Several scholarship winners were announced Thursday on the first evening of competition at the Miss South Dakota Pageant.
Each state pageant recognizes the contestant who has raised the most money for the Children’s Miracle Network, and that contestant was Carrie Wintle of Iroquis.
Wintle was also awarded a $500 scholarship for being the top fundraiser.
The CMN Legacy scholarship is given to a contestant who excelled in a combination of marketing and volunteerism of community service for the Children’s Miracle Network campaign. This winner of this first-time $500 award, sponsored by Miss SD 2015 Autumn Simunek, was Kaitlin O’Neill of Aberdeen.
The State Community Service award recognizes commitment to providing service to others through a program or project. The three finalists for the award were Evy Johnson, Kaitlin O’Neill and Carrie Wintle. The winner of the $500 award was Carrie Wintle.
The Miss America Scholar Award of $1,000 for academic excellence was awarded to Rachel Black of Rutland. Other finalists for the award were Madeline Gould of Sioux Falls, Carrie Wintle, and Amber Hulse of Hot Springs.
The State Quality of Life award is awarded for enhancing the quality of life for others through volunteerism and community service. The three finalists for the award were Isabella Garcia, Amber Hulse and Carrie Wintle. The winner of the $500 scholarship was Amber Hulse.
The $1,000 Miss America Community Service Scholarship is given for demonstrating exemplary community service. The three finalists for this award were Rachel Evangelisto of Rapid City, Kaitlin O’Neil and Carrie Wintle, and the winner was Carrie Wintle.
Showtime for pageant this week is 6:00 p.m. on June 15, 16, and 17 at the Mueller Center in Hot Springs. A pageant parade will take place through downtown Hot Springs on Saturday the 17th at 10:00 a.m.
Tickets are available by calling (605) 745-5224 or on the website at http://www.misssd.org/buy-tickets-now. Please visit www.misssd.org for box office hours and prices.
Voting is still open for The People’s Choice at the pageant, and YOU can have a vote on who will be one of the finalists for Miss South Dakota 2017. The People’s Choice winner will compete in the pageant finals and receive a $500 People’s Choice Award Scholarship.
You can vote at http://www.misssd.org/vote-now. Each vote costs $1 and you can vote as many times for as many contestants as you wish. Proceeds will benefit the pageant scholarship fund.
The new Miss South Dakota will compete at the Miss America Pageant in Atlantic City, New Jersey, in September 2017. The Miss America Pageant will air on ABC on Sunday, September 10.