Miss America
On Sept. 10, 2017 the new Miss America will be crowned who will succeed Savvy Shields. In this picture, Sheilds is seen after winning the Miss America title on Sept. 11, 2016. Getty Images

The Miss America 2018 pageant won’t air until September on ABC, but the women from all 50 states, as well as Washington D.C., are getting ready to compete for the national title.

The competition, which will take place in Atlantic City, N.J. and air Sept. 10 on ABC, will see Chris Harrison from “The Bachelor” return as host for the ninth year consecutive year, alongside two-time co-host Sage Steele.

“It’s an honor to grace the Miss America stage as host for the ninth time,” Harrison said in a statement to ABC. “I’m extremely happy to be sharing the hosting duties once again with my friend Sage Steele. Sage is a true professional whose quick wit and charisma lights up the stage and the show.”

Judging this year’s competition will be “American Idol” winner and recording artist Jordin Sparks, model and actress Molly Sims, Entertainment Weekly and People Magazine Editorial Director Jess Cagle, and country music singer Thomas Rhett.

While pageant viewers may know who the hosts and judges are, they may be less familiar with the women who will actually be competing for the crown. Check the list below for more information and fun facts on the 51 women competing in this year’s pageant.

Miss Alabama – Jessica Procter

Jessica Procter, a 21-year-old from Tuscaloosa, Alabama, is an advocate for ending hunger and is also part of a coffeehouse acoustic duo that go by the name You and I.

Miss Alaska – Angelina Klapperich

A Wasilla, Alaska, native, Angelina Klapperich, 23, hopes to one day obtain a Master’s degree in counseling, and advocates strongly for providing compassion to others after losing a friend to suicide.

Miss Arizona – MaddieRose Holler

This 19-year-old from Phoenix, Arizona, is passionate about supporting the military and their families. She hopes to one day write a book encouraging others to pursue their dreams even with limitations, as she knows it is possible because of her own low-income diverse background, with a mother from the Phillipines and a father who serves in the Military

Miss Arkansas – Maggie Benton

According to her Instagram page, the 22-year-old is a member of Chi Omega Sorority. She says the defining moment of her life was when she visited Haiti and saw what it was like to live in a developing nation.

Miss California – Jillian Smith

The 22-year-old from Grass Valley, California, is a broadcast journalism major who comes from a family line that has seen she and six other granddaughters in the family all compete in a Miss America preliminary competition.

Miss Colorado – Meredith Winnefeld

This 23-year-old baton twirling champion suffers from a vision impairment, which has influenced her platform issue of "The Eyes Have It: Focusing Our Vision On The Future."

Miss Connecticut – Eliza Kanner

The 21-year-old journalism major from Hamden, Connecticut, hopes to one day travel to every country in the world.

Miss Delaware – Chelsea Bruce

The 21-year-old, who actually hails from Manasquan, New Jersey and wants to de-stigmatize mental illness, hopes to one day have her own political talk show.

Miss District of Columbia – Briana Kinsey

A 24-year-old Biology major from Birmingham, Alabama , Briana secretly hopes to be a castaway on "Survivor" who lasts more than one day. Should that not pan out, she also hopes to be a Pediatric Endocrinologist.

Miss Florida – Sara Zeng

This 22-year-old from Palm Coast, Florida, is passionate about music, and hopes to one day be a keyboard player for a famous musical artist.

Miss Georgia – Alyssa Beasley

According to her Instagram page, the 19-year-old Brunswick, Georgia native is a member of Zeta Tau Al pha Sorority, as well as a dancer, choreographer and model.

Miss Hawaii – Kathryn Teruya

The 21-year-old from Honolulu, Hawaii, is passionate about dental hygiene and hopes to attend dental school in the future.

Miss Idaho – Taylor Lance

The 23-year-old from Boise, Idaho, wants to bring focus on the Childhood Obesity epidemic.

Miss Illinois – Abby Foster

This 21-year-old from Danville, Illinois, secretly hopes to one day teach at a military base overseas.

Miss Indiana – Haley Begay

A 19-year-old from Pittsboro, Indiana, she stands against domestic violence and hopes to one day own an alpaca farm in the South.

Miss Iowa – Chelsea Dubczak

The 23-year-old from Holmen, Wisconsin is actually a female weightlifter and CrossFit Coach. She hopes to one day appear on MTV's "The Challenge.

Miss Kansas – Krystian Fish

The 21-year-old from Wichita, Kansas, hopes to one day audition for a Broadway Musical. She comes from a huge family that consists of 79 members solely on her father' s side.

Miss Kentucky – Molly Matney

Molly, 20, is from Center, Kentucky and grew up on a cattle farm, which has inspired a love for agriculture and food in general, as she says her secret wish or dream would be to become a recipe taste tester for the Food Network.

Miss Louisiana – Laryssa Bonacquisti

The 22-year-old-old Monroe, Louisiana native will be doing a ventriloquist act for her talent. She has previous experience performing for large crowds however, as she opened for “America’s Got Talent” winner Terry Fator.

Miss Maine – Katie Elliott

This 22-year-old from Scarborough, Maine, hopes to spread her message of female empowerment in politics and government through her platform.

Miss Maryland – Kathleen Masek

Kathleen Masek, a 22-year-old from Westminster, Maryland, understands what it’s like to grow up in a military family, after moving eight times throughout her childhood.

Miss Massachusetts – Jillian Zucco

Jillian,24, from Mattapoisett, Massachusetts, already keeps busy as both a telemetry nurse and co-director of a community-service singing group of 30 kids.

