The Miss South Dakota USA competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state of South Dakota in the Miss USA pageant. From 2002 until 2024, Minnesota-based Future Productions produced the pageant.[1] In 2025, KPC Productions became the new production company for the pageant.[2]
| Formation | 1952 |
|---|---|
| Type | Beauty pageant |
| Headquarters | West Des Moines |
| Location | |
| Members | Miss USA |
Official language | English |
Key people | Kelly McCoy |
| Website | Official website |
South Dakota has placed five times. One notable Miss South Dakota USA was Vanessa Short Bull (2000), one of the first Native Americans to compete at Miss USA. Short Bull was also Miss South Dakota 2002. South Dakota's best placement in the competition was Madison Nipe placing in the top five in 2018.
The current titleholder is Lexus Paulson of Sioux Falls who was crowned on May 30, 2026 at the Franklin Center in Des Moines. She will represent South Dakota at Miss USA 2026.
Gallery of titleholders
Jessica Albers, Miss South Dakota USA 2013 (pictured in 2015)
Charlie Buhler, Miss South Dakota 2008
Results summary
- Top 5: Madison Nipe (2018)
- Top 10/12: Debra Ann Brickley (1974), Madison McKeown (2016)
- Top 15/16: Helen Youngquist (1958), Caroline Pettey (2021)
South Dakota holds a record of 5 placements at Miss USA.
Winners
- Color key
- Declared as Winner
- Ended as runner-up
- Ended as one of the finalists or semifinalists
| Year | Name | Hometown | Age[a] | Local title | Placement at Miss USA | Special awards at Miss USA | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Lexus Paulson | Sioux Falls | 28 | Miss Southeast SD | TBA | TBA | |
| 2025 | Megan Hiykel | Brookings | 20 | Miss SDSU | |||
| 2024 | Ahmitara Alwal | Sioux Falls | 25 | Miss Southern SD | |||
| 2023 | Amber Hulse | Hot Springs | 25 | Miss Black Hills |
| ||
| 2022 | Shania Ann Knutson | Viborg | 21 | Miss Brookings County |
| ||
| 2021 | Caroline Pettey | Rapid City | 26 | Miss Rapid City | Top 16 |
| |
| 2020 | Kalani Jorgensen | Sioux Falls | 25 |
| |||
| 2019 | Abigail Mae Merschman | Sioux Falls | 22 | ||||
| 2018 | Madison Maricie Nipe | Madison | 21 | Top 5 | |||
| 2017 | Tessa Elizabeth Dee | Mitchell | 25 |
| |||
| 2016 | Madison Marie McKeown | Sioux Falls | 20 | Top 10 |
| ||
| 2015 | Lexy Kristine Schenk | Irene | 20 |
| |||
| 2014 | Brittney Palmer | Brookings | 25 | ||||
| 2013 | Jessica Albers | Yankton | 26 | ||||
| 2012 | Taylor Neisen | Rapid City | 20 | ||||
| 2011 | Chandra Rae Burnham | Highmore | 23 | ||||
| 2010 | Emily Anne Miller | Irene | 21 | ||||
| 2009 | Jessica Rowell | Sioux Falls | 22 | ||||
| 2008 | Charlie Buhler | Mitchell | 19 | ||||
| 2007 | Suzie Heffernan | Brookings | 20 | ||||
| 2006 | Alexis LeVan | Sioux Falls | 19 | Contestant at National Sweetheart 2008 | |||
| 2005 | Jessica Lea Fjerstad | Madison | 20 |
| |||
| 2004 | Andrea Parliament | Brandon | 20 | ||||
| 2003 | Jessica Kate Lawrence | Brookings | 25 | Contestant at National Sweetheart 2001 | |||
| 2002 | Sitania Sue Syrovatka | Sioux Falls | |||||
| 2001 | Beth Lovro | Sioux Falls | |||||
| 2000 | Vanessa Shortbull | Rapid City | 21 |
| |||
| 1999 | Shawna Gross | Huron | 24 | ||||
| 1998 | Lori O'Brien | Rapid City | |||||
| 1997 | Jamie Marie Swenson | Sioux Falls | 25 | ||||
| 1996 | Caresa Winters | Huron | 20 | ||||
| 1995 | Jenny Snobeck | Sioux Falls | |||||
| 1994 | Tabetha Mauck | Mobridge |
| ||||
| 1993 | Kara Rovere | Sturgis | |||||
| 1992 | Shawn Christine Frerichs | Sioux Falls | |||||
| 1991 | Jillayne Fossum | Canton |
| ||||
| 1990 | Valerie Sejnoha | Sioux Falls | |||||
| 1989 | Nanette Enders | Watertown | |||||
| 1988 | Sandi Lynn Fix | Sioux Falls | 21 | ||||
| 1987 | Jana Van Woudenberg[3] | Canton | 18 | ||||
| 1986 | Lori Scumacher | Sioux Falls | |||||
| 1985 | Stacey Arnold | Rapid City | 21 | ||||
| 1984 | Donna Smith | Box Elder | 20 | ||||
| 1983 | Kelly Rosenbaum | Elk Point | 19 | Miss Clay County | |||
| 1982 | Meaghen Marie North | Sioux Falls | 19 | ||||
| 1981 | Joan Abbott | Irene | 19 | ||||
| 1980 | Jane Schmidt | Flandreau | 25 | ||||
| 1979 | Noele de Saint Gall | Garretson | 25 | ||||
| 1978 | Nadene Oppold | Sioux Falls | |||||
| 1977 | Ginger Thomson | Sioux Falls | |||||
| 1976 | Dorothy Kay Westphal | Sioux Falls | Miss Congeniality (tie) | ||||
| 1975 | Lanette Rabenberg | Sioux Falls | |||||
| 1974 | Debra Ann Brickley | Sioux Falls | Semi-finalist | ||||
| 1973 | Rebecca Bunkers | Brookings | |||||
| 1972 | Kathleen "Kathey" Bakke | DeSmet | |||||
| 1971 | Sonia Hart | Sioux Falls | |||||
| 1970 | Cynthia Finley | Sturgis | |||||
| 1969 | Mary Catherine Bergen | Sioux Falls | |||||
| 1968 | Byrean Blacksmith | Sioux Falls | |||||
| 1967 | Patricia Marshall | Rapid City | |||||
| 1962-1966 | Did not compete | ||||||
| 1961 | Sharon Hoffman | ||||||
| 1960 | Patricia Ann Klith | Sioux Falls | |||||
| 1959 | Jeannine Kay Stratton | Sioux Falls | 19 | ||||
| 1958 | Helen Youngquist | Sioux Falls | 20 | Semi-finalist | |||
| 1957 | Gay Marshall | Sioux Falls | 19 | ||||
| 1956 | Did not compete | ||||||
| 1955 | Phyllis Elaine Choquette | Jefferson | 19 | ||||
| 1954 | Barbara Ann Brown | Sioux Falls | 18 | ||||
| 1953 | Kathleen Herman | Bowdle | 18 | ||||
| 1952 | Marlene Margaret Rieb | Parkston | 20 | withdrew |
- ↑ Age at the time of the crowning
References
- ↑ "Miss USA & Miss Teen USA State Pageants by Future Productions". missminnesotausa.com. Retrieved 2025-08-09.
- ↑ "About Us - Miss USA - KPC Productions". 2024-12-18. Retrieved 2025-08-09.
- ↑ "MISS USA". Hawaii Tribune-Herald. 17 February 1987. p. 2. Retrieved 10 October 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
External links
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