Miss Kentucky Teen USA
| Formation | 1983 |
|---|---|
| Type | Beauty pageant |
| Headquarters | Cincinnati |
| Location | |
| Members | Miss Teen USA |
Official language | English |
Key people | Melissa Proctor-Pitchford, state pageant director |
| Website | Official website |
The Miss Kentucky Teen USA competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state of Kentucky in the Miss Teen USA pageant.
Although Kentucky has not produced a Miss Teen USA titleholder, five delegates have placed as Top 5 or Top 6: Krista Keith in 1983, Kristi Dawn Hicks in 1989, April Vaughn in 1990, Kristen Johnson in 2000 and Tara Conner in 2002. Their most recent placement was Taylor Hubbard who placed in the Top 15 in 2010.
Taylor Moore of Louisville was appointed Miss Kentucky Teen USA 2026 on June 30, 2026, after the open casting call from Thomas Brodeur, the new owner of the national pageant. She will represent Kentucky at Miss Teen USA 2026.
Eligibility
The participant must be single, legally recognized female, between the ages of fourteen and eighteen years old. Specifically, the contestant has to be under nineteen years old before January 1 of the pageant year. Also, the applicant must have never been married, pregnant, or had a marriage annulled. A contestant can only be eligible if she is a United States citizen and remains a United States citizen throughout the competition at both a state and national level. She must have lived in the state she desires to compete in permanently, at least six months prior to the pageant date, or be a full-time student in the state with one semester completed by December 31 of the pageant year.
Results summary
Placement at Miss Teen USA
- 1st runner-up: Kristi Dawn Hicks (1989)
- 2nd runners-up: Krista Keith (1983), Kristen Johnson (2000), Tara Conner (2002)
- Top 6: April Vaughn (1990)
- Top 10: Lexie Kemper (1999), Amanda Nunnelley (2003)
- Top 12: Brittany Johnson (1995)
- Top 15: Sarah Withers (2005), Jefra Bland (2009), Taylor Hubbard (2010)
Kentucky holds a record of 11 placements at Miss Teen USA.
Awards
- Miss Photogenic: Lexie Kemper (1999), Kristen Johnson (2000)
Winners
- Declared as Winner
- Ended as runner-up
- Ended as one of the finalists or semifinalists
| Year | Name | Hometown | Age1 | Local title | Placement at Miss Teen USA | Special awards at Miss Teen USA | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Taylor Moore | Louisville | TBA | Miss Pikeville Teen | TBA | TBA |
|
| 2025 | Reese Burt | Lexington | 19 | Miss Keeneland Teen |
| ||
| 2024 | Karlie Holmen | Gilbertsville | 17 | Miss Purchase District Teen | |||
| 2023 | MéShyia Bradshaw | Elizabethtown | 17 | Miss Hardin County Teen |
| ||
| 2022 | Gabriella Hembree | Carrollton | 19 | Miss Two Rivers City Teen |
| ||
| 2021 | Kennedy Mosley | London | 17 | Miss London Teen |
| ||
| 2020 | Mattie Barker | Louisville | 18 | Miss Southern Kentucky Teen |
| ||
| 2019 | Emma Johns | Pikeville | 17 | Miss Pikeville Teen | |||
| 2018 | Jordan Lynn Crozier[1] | Somerset | 19 | Miss Pulaski County Teen |
| ||
| 2017 | Olivia Monet Prewitt[2][3] | Danville | 18 | Miss Danville Teen | |||
| 2016 | Christiaan Prince[4] | Grayson[4] | 15[4] | Miss Carter County Teen | |||
| 2015 | Caroline Grace Ford | Bowling Green | 18 | Miss South Central Teen |
| ||
| 2014 | Megan Ann Ducharm | Shelbyville | 18 | Miss Shelby County Teen |
| ||
| 2013 | Rebekah Grace "Gracie" Sapp | Lexington | 15 | Miss Fayette County Teen | |||
| 2012 | Tiffany Marie Cline | Georgetown | 14 | Miss Scott County Teen | |||
| 2011 | Stephanie Tyler Jones | Elizabethtown | 17 |
| |||
| 2010 | Taylor J. Hubbard[5] | London[5] | 15 | Top 15 |
| ||
