Abbie Stockard, Miss Hoover, takes the crown

Abbie Stockard is the new Miss Alabama.

Stockard, 21, was crowned Saturday night at Samford University’s Wright Center in Birmingham. She competed as Miss Hoover, beating out 39 other contestants for the 2024 state title. Stockard will represent Alabama in the Miss America pageant.

Stockard succeeds Brianna Burrell, Miss Alabama 2023, as Miss Alabama. Burrell crowned her successor at the Wright Center on Saturday, and Stockard received a bouquet of roses.

“I’m kind of lost for words,” Stockard told AL.com after his win. “I’m so excited. I’m so honored and I can’t believe I have the opportunity to represent Alabama this year.”

Stockard, originally from Birmingham, is a student at Auburn University, where she is majoring in nursing. According to her Miss Alabama bio, she plans to gain experience in critical care and apply to nurse anesthesia school after graduation. Her goal is to earn a graduate degree, a doctorate in nursing practice in anesthesia, and specialize in pediatrics.

The new Miss Alabama’s one-year reign begins immediately. She will make public appearances, participate in charity work, speak to community groups, motivate students and much more. Stockard’s community service initiative is Be the Change: Find a Cure — Cystic Fibrosis Awareness.

“I am so happy to have this platform of influence to truly make a difference in the lives and hearts of the people of Alabama,” Stockard said. “This is my third year competing for the title of Miss Alabama, and for a long time, I have put in a lot of work and effort to get there. I have big plans for this year, and I’m so happy to have the chance to make them happen. »

“My main goal is obviously to increase the visibility of the organization (Miss Alabama),” Stockard said. “I want to use social media. I want to continue the ultimate mission of this organization, which is to empower young women. I want to drive recruitment. I want to expand my service initiative to raise awareness of cystic fibrosis. I want to make service the center of my reign and everything that I do. I truly believe that I have a heart of compassion and empathy, and I want to use that to touch the lives and hearts of Alabamans.”

Stockard was one of 13 semi-finalists chosen during the competition’s finale on Saturday, competing in segments focused on talent, on-stage interviews, evening gown and health and fitness. For her talent, she performed a contemporary dance to “You Say” by Lauren Daigle. (At Auburn, Stockard is a member of the Tiger Paws dance team.)

Three rounds of preliminary pageants for Miss Alabama 2024 took place Wednesday through Friday at the Wright Center, offering all 40 contestants a chance to strut their stuff in segments of talent, evening gown, health and fitness and interview on stage. The contestants also spoke with the judges this week in off-stage interviews and showcased their community service initiatives.

Stockard won two preliminary awards this week, earning the top score in the evening gown competition on Wednesday and the talent competition on Friday.

The scores from the preliminaries were used to create a composite score that was considered by the judges on Saturday and weighted 30% of each competitor’s final score. This score was added to Saturday’s scores for talent, evening gown and health and fitness (each weighted 20%) and onstage questions (10%).

Miss Alabama, like the Miss America Organization, no longer holds a swimsuit competition. It was eliminated at Miss America in 2018, and Miss Alabama followed suit in 2019. However, a health and fitness segment was added this year, and contestants modeled activewear designed for the Miss America Organization.

Additionally, this year’s People’s Choice competition allowed the public to vote online for their favorite contestants ahead of the Miss Alabama finale. Each vote costs $1. The contestant with the most votes earned a spot among the top 13 semifinalists on Saturday. Voting took place Friday night, according to the Miss Alabama organization.

The top 13 semi-finalists this year were:

• Dominique Verville, Miss Cahaba Valley
• Muse ImaniMiss Birmingham
• Chloe YatesMiss Phenix City
• Maddi HeathMiss Jubilee
• Lauren VanceMiss Covered Bridge
• Mikela AndersonMiss Appalachian Valley
• Ibby DicksonMiss Springville Historical
• Emma Terry, Miss Jefferson County
• Mary-Coker GreenMiss Auburn University
• Marissa LunaMiss University of Alabama
• Abbie StockardMiss Hoover
• Emma Wright, Miss Tennessee Valley
• Hannah AdamsMiss Bay Mobile

Later Saturday, the list of finalists was narrowed down to the top five. They were:

• Abbie StockardMiss Hoover
• Emma Terry, Miss Jefferson County (First Runner-Up)
• Marissa LunaMiss University of Alabama
• Maddi HeathMiss Jubilee
• Hannah AdamsMiss Mobile Bay

Although the glitzy onstage activities are the most public aspect of the Miss Alabama pageant, important scholarships are at stake behind the scenes. Cash scholarships in various categories are awarded to contestants during competition week, totaling $126,500 this year, according to the Miss Alabama pageant guide.

The Miss Alabama title comes with a $15,000 scholarship. First runner-up receives $5,000; second runner-up receives $3,000; third runner-up receives $2,500; the fourth runner-up receives $2,000, entirely in scholarships.

The other semi-finalists each receive $1,500 in scholarships. The remaining contestants each receive $1,250 for entering the competition. More than 40 other cash scholarships, ranging in amount from $100 to $5,000, are awarded by the competition’s scholarship committee and various donors.

The winners of this week’s preliminaries will each receive a $500 scholarship, according to the contest guide. The winners of the evening gown preliminaries will each receive a $300 scholarship.

Several state colleges and universities also offer in-kind scholarships to the winner and other applicants, paying for tuition, fees and other expenses.

This year’s judges were Amanda Joseph May, Amanda Tapley McGriff, Sharron Melton, Jay Pitts and Rick Pruitt.

Tammy Little Haynes, Miss Alabama 1984, was the emcee for Saturday’s program. The program featured production numbers from Miss Alabama 2023 and this year’s contestants, performing songs such as “How Will I Know,” “Stars Fell on Alabama” and “Stronger.” Miss Alabama Teen 2024 Ali Mims also performed in the finale. Tiara Pennington, Miss Alabama 2019-2020, sang the national anthem.