The Miss New Jersey competition is an annual pageant held to select the representative for the state of New Jersey in the Miss America pageant.
Two Miss New Jersey winners have gone on to hold the title of Miss America: Bette Cooper who won in 1937 and Suzette Charles who did not win, but took over the title for the last 7 weeks of Vanessa Williams's reign in 1984. They also have one unofficial Miss America: Dorothy Hann (1932).
In the fall of 2018, the Miss America Organization terminated the Miss New Jersey organization's license as well as licenses from Florida, Georgia, New York, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, and West Virginia. On December 26, 2018; MAO reinstated the license for the Miss New Jersey organization for one year, contingent on leadership changes and the recruitment of new sponsors and board members.
Kylie Wright of Egg Harbor Township was crowned Miss New Jersey on June 20, 2026, at the Ocean City Music Pier in Ocean City, New Jersey. She competed for the title of Miss America 2027 on September 6, 2026, at the Kravis Center for the Performing Arts in West Palm Beach, Florida.
Gallery of past titleholders
Results summary The following is a visual summary of the past results of Miss New Jersey titleholders at the national Miss America pageants/competitions. The year in parentheses indicates the year of the national competition during which a placement and/or award was garnered, not the year attached to the contestant's state title.
Placements Miss America: Bette Cooper (1937) 1st runners-up: Kathryn M. Gearon (1921), Suzette Charles (1984) 2nd runners-up: Magaret Bates (1921), Cheryl Carter (1970), Suzanne Plummer (1974), Therese Hanley (1981), Jennifer Makris (1995), Kaitlyn Schoeffel (2018) 3rd runners-up: Ruth Brady (1938), Madeline Layton (1942), Mary D'Arcy (1978) Top 10: Emerita Monsch (1924), Emily Borbach (1924), Kathleen Harris (1943), Betty Jane Crowley (1949), Michele Sexton (1994), Victoria Paige (2000), Jill Horner (2001) Top 12: Mary Dillinger (1935), Elizabeth Koehler (1935) Top 15: Edith Becker (1924), Helen Corcoran (1925), Frances M. Glowaski (1925), Evelynne Jeanne Crowell (1926), Mildred Morlock (1926), Carolyn Pierson (1927), Margo Lundgren (1939), Delores Mendes (1947), Jennifer Farrell (2004), Jade Glab (2020) Top 16: June Stephens (1951) Top 18: Gertrude Christman (1933)
Awards Preliminary awards Preliminary Fitness: Kylie Gene Wright (2027) Preliminary Evening Wear: Alicia Luciano (2003) Preliminary Lifestyle & Fitness: Suzanne Plummer (1974), Kathy Nejat (1998) Preliminary On Stage Interview: Jade Glab (2020) Preliminary Talent: Ruth E. Brady (1938), Suzette Charles (1984), Heather Hertling (1993), Kylie Gene Wright (2027)
Non-finalist awards Non-finalist Talent: Marilyn Beryl Rockafellow (1959), Georgia Malick (1963), Linda Gialanella (1973), Debra Naley (1982), Patricia La Terra (1985), Patricia Bowman (1989), Laura Murray (1990), Heather Hertling (1993), Dena Querubin (1996), Kathy Nejat (1998), Stephanie Ferrari (1999), Erica Scanlon (2005), Amy Polumbo (2008)
Other awards Miss Congeniality: Betty Jane Crowley (1949) (tie), Patricia Condon (1954) Amateur Beauty Award: Kathryn M. Gearon (1921) Amateur Beauty Award Second Prize: Mary Elizabeth Edwards (1922) Amateur Beauty Award Third Prize: Estelle Marks (1922) Jean Bartel Social Impact Initiative 2nd runner-up: Alyssa Sullivan (2022) Overall Elegance and Lifestyle Award: Alicia Luciano (2003) Quality of Life Award Winners: Dena Querubin (1996), Lindsey Gianinni (2016) Quality of Life Award 2nd runners-up: Jill Horner (2001), Ashleigh Udalovas (2011) Quality of Life Award Finalists: Jaime Gialloreto (2019), Cierra Kaler-Jones (2014)
Winners