Jayme Michel Dawicki New Berlin 22 Miss Southern Wisconsin Classical Piano, "Wedding Day at Troldhaugen"2001 Laura Margaret Herriot Princeton 23 Miss Berlin Vocal, "Oh, Lady Be Good!" Quality of Life Award Finalist2000 Joya Josephine Zamora Kenosha 23 Miss Eastern Shore Vocal, "Life Is Just a Bowl of Cherries" Non finalist Talent Award1999 Mary Louise Kurey Brookfield 24 Miss West Allis Classical Vocal, "Il Bacio" Top 10 Bernie Wayne Performing Arts AwardPreliminary Talent Award1998 Jill Marie Patzner Arcadia 22 Miss Western Wisconsin Semi classical Vocal, "Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again" from The Phantom of the Opera 1997 Nicole Jean Locy Glendale 22 Miss Western Wisconsin Vocal, "Someone Else's Story" from Chess Non finalist Interview Award1996 Jennifer Marie Streblow Oshkosh 18 Miss Oshkosh Vocal, "Someone Like You" from Jekyll & Hyde1995 Pamela Lynn Polk Berlin 22 Miss Southeastern Wisconsin Vocal, "Operator"1994 Laura Jean Voss Green Bay 22 Miss Green Bay Semi classical Vocal, West Side Story Medley1993 Tania Elizabeth Ziegler Fond du Lac 18 Miss Fond du Lac Classical Violin, "Bruch's Concerto No. 1 in G Minor" Top 101992 Stephanie Klett Beloit 25 Miss Wisconsin Central Coronet Medley, "Basin Street Blues" & "Ciribiribin" Non finalist Talent Award Later Secretary of the Wisconsin Department of Tourism Milwaukee 18 Miss Milwaukee Mid Summer Festival Artistic Caricature of President Franklin D. Roosevelt Top 151940No Wisconsin representative at Miss America pageant1939193819371936 Aline Fern Schwartz Milwaukee 18 Miss Milwaukee1935No Wisconsin representative at Miss America pageant 1934No pageant was held1933 Marie Marguerite Huebner Portage 20 Miss Portage Top 18 Marie Huebner Raimer died at 93 on February 15, 2007, in Puyallup, Washington after a brief illness. 1932No pageants were held 1931 1930 1929 19281927 Marjorie Mae Leffingwell Madison / Rio, Wisconsin Miss Madison Marjorie Mae Leffingwell Grate died at age 83 in Madison, Wisconsin on December 23, 1992. Multiple Wisconsin representativesContestants competed under local title at Miss America pageant Virginia June Hillyer Fort Atkinson 17 Miss Wisconsin Virginia June Hillyer Kincaid died at 77 of heart complications in Panama City, Panama on November 25, 1986.1926 Dorothy Bernadine Seiler Madison Miss Madison Dorothy Bernadine Seiler Bowley died at age 90 on April 3, 1996, in Augusta, Wisconsin. Multiple Wisconsin representativesContestants competed under local title at Miss America pageant Florence Andrees Milwaukee Miss Milwaukee Name not known Miss Racine1925 Virginia Sara Armstrong Milwauke Miss Milwaukee Was later named Miss South Bend (Indiana) 1927. Virginia "Ginny" Sara Armstrong Mahn died in Mount Dora, Florida, on July 16, 2009, at age 99. No Miss WisconsinCompeted under local title at Miss America pageant1924 Clara Ethel Koehler Milwaukee 26 Miss Milwaukee Top 15 Clara Ethel Koehler Lord died in Milwaukee at age 86 on June 30, 1984. She was the only contestant from Wisconsin to compete at Miss America who was born in the 19th century (June 1898). No Miss WisconsinCompeted under local title at Miss America pageant1923No Wisconsin representative at Miss America pageant19221921