| 2009 | Jefra Kaysi Bland | Campbellsville | 19 | Top 15 |
| ||
| 2008 | Shannen Reil | West Van Lear | 15 | ||||
| 2007 | Katrina Marie Giannini | Princeton | 17 |
| |||
| 2006 | Tiffany Rachelle Withrow | Ashland | 17 | ||||
| 2005 | Sarah Bryan Withers | Columbia | 18 | Top 15 | |||
| 2004 | Megan Ann Frank | Greensburg | 19 | ||||
| 2003 | Amanda Gene Nunnelley | Louisville | 17 | Top 10 |
| ||
| 2002 | Tara Elizabeth Conner[7] | Russell Springs | 16 | 2nd runner-up | Body Glove Swimsuit Award |
| |
| 2001 | Katherine Sloan Faulkner | Hazard | 17 |
| |||
| 2000 | Kristen Lynn Johnson | Slaughters | 18 | 2nd runner-up | Miss Photogenic |
| |
| 1999 | Vanessa Alexis "Lexie" Kemper[8] | Louisville | 17 | Top 10 | Miss Photogenic[9] |
| |
| 1998 | Elizabeth Ann "Lizzie" Arnold | Columbia | 18 |
| |||
| 1997 | Kelli Jones[10] | Benton | 18 |
| |||
| 1996 | Kelly Marie Sodan | Berea | 16 | ||||
| 1995 | Brittany Lea Johnson | Virgie | 18 | Top 12 | |||
| 1994 | Crystal Beth Hayden[11] | Paducah | 17 | ||||
| 1993 | Holly Renee Riggs | Paducah[11] | 18 | ||||
| 1992 | Heather Jeanette Boggess | Paducah[11] | 17 | ||||
| 1991 | Christine Jenny Jackman | Jeffersontown | 18 | ||||
| 1990 | Jennifer April Vaughn | Georgetown | 17 | Top 6 | |||
| 1989 | Kristie Dawn Hicks[12] | Bardstown | 17 | 1st runner-up |
| ||
| 1988 | Martha Elizabeth "Marti" Hendricks[13] | Danville | 18 | ||||
| 1987 | Tracy Starr Marsee[14] | Middlesboro | 15 |
| |||
| 1986 | Amy Miller | Benton | 17 | ||||
| 1985 | Leigh Ann Gregory | Lexington | 15 | ||||
| 1984 | Susan Bane "Suzy" Neclerio | Georgetown | 17 | ||||
| 1983 | Krista Kalaine Keith | Edgewood | 15 | 2nd runner-up |
1 Age at the time of the Miss Teen USA pageant
References
- ↑ Harris, Chris (2018-02-06). "Two Pulaski girls fair well in Miss Teen Kentucky pageant". Commonwealth Journal. Retrieved 2018-02-18.
- ↑ Peek, Kendra (30 January 2017). "PEOPLE: Beauty and grace: Danville teen wins Miss Kentucky Teen USA pageant". The Advocate-Messenger. p. A1, A6. Retrieved July 29, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
- ↑ Manouchehri, Kat (2017-07-24). "She's the first biracial Miss Teen Kentucky and next she'll be competing for Miss Teen USA". Lexington Herald-Leader. Retrieved 2018-02-18.
- 1 2 3 Preston, Tim. "Miss Kentucky Teen USA juggles life, work and school". Journal-Times. Retrieved 2018-02-18.
- 1 2 Dillard, Carrie (2012-10-19). "Trump has stake in Laurel teen's recovery". The Sentinel-Echo. Retrieved 2018-02-18.
- ↑ "Survivor Cast: Jefra Bland". CBS. Retrieved 2018-02-18.
- 1 2 "Former Miss USA describes life of drugs, alcohol and recovery". The Caroline Progress. 2013-12-03. Retrieved 2018-02-18.
- ↑ Hall, Christopher (30 June 1999). "Winner of state's Miss Teen has options outside pageants". The Courier-Journal. p. 44. Retrieved 18 February 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
- ↑ "Ballard Senior makes friends & memories at Miss Teen pageant". The Courier-Journal. 1999-09-08. p. 73. Retrieved 2018-02-18.
- ↑ "Kelli Jones of Benton Miss Kentucky Teen USA". The Trib: Marshall County Tribune-Courier. 2 July 1997. p. 2. Retrieved 29 July 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
- 1 2 3 Landini, Leigh (21 June 1994). "Reidland contestant wins Miss Kentucky Teen title". The Paducah Sun. p. 20. Retrieved 28 February 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- 1 2 "Miss Kentucky speaks out". The Courier-Journal. 1995-08-09. p. 35. Retrieved 2018-02-18.
- ↑ "Senior wins Miss Kentucky Teen". The Advocate-Messenger. 1988-05-12. p. 9. Retrieved 2018-02-18.
- ↑ "Set for Miss Teen pageant". The Citizens' Voice. 13 July 1987. p. 11. Retrieved 8 October 2025 – via Newspapers.com.