Miss America 2020 Crowns Winner Miss Virginia Camille Schrier

Miss America crowned its 2020 winner. Hosted by Mario Lopez and Kit Hoover, the competition saw 51 contestants representing all 50 states and the District of Columbia competing for the crown. Airing on NBC the telecast revealed at the end of the show the winner Miss Virginia Camille Schrier. She will receive a $50,000 scholarship and a year-long full-time position advocating for a cause of their choice and represent the Miss America organization.

Schrier takes over the position from Nia Franklin, a classically trained opera singer from New York. The newly crowned Miss America pledged to use her year to educate Americans on issues of drug safety and abuse prevention from pediatrics to geriatrics.

Miss Georgia Victoria Hill was the first runner-up. In third place, Miss Missouri Simone Esters received a $20,000 scholarship.

The show went through some changes in 2019 after the Miss America organization made it clear physical appearance was no longer a priority in the competition, after eliminating the swimsuit and evening gown competitions from the show.

The events were replaced by onstage interviews and times for the participants to open up about the personal achievements, life goals, talent and a planned “social impact initiative” they would work on if they won.

The show — hosted this year by singer Kelly Rowland, Queer Eye star Karamo Brown and Superstore actress Lauren Ash — was held Thursday at the Mohegan Sun Earth Expo & Convention Center in Uncasville, Connecticut.

“This is a brand new show,” Miss America President and CEO Regina Hopper told CNN ahead of the show. “The new format is interactive, challenging and exciting and is meant to allow the judges, and the audience, to see who these incredibly smart and talented young women are. Miss America 2.0 is about a young woman competing for a job. Each phase of the competition is meant to highlight an important role of that job which is focused on advancing her chosen social impact initiative each and every day. When the winner is selected you will know her, why she won, and what she will do with her job this next year.”

During the show, Franklin opened up about her time as Miss America.

“I had a great year traveling across America raising scholarship money for women, advocating for the arts and sitting at the table of board rooms across the country,” she said at the start of the show. “So, to the next Miss America, whoever you are, knock ’em dead tonight.”