Miss Grand United States 2026 was the ninth edition of the Miss Grand USA national beauty pageant, held on August 10, 2026, at the WOW Theater in the Rio Hotel & Casino, Las Vegas, Nevada. Representatives from 29 of the 50 U.S. states and the District of Columbia competed for the national title.
At the end of the event, outgoing titleholder Ivana Garcia of Ohio, Miss Grand United States 2025, crowned Mekyla Li Bedwell of Massachusetts as her successor. Bedwell was originally set to represent the United States at Miss Grand International 2026, scheduled to be held in India, but she was relieved of her duties one week later on August 19th, when it was discovered she had violated contractual policies outlined by the Miss Grand USA Organization. It was announced on August 20th that the runner-up Victoria Oluwakotanmi of Indiana would become the new Miss Grand USA.
Two runners-up also earned spots at international pageants. Second runner-up Francie Millan of Louisiana was named Uruguay's representative to Miss Grand International 2026, while third runner-up Shelbi Byrnes of Nevada was selected as the U.S. candidate for MGI All Stars 2nd Edition, having qualified through her previous international run at Miss International 2024, where she was placed in the Top 20.
Selection of contestants While most state representatives were appointed, some state directors organized state-level competitions to select their representatives. Details of these competitions are provided below.
Pageant Edition Date Final venue Entrants 3rdHamilton Stage, UCPAC, Rahway7Miss Grand Virginia1stApril 4, 2026Historical Ballroom, Deco at CNB, Richmond14Miss Grand Maryland1stMiss Grand D.C.1stMiss Grand Florida7thMay 2, 2026Black Box Media, Miami12Miss Grand California3rdMay 9, 20269Miss Grand Texas6th May 24, 20269PM Music Venue, Houston11Miss Grand Nevada1stThe Space, Las Vegas6 Note: The archived version of the video is available here Note: The archived version of the video is available here
Results Main placement + Miss Grand United States 2026 competition result by stateColor key: RU = Runner-up
PlacementContestant Miss Grand United States 2026 Massachusetts – Mekyla Li Bedwell Indiana – Victoria Oluwakotanmi1st runner-up2nd runner-up Louisiana – Francie Millan3rd runner-up Nevada – Shelbi Byrnes4th runner-up New Mexico – Alma Gonzalez 5th runners-up California – Keshia Lee Delaware – Allison LaForce New Jersey – Jacqueline Pineda Ohio – Francis Malpica Wisconsin – Victoria Mercedes NgTop 20 Alabama – Paula Uchenna Ezendu Florida – Luisa Ganatios Illinois – Whitney Victoria Powell Maryland – Tagan Vaz-Barros Michigan – Yadira Muñoz New York – Arianna Nicolette Tice Rhode Island – Maryah Watkins Tennessee – Amanda Bell Texas – Natalie Gonzalez West Virginia – Phantasia Mason
Special awards
AwardAwardeeMiss Fan Favorite Massachusetts – Mekyla Li Bedwell Miss Congeniality Nevada – Shelbi Byrnes Miss Social Media New Mexico – Alma Gonzalez Miss Photogenic Maryland – Tagan Vaz-Barros Grand Pitch Award Louisiana – Francie Millan Grand Talent Award New York – Arianna Nicolette Tice Grand Influencer Award Wisconsin – Victoria Mercedes Ng Best Evening Wear New Jersey – Jacqueline Pineda Best in Interview Delaware – Allison LaForce Best in Swimsuit Indiana – Victoria Oluwakotanmi Best in Street Wear Nevada – Shelbi Byrnes Best State Costume Indiana – Victoria OluwakotanmiAwards for state directors Best state directorMiss Grand Texas – Leslie Galareta & Oscar Rivera Miss Grand New Jersey – Rommel Gopez Miss Grand D.C., Maryland, & Virginia – Yelena Scheidler Notes
Contestants Initially, 32 contestants representing 32 of the 51 state-level jurisdictions were confirmed to participate. However, Julia Johnston of Colorado, Nikki Raheja of Connecticut and Messiah Banks of Pennsylvania later withdrew, reducing the field to 29 contestants. StateContestantAlabamaPaula Uchenna EzenduArizonaNishka DhawanCaliforniaKeshia LeeColoradoJulia Johnston ConnecticutNikki Raheja DelawareAllison LaForceDistrict of ColumbiaLina XieFloridaLuisa GanatiosGeorgiaYetunde BabalolaHawaiiAlicia OntiverosIllinoisWhitney Victoria PowellIndianaVictoria OluwakotanmiLouisianaFrancie MillanMarylandTagan Vaz-BarrosMassachusettsMekyla Li BedwellMichiganYadira MuñozNevadaShelbi ByrnesNew JerseyJacqueline PinedaNew MexicoAlma GonzalezNew YorkArianna Nicolette TiceNorth CarolinaYukina NguyenOhioFrancis MalpicaOregonSofia McdanielPennsylvaniaMessiah Banks Rhode IslandMaryah WatkinsSouth CarolinaMikayla MosleyTennesseeAmanda BellTexasNatalie GonzalezUtahBianca Yoelix Perez-VazquezVirginiaDasha BarthWest VirginiaPhantasia MasonWisconsinVictoria Mercedes Ng
References