HOT SPRINGS – Thirteen young women from around the state will compete for the title of Miss South Dakota’s Outstanding Teen 2019 at 7 p.m. Thursday and Friday.
The teen competition will be held in conjunction with the Miss South Dakota Competition at the Oscar Larson Performing Arts Center, on the South Dakota State University campus in Brookings. Tickets are available at misssd.tix.com.
The new Miss South Dakota’s Outstanding Teen will take home at least $2,000 in scholarships.
The public has a chance to vote for “Fan Favorite.” The contestant with the most votes will receive a $500 cash prize. Votes cost $1 each and proceeds will provide scholarships through the Miss SD Scholarship Foundation. Vote at https://www.misssd.org.
The new titleholder will compete at the 2019 Miss America’s Outstanding Teen Competition which will be held in Orlando, Florida, July 23-25. The teen pageant is open to young women ages 13-17.
The pageant will feature Jessica Benson of Rapid City, the current Miss South Dakota’s Outstanding Teen. Benson represented South Dakota at the Miss America’s Outstanding Teen Competition last July.
The young women competing are (name, age, title, hometown, talent, and platform):
• Afton Riggs, 15, Miss Mitchell’s Outstanding Teen, Sioux Falls; talent: lyrical dance; platform: Beyond the Box
• Anna Calhoon, 16, Miss State Fair’s Outstanding Teen, Chancellor; talent: color guard performance; platform: Project Blue Light
• Breanna Bossman, 17, Miss Sioux Empire’s Outstanding Teen, Humboldt; talent: lyrical dance; platform: Drive Smart, Drive Safe, Drive Secure
• Cate Berkheimer, 16, Miss Hot Springs’ Outstanding Teen, Rapid City; talent: ballet en pointe; platform: Young Life
• Danielle Nowell, 14, Miss Once Upon a Festival’s Outstanding Teen, Hitchcock; talent: vocal and piano; platform: Exploring Your Roots
• Janelle Dickau, 16, Miss Brookings’ Outstanding Teen, Alcester; talent: poetic monologue; platform: Teen2Teen
• Javonte Madsen, 15, Miss Rolling Plains’ Outstanding Teen, Rapid City; talent: vocal; platform: Why Fit in When You Were Born to Stand Out
• Kate Dailey, 16, Miss Missouri Valley’s Outstanding Teen, Mitchell; talent: piano; platform: You Go Girl: Helping to Build Confidence and Positive Self-images in Young Kids
• Laney Titze, 16, Miss Railroad Junction’s Outstanding Teen, Mitchell; talent: piano; platform: Art For All
• Lauren Whyte, 15, Miss Christmas in the Hills’ Outstanding Teen, Rapid City; talent: show vocal; platform: Arts Matter!
• Madeline Schuelke, 17, Miss Jacks’ Outstanding Teen, Groton; talent: lyrical dance; platform: Let’s Get United!
• Megan Clark, 17, Miss Wheel Jams’ Outstanding Teen, Huron; talent: vocal; platform: Suicide Prevention Awareness
• Payton Steffensen, 16, Miss Siouxland’s Outstanding Teen, Yankton; talent: musical theatre style dance; platform: Project TWC: Together We Can
The contestants will be judged on talent, private interview, evening wear, lifestyle and fitness in sportswear, scholastic achievement and on-stage question.
For more information, visit www.MissSD.org.
