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Miss Arkansas USA

Beauty pageant competition

Field	Value
name	Miss Arkansas USA
formation	1952
type	Beauty pageant
headquarters	Shawnee
location	Kansas
membership	Miss USA
language	English
key_people	John M. Vannatta
Jason Vannatta
Jennifer Vannatta-Fisher
website	Official website

Jason Vannatta Jennifer Vannatta-Fisher Miss Arkansas USA, previously known as Miss Arkansas Universe, is the beauty pageant that selects the representative for the state of Arkansas in the Miss USA pageant, and the name of the title held by that winner. The pageant is directed by Vanbros and Associates.

Arkansas's most successful placement was in 1982, when Terri Utley was crowned Miss USA. The most recent placement was Mackenzie Hinderberger in 2023 who placed in the Top 20. Eight Miss Arkansas USA titleholders were former Miss Arkansas Teen USA titleholders who competed at Miss Teen USA. The longest reigning titleholder was Haley Rose Pontius in 2020, having held the title for 18 months, while the shortest titleholder was Stephanie Barber in 2021, having held the title for 10 months and 18 days.

The state pageant was directed by Premier Pageants from 2002 to 2007 before becoming part of the Vanbros organization, headquartered in Lenexa, Kansas. In 2018, Vanbros chose Fort Smith, Arkansas as the new host city of the pageant. Other host cities for the pageant have included Bentonville, Little Rock, Magnolia, and West Memphis.

The current Miss Arkansas USA is Olivia Halsey of Jonesboro who was crowned on April 13, 2025 at The Center for the Arts in Russellville. She represented Arkansas at Miss USA 2025.

Gallery of titleholders

File:Stephanie Miss Arkansas black dress.jpg|Stephanie Barber, Miss Arkansas USA 2021 File:Haley Rose Pontius.jpg|Haley Pontius, Miss Arkansas USA 2020 File:Reagan Contact Sheet C10180 (cropped).jpg|Terri Utley, Miss Arkansas USA 1982 and Miss USA 1982

Results summary

Placements

Miss USA: Terri Utley (1982)
1st Runner-Up: Margaret Haywood (1955)
2nd Runner-Up: Nancy McCollum (1956)
Top 5: Savannah Skidmore (2019)
Top 10: Chanley Painter (2009), Abby Floyd (2016)
Top 15/16/20: Waydine Nesbitt (1954), Helen Garrott (1957), Donna Needham (1959), Ann Smithwick (1968), Mary Dial (1970), Jessica Furrer (2005), Adrielle Churchill (2010), Kelsey Dow (2012), Mackenzie Hinderberger (2023), Olivia Halsey (2025)

Arkansas holds a record of 16 placements at Miss USA.

Awards

Miss Photogenic: Jennifer Sherrill (2004)
Miss Congeniality: Madeline Bohlman (2024)

