Miss California

The Miss California competition selects the representative for the state of California in the Miss America competition. Six women have gone on to win Miss America (but none since 1983).

The pageant began in Santa Cruz in 1924 and was held there in 1925. During the years 1926 through 1946 in years when the Miss California pageant was held, the competition was primarily in San Francisco and Venice, California. In 1947, it returned to Santa Cruz and was held there annually until 1985, after which it moved to San Diego in response to years of protests and a "Myth California" counter pageant organized by local feminist activists led by Ann Simonton and Nikki Craft."Police Arrest 11 Demonstrators in Protest of Pageant", Associated Press in Oxnard Press-Courier, June 17, 1986.Kirsten Anderberg, "Radical body politics for women", KirstenAnderberg.com 2004

The pageant was held in Visalia, California from 2023‒2025. On January 9, 2026, the Miss California Organization announced that the Miss California competition will return to Fresno, California, at the Saroyan Theatre, where the pageant was held from 1994‒2022.

Sharlize True Trujillo of Los Angeles was crowned Miss California on June 20, 2026, at the William Saroyan Theatre in Fresno, California. She competed for the title of Miss America 2027 and placed 3rd runner-up on September 6, 2026, in West Palm Beach, Florida.

Gallery of past titleholders

Results summary The following is a visual summary of the past results of Miss California 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 Americas: Fay Lanphier (1925), Rosemary LaPlanche (1941), Jean Bartel (1943), Marilyn Buferd (1946), Lee Meriwether (1955), Debra Maffett (1983) 1st runners-up: Adrienne Dore (1925), Phyllis Dobson (1936), Claire James (1938), Rosemary LaPlanche (1940), Phyllis Mathis (1945), Suzanne Reamo (1961), Charlene Dallas (1967), Lucianne Buchanan (1975), Kristy Cavinder (2010), Crystal Lee (2014) 2nd runners-up: Fay Lanphier (1924), Blanche MacDonald (1933), Jeanne Shores (1953), Susan Anton (1970), Janet Carr (1976), Rita Ng (2001) 3rd runners-up: Lillian Knight (1924), Phyllis Randall (1937) (tie), Marguerite Skliris (1939), Lorna Anderson (1958), Sandra Jennings (1959), Susan Bronson (1960), Linda Mouron (1977), Marlise Ricardos (1989), Tiffany Stoker (1996), Sharlize True Trujillo (2027) 4th runners-up: Lucille Lambert (1942), Laura Emery (1947), Jone Pedersen (1949), Rebekah Ann Keller (1998), Nicole Lamarche (2004), Veena Goel (2005), Noelle Freeman (2012) Top 7: Jackie Geist (2009) Top 8: Melissa Chaty (2008) Top 10: Patricia Johns (1954), Joan Beckett (1957), Susan Henryson (1962), Wendy Douglas (1964), Susan Shipley (1974), Connie Lee Haugen (1978), Jacquelynne Fontaine (2007), Arianna Afsar (2011), Jessa Carmack (2017) Top 12: Virginia Donham (1935), Shirley Ballard (1944) Top 13: Polly Ellis (1945) Top 15: Ruby Smith (1927), Bertha Weizel (1927), Eileen Kim (2020) Top 16: Joanne Durant (1951) Top 20: Stephanie Baldwin (2002)

Awards

Preliminary awards Preliminary Lifestyle and Fitness: Rosemary LaPlanche (1940 and 1941), Jean Bartel (1943), Marilyn Buferd (1946), Jone Pedersen (1950), Joanne Durant (1951), Jeanne Shores (1953), Patricia Johns (1954), Lee Meriwether (1955), Joan Beckett (1957), Sandra Jennings (1959), Sherri Raap (1965), Charlene Dallas (1967), Carolyn Stoner (1972), Lucianne Buchanan (1975), Janet Carr (1976), Debra Maffett (1983), Lisa Michelle Duncan (1994), Tiffany Stoker (1996), Rebekah Ann Keller (1998), Nicole Lamarche (2004) Preliminary Talent: Phyllis Dobson (1936), Phyllis Randall (1937), Marguerite Skliris (1939), Jean Bartel (1943), Polly Ellis (1945), Susan Henryson (1962), Charlene Dallas (1967), Debra Maffett (1983), Rita Ng (2001), Veena Goel (2005), Dustin-Leigh Konzelman (2006), Jacquelynne Fontaine (2007), Kristy Cavinder (2010)

