By admin 
The Miss South Carolina and Miss South Carolina’s Teen Competition returns to Township Auditorium, with contestants arriving Sunday and the preliminaries beginning June 16.
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There are 39 women competing for Miss SC and 26 for Miss Teen.
New this year is a panel of judges specifically for the talent competitions.
“It mirrors the approach taken at Miss America, where talent is evaluated by experts who live and breathe their craft,” Miss South Carolina Scholarship Organization said on Facebook.
The judges are Jeremy Hudson, Eras Tour choreographer; Miki Abraham, Broadway vocalist and actor; Yili Fan, director and screenwriter; Morihiko Nakahara, SC Philharmonic conductor and Corey Ward, The Voice semi-finalist.
Judges for the Miss South Carolina competition are Melanie R. Bridgeforth, founder of strategy firm Bridgeforth; Jacob Young, producer and director; Lisa Seagroves Nulph, dancer and Miss West Virginia 1988; Eddie Rabon, storyteller and talent agent and Lacey Whitt, educator, singer and Miss Missouri 2008.
The events are:
- Miss South Carolina’s Teen Preliminary Round — 7 p.m. Tuesday, June 16.
- Miss South Carolina Preliminary Round, 7 p.m. Wednesday, June 17
- Miss South Carolina’s Teen’s Got Talent — 5 p.m. Thursday, June 18
- Miss South Carolina’s Got Talent — 7 p.m. Thursday, June 18
- Miss South Carolina’s Teen Finals — 7 p.m. Friday, June 19
- Miss South Carolina Finals — 8 p.m. Saturday, June 20th
The contestants are judged on a private interview, health and fitness, talent, onstage conversation and red carpet/evening wear.
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Sarah Kay Wrenn, representing Lake Murray, won the 2025 Miss South Carolina competition with a platform encouraging CPR training.
She is a graduate of Clemson University.
This year marks the 89th year for the Miss South Carolina competition and 15th in Columbia.
The new Miss South Carolina will go on to the Miss America contest, now named Miss America Opportunity, at the Palm Beach County Convention Center in West Palm Beach. The final night is Sept. 6.
The reigning Miss America titleholder is Cassie Donegan, formerly Miss New York.
Miss SC Teen 2025 is LilyKate Barbare of Greer, who was appointed on Sept. 18 after Tess Ferm won Miss America’s Teen 2026. Also to be held in West Palm Beach, Miss America’s Teen will be crowned on Sept. 5.
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