Miss Michigan – Heather Kendrick

Heather, 23, from Marysville, Michigan, appeared on “America’s Got Talent” last year with electro-pop violin band NUCLASSICA.

Miss Minnesota – Brianna Drevlow

A platform to raise awareness of Juvenile Arthritis is personal for Brianna, 23, or Thief River Falls, Minnesota. Her younger sister, Brenna, suffers from the condition.

Miss Mississippi – Anne Elizabeth Buys

Anne, 21, from Vicksburg, Mississippi, was personally affected by the devastation of Hurricane Katrina, which left her family without power or clean drinking water for a week. She also is the descendant of a World War II veteran who survived the Battle of the Bulge and has three brothers sho all range in height form 6’5”-6’9”.

Miss Missouri – Jennifer Davis

The 23-year-old from Saint Charles, Missouri, is already a published author. Her children’s book is titled “Diversity Matters.”

Miss Montana – Maddie Murray

The 18-year-old Corvallis, Montana native wants to give back at the Give Kids the World Village in Orlando, Florida, as a Disney princess.

Miss Nebraska – Allison Tietjen

Allison, a 21-year-old from Chester, Nebraska, would love to live in a developing country for a few years to give back and volunteer.

Miss Nevada – Andrea Martinez

Andrea Martinez, 23, from Las Vegas, is only competing in her third pageant ever. She aspires to one day be a Criminal Profiler with the Federal Bureau of Investigation. She also wishes there was a way to eat more Krispy Kreme donuts and get better looking abs out of it.

Miss New Hampshire – Lauren Percy

The 23-year-old, from Bow, New Hampshire, would love to one day be on ABC’s “The View.”

Miss New Jersey – Kaitlyn Schoeffel

A 24-year-old from Egg Harbor Township, New Jersey, was actually born in Atlantic City, where the pageant will be taking place.

Miss New Mexico – Taylor Rey

This 22-year-old from Las Cruces, New Mexico, has previously performed on Broadway! She appeared in Kristin Chenoweth’s “My Love Letter to Broadway” in 2016.

Miss New York – Gabrielle Walter

Gabrielle, 24, from Clarence, New York, is actually a law student who hopes to one day be able to argue a high-profile case in front of the U.S. Supreme Court.

Miss North Carolina – Victoria Huggins

Victoria, a 23-year-old from St. Pauls, North Carolina, has several hobbies, including reading, cross stitching, creative coloring and collecting Holiday Barbies.

Miss North Dakota – Cara Mund

The 23-year-old from Bismarck, North Dakota, is a relative of Victoria Claflin Woodhull, the first woman to run for U.S. President, operate a brokerage firm on Wall Street, and one of the first women to found a newspaper.

Miss Ohio – Sarah Clapper

The 23-year-old, from Louisville, Ohio, was previously a gymnast for 13 years.

Miss Oklahoma – Triana Browne

Triana Browne, 24, is an accomplished track and field athlete from Tulsa, Oklahoma, who has been instructed to go out for the USA Track and Field team for Tokyo 2020.

Miss Oregon – Harley Emery

This 20-year-old from Springfield, Oregon, once moved to and lived in the Arab nation of Jordan by herself for six weeks.

Miss Pennsylvania – Katie Schreckengast

A 21-year-old from Palmyra, Pennsylvania, she is inspired to stand up for her platform of Building Families Through Adoption because she herself was adopted from South Korea when she was six months old.

Miss Rhode Island – Nicolette Peloquin

A 21-year-old from Newport, Rhode Island, Nicolette stands for Bone Marrow awareness after having a scare with Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma and losing both of her grandparents to cancer as well.

Miss South Carolina – Suzi Roberts

A 24-year-old from Pawleys Island, South Carolina, Suzi has been an NFL Cheerleader and has also testified before the South Carolina Senate Judiciary Committee.

Miss South Dakota – Miranda Mack

Miranda, 21, from Redfield, South Dakota, hopes to one day play electric guitar in a band.

Miss Tennessee – Caty Davis

A 22-year-old from Knoxville, Tennessee, Caty is inspired by her mother’s struggle as a single parent after divorcing her father, who was addicted to alcohol and opioid drugs.

Miss Texas – Margana Wood

Margana, 22, from Houston, Texas, gets her unique name from a combination of her grandmothers’ names of Martha and Gayna.

Miss Utah – JessiKate Riley

JessiKate, 20, from Beaver, Utah, completed her senior year of high school at the same time as her freshman year at Brigham Young University.

Miss Vermont –Erin Connor

A 22-year-old from Bridport, Vermont, Erin flew a single engine 152-Cessna airplane cross-country at 17 years old on a solo flight.

Miss Virginia – Cecili Weber

Cecili, 22, from Roanoke, Virginia, was able to deliver the commencement address at her college graduation and secretly wishes to be the lead guitarist in an all-female rock band.

Miss Washington –Nicole Renard

A 22-year-old from Kennewick, Washington, has studied abroad in New Zealand and hopes to one day graduate from the Culinary Institute of America with a Bachelors degree in Baking and Pastry Arts.

Miss West Virginia –Tamia Hardy

The 22-year-old from Martinsburg, West Virginia, is inspired by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Miss Wisconsin – McKenna Collins

A 21-year-old from Waunakee, Wisconsin, once interned for U.S. House Speaker Paul Ryan.

Miss Wyoming – Cheyenne Buyert

A 19-year-old from Sheridan< Wyoming. She was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes in 2010.

The Miss America 2018 pageant airs live on ABC Sunday, Sept. 10 at 9 p.m EDT.

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