Non-finalist awards Non-finalist talent: Sandra Lynne Becker (1966), Sharon Terrill (1969), Karin Kascher (1971), Christine Acton (1979), Lisa Kahre (1987), Maria Ostapiej (1991), Jennifer Hanson (1995), Danielle Coney (1999), MaryAnne Sapio (2000), Dustin-Leigh Konzelman (2006), Catherine Liang (2023)

Other awards Miss Congeniality: Susan Henryson (1962) Final Night Swimsuit: Nicole Lamarche (2004) Miss America Scholar: Rita Ng (2001) STEM Scholarship Award Winners: Crystal Lee (2014) Waterford Business Scholarship: Danielle Coney (1999) Women in Business Finalists: Catherine Liang (2023)

Winners

Year Name Hometown Age Local Title Miss America Talent Placement at Miss America Special scholarships at Miss America Notes2026Sharlize True TrujilloLos Angeles22Miss San Fernando ValleyDance3rd runner-up2025Rachel AxtClovis24Miss ClovisVocalPreviously NAM Miss California 20212024Kimberly VernonSanta Clara27Miss Santa Clara CountyJazz Dance, "Le Jazz Hot"100th Miss California 2023Sabrina LewisBerkeley26Miss Berkeley HERStoryPreviously Miss California USA 20212022Catherine LiangSan Francisco22Miss San FranciscoPianoWomen in Business FinalistNon-finalist Talent Award2021Jazmin AvalosGarden Grove24Miss Los Angeles CountyVocal2019–20Eileen KimOrange22Miss Culver CityViolinTop 152018MacKenzie FreedLodi23Miss Treasure IslandVocal, "Hit Me With a Hot Note"2017 Jillian Smith Grass Valley 22 Miss Yosemite Valley Piano, "Malaguena" 2016 Jessa Carmack Santa Clara 22 Miss North Bay Gymnastics DanceTop 10 Previously Miss California's Outstanding Teen 2011Finalist at Miss America's Outstanding Teen 2011 pageant2015 Bree Morse Garden Grove 23 Miss Orange Coast Tap Dance, "Land of a Thousand Dances"2014 Marina Inserra San Diego 24 Miss Yosemite Valley Vocal, "Bring Him Home" from Les Misérables2013 Crystal Lee San Francisco 22 Miss Silicon Valley Ballet en Pointe, "The Dying Swan" 1st runner-up STEM Scholarship Award Previously Miss California's Outstanding Teen 2008Top 10 at Miss America's Outstanding Teen 2009 pageant Previously Miss Chinatown USA 2010Cousin of Miss Louisiana 2016, Justine Ker2012 Leah Cecil Garden Grove 22 Miss Southern California Regional Classical Harp, "Great Day" by Nancy GustavsonContestant at National Sweetheart 2011 pageant2011 Noelle Freeman Carlsbad 22 Miss Culver City Ballet en Pointe, "The Black Swan Variation" from Swan Lake 4th runner-up Previously Miss Teenage California 20072010 Arianna Afsar San Diego 19 Miss San Diego County Vocal, "I (Who Have Nothing)" Top 10 Previously Miss California's Outstanding Teen 20051st runner-up at Miss America's Outstanding Teen 2005 pageantTop 36 contestant on American Idols 8th seasonWas cast as Elizabeth Schuyler Hamilton in the Chicago production of Hamilton |-style="background-color:#FFFF66;" |2009 | Kristy Cavinder | Orange | 21 | Miss Yosemite Valley | Ballet en Pointe, "The Slave Maiden Variation" from Le Corsaire | 1st runner-up | Preliminary Talent Award | |-style="background-color:#FFFACD;" |2008 | Jackie Geist | Vacaville | 22 | Miss Hollywood | Ballet en Pointe, "The Dying Swan" | Top 7

| Pilot for American AirlinesJudge for the Miss America 2001 pageant |- |1991 | Paige Adams | Hemet | 22 | Vocal, "Some Day My Prince Will Come"

| Previously named Miss California 1982 when the original winner, Debra Maffett, won the Miss America 1983 pageantBecame the first titleholder to hold a state title twice |- |1984 | Donna Grace CherryDeitering, Debra Maddox, "The Miss America Pageant's Influence on the Self-Construction of its 1985 Contestants" (2001-12-1). Master of Arts Thesis. University of Nebraska at Omaha. | Northridge | 24 | Miss West Los Angeles | Vocal Impressions"

Miss California

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