Winners

;Color key

Winner
Runner-Up
Semifinalist

Year	Name	Hometown	Age	Local title	Placement at Miss USA	Special awards at Miss USA	Notes
2025	Olivia Halsey	Jonesboro	25	Miss West Little Rock	Top 20
2024	Madeline Bohlman	Fayetteville	22	Miss Northwest Arkansas		Miss Congeniality
2023	Mackenzie Hinderberger	Farmington	23	Miss Farmington	Top 20
2022	Rylie Wagner	Ozark	21	Miss Ozark
2021	Stephanie Barber	Fayetteville	22	Miss Northwest Arkansas
2020	Haley Rose Pontius	Houston	23	Miss Richland Hills
2019	Savannah Skidmore	Calico Rock	23	Miss White River	Top 5
2018	Lauren Weaver	Greenwood	21	Miss Greenwood
2017	Arynn Johnson	Hot Springs	19	Miss Hot Springs
2016	url=http://www.arkansasonline.com/news/2015/dec/13/searcy-woman-named-miss-arkansas-usa/?f=threerivers	title=Searcy woman named Miss Arkansas USA	last=Rolf	first=Carol	date=December 13, 2015	newspaper=Arkansas Online	access-date=August 20, 2016}}	Searcy	19	Miss Searcy	Top 10
2015	Leah Blefko	Fayetteville	21	Miss White River
2014	Helen Wisner	Fayetteville	25	Miss White River
2013	Hannah Billingsley	Franklin	22	Miss North Arkansas
2012	Kelsey Dow	Jonesboro	21	Miss Craighead County	Top 16
2011	Lakynn McBride	White Hall	20	Miss Central Arkansas
2010	Adrielle Churchill	Dover	24	Miss White River	Top 15
2009	Chanley Painter	Conway	24	Miss Conway	Top 10
2008	Rachel Howells	Alma	21	Miss Washington County
2007	Kelly George	Sherwood	24
2006	Kimberly Forsyth	Cabot	26
2005	Jessica Furrer	Conway	22		Top 15
2004	Jennifer Sherrill	Sherwood	19			Miss Photogenic
2003	Taylor Carlisle	Jacksonville	21
2002	Amber Boatman	Norphlet	23
2001	Jessie Davis	Harrison
2000	Whitney Moore	Cabot	22
1999	Allison Heavener
1998	Kami Tice	Huntsville
1997	Tamara Henry	Little Rock	25
1996	Tiffany Parks		20
1995	Kristen Bettis
1994	Hannah Hilliard	Little Rock
1993	Kati Fish	Hot Springs
1992	Jona Garner
1991	Angela Rockwell
1990	Kathryn Harris	Pine Bluff	18
1989	Paige Yandell	Greenwood
1988	Melissa Staples	Calion
1987	Sheri Donette Smeltzer	Smackover
1986	Rhonda Blaylock	Springdale
1985	Susan Dean	Osceola
1984	Shelly Boyd	Manila
1983	Debra Baltz	Paris
1982	last=Coghlan	first=Curtis	date=May 14, 1982	title=Miss Arkansas Crowned Miss USA	page=4	newspaper=The Daily Journal	url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/154762832/?terms=%22miss%2Barkansas%22%2B%22miss%2Busa%22	access-date=May 20, 2016	via=Newspapers.com}}	Cabot	20	Miss USA 1982
1981	Lynnanne Derryberry	Jerusalem
1980	Susie Owens	Jacksonville
1979	Cynthia Caldwell	Jacksonville
1978	Donna Funderburk	El Dorado	22
1977	Debra Duree	Texarkana
1976	Sonia Kay Jines	Conway
1975	Robin Fields	Hot Springs
1974	Gina Huddle
1973	Christal Phiffer	Texarkana
1972	url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/8349763/?terms=%22miss%2Barkansas%2Buniverse%22	title=Miss Arkansas Universe named	last=Associated Press	date=April 17, 1972	newspaper=Hope Star	page=6	access-date=August 20, 2016	via=Newspapers.com}}	Pine Bluff	21
1971	url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/31489805/?terms=%22miss%2Barkansas%2Buniverse%22	title=Shorts	date=May 11, 1971	newspaper=The Camden News	page=2	access-date=August 20, 2016	via=Newspapers.com}}	Little Rock	20
1970	url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/9279025/?terms=%22miss%2Barkansas%2Buniverse%22	title=Arkansas Beauty	date=May 1, 1970	newspaper=Northwest Arkansas Times	page=18	via=Newspapers.com}}	Malvern	21		Top 15
1969	Leonette Reed
1968	Ann Smithwick	Jacksonville	19		Top 15	Top 15 Best in Swimsuit
1967	url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/9179468/?terms=%22miss%2Barkansas%2Buniverse%22	title=UA Freshman Places Second in Contest	date=May 1, 1967	newspaper=Northwest Arkansas Times	page=8	access-date=August 20, 2016	via=Newspapers.com}}	Fort Smith	19
1966	Peggy Jones
1965	Jeri Haynie	El Dorado
1964	Barbara McGlothlin
1963	Cheryl Jane Bechtelheimer
1962	Linda Riggan	Leola
1961	Mickey Lambert
1960	Gene Chambers
1959	Donna Needham				Top 15
1958	Nancy Hill
1957	Helen Garrott				Top 15
1956	Nancy McCollum				2nd Runner-Up
1955	Margaret Haywood	Jonesboro			1st Runner-Up
1954	Waydine Nesbitt	Magnolia	21		Top 21
1953	Jackie Stucker
1952	Barbara Wathen

Notes

References

(April 3, 1973). "Pageant Winners". Hope Star.
(March 24, 1969). "March 24". The Courier News.
Prudenti, Richard Dean. (2007-04-25). "Pageant Company Selects Bentonville For Events". The Morning News.
(April 4, 1967). "To Perform". El Dorado Daily News.
(May 6, 1968). "Named at ASU". Northwest Arkansas Times.
(February 18, 1971). "Miss Universe for State to Be Named". Northwest Arkansas Times.
(April 4, 1967). "To Perform". El Dorado Daily News.
(May 6, 1968). "Named at ASU". Northwest Arkansas Times.
(February 18, 1971). "Miss Universe for State to Be Named". Northwest Arkansas Times.
Christman, Jennifer. (November 25, 2018). "PAPER TRAILS: Former Miss Arkansas wins Miss Arkansas USA crown". Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.
(September 12, 2016). "New Miss Arkansas named after Shields wins Miss America". Arkansas Online.
Rolf, Carol. (December 13, 2015). "Searcy woman named Miss Arkansas USA". Arkansas Online.
(October 21, 2017). "Dan + Shay's Shay Mooney Marries Hannah Billingsley — All the Wedding Details!". [[People Magazine]].
(25 January 1987). "Pageant Contestants Arrive". [[Albuquerque Journal]].
Coghlan, Curtis. (May 14, 1982). "Miss Arkansas Crowned Miss USA". The Daily Journal.
Associated Press. (April 17, 1972). "Miss Arkansas Universe named". Hope Star.
(May 11, 1971). "Shorts". The Camden News.
(May 1, 1970). "Arkansas Beauty". Northwest Arkansas Times.
(16 May 1968). "SWIMSUIT WINNERS". [[Fort Worth Star-Telegram]].
(May 1, 1967). "UA Freshman Places Second in Contest". Northwest Arkansas Times.
(May 1, 1967). "Magnolia Girl Wins Contest". Hope Star.
(12 July 1963). "DIXIE BEAUTIES IN MIAMI". [[Birmingham Post-Herald]].
(July 19, 1956). "Clergyman's daughter may be Miss Universe". Oshkosh Daily Northwestern.
(22 July 1954). "Pick Finalists for Miss USA". The Philadelphia Inquirer.
(24 June 1954). "Gives Up Title, Seeks New Crown". Tulsa Daily World.

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