COLUMBUS, Ga. — A new Miss Georgia and Miss Georgia’s Teen have been crowned after the 81st annual scholarship pageants were held over the weekend.
This year’s Miss Georgia pageant featured 99 contestants from around the state. The judges declared Miss Northwest Georgia Sophia Wootten as the 2026 winner.
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The 21-year-old from Peachtree City attends the University of Georgia. Wootten’s community service initiative is “AccessAbility: Disability Advocacy in Education.”
Wootten won a $25,000 scholarship and will represent Georgia in Miss America pageant. The runner ups earned scholarships between the amounts of $1,000-$6,500.
The remaining semifinalists received $500 scholarships.
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For Miss Georgia’s Teen scholarship pageant, there was a total of 47 contestants. Miss Capital City’s Teen Melony Tidmore took home the crown.
The 17-year-old from Powder Springs attends Liberty University Online Academy. She combined her love and talent for dance to choose her community initiative “Dance: A Movement towards Better Health.”
Tidmore won a $5,000 scholarship and will represent Georgia in Miss America’s Teen. The runner-ups earned $500-$2,000 in scholarships while the remaining semifinalists received $250.
Wootten and Tidmore will compete in the 2027 Miss America and 2027 Miss America’s Teen pageants in Florida this September.
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