Miss Kentucky Teen USA

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Miss Kentucky Teen USA
Formation1983; 42 years ago (1983)
TypeBeauty pageant
HeadquartersCincinnati
Location
MembershipMiss Teen USA
Official language
English
Key people
Melissa Proctor-Pitchford, state pageant director
WebsiteOfficial website
Tara Conner, Miss Kentucky Teen USA 2002, Miss Kentucky USA 2006 & Miss USA 2006

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.

Reese Burt of Lexington was crowned Miss Kentucky Teen USA 2025 on July 19, 2025, at The Vern Riffe Center for the Arts Shawnee State University in Portsmouth. She represented Kentucky at Miss Teen USA 2025.

Eligibility

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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

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Placement at Miss Teen USA

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  • 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

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  • Miss Photogenic: Lexie Kemper (1999), Kristen Johnson (2000)

Winners

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  •   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
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 18 Miss Two Rivers City Teen
2021 Kennedy Mosley London 16 Miss London Teen
2020 Mattie Barker Louisville 17 Miss Southern Kentucky Teen
2019 Emma Johns Pikeville 16 Miss Pikeville Teen
2018 Jordan Crozier[1] Somerset 18 Miss Pulaski County Teen
2017 Olivia Prewitt[2][3] Danville[2] 18[2] Miss Danville Teen
2016 Christiaan Prince[4] Grayson[4] 15[4] Miss Carter County Teen
2015 Caroline Ford Bowling Green 18 Miss South Central Teen
2014 Megan Ducharm Shelbyville 18 Miss Shelby County Teen
2013 Gracie Sapp Lexington 15 Miss Fayette County Teen
2012 Tiffany Cline Georgetown 14 Miss Scott County Teen
2011 Stephanie Jones Elizabethtown 18
2010 Taylor Hubbard[5] London[5] 15 Top 15
2009 Jefra Bland Campbellsville 19 Later contestant on Survivor: Cagayan[6]
2008 Shannen Reil West Van Lear 15
2007 Katrina Giannini Princeton 17
2006 Tiffany Withrow Ashland
2005 Sarah Bryan Withers Columbia 18 Top 15
2004 Megan Frank Greensburg 19
2003 Amanda Nunnelley Louisville 17 Top 10
2002 Tara Conner[7] Russell Springs 16 2nd runner-up Body Glove Swimsuit Award
2001 Katherine Faulkner Hazard 17
2000 Kristen Johnson Slaughters 18 2nd runner-up Miss Photogenic
1999 Lexie Kemper[8] Louisville[8] 17[8] Top 10 Miss Photogenic[9]
1998 Elizabeth Ann "Lizzie" Arnold Columbia 18
1997 Kelli Jones Louisville
1996 Kelly Marie Sodan Berea 15
1995 Brittany Johnson Virgie 17 Top 12
1994 Crystal Hayden Paducah[10] 16
1993 Holly Riggs Paducah[10] 15
1992 Heather Boggess Paducah[10] 17
1991 Christine Jackman Louisville 18
1990 April Vaughn Louisville 17 Top 6
1989 Kristi Dawn Hicks[11] Bardstown 17[11] 1st runner-up
1988 Marti Hendricks[12] Danville[12] 19[12]
1987 Tracy Starr Marsee[13] Middlesboro 15
1986 Amy Miller Louisville
1985 Leanne Gregory Lexington
1984 Suzy Neclerio Georgetown 18
1983 Krista Keith Louisville 16 2nd runner-up

1 Age at the time of the Miss Teen USA pageant

References

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  1. ^ Harris, Chris (2018-02-06). "Two Pulaski girls fair well in Miss Teen Kentucky pageant". Commonwealth Journal. Retrieved 2018-02-18.
  2. ^ a b c "Danville Teen wins Miss Kentucky USA pageant". The Advocate-Messenger. 2017. pp. A01. Retrieved 2018-02-18.
  3. ^ 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.
  4. ^ a b c Preston, Tim. "Miss Kentucky Teen USA juggles life, work and school". Journal-Times. Retrieved 2018-02-18.
  5. ^ a b Dillard, Carrie (2012-10-19). "Trump has stake in Laurel teen's recovery". The Sentinel-Echo. Retrieved 2018-02-18.
  6. ^ "Survivor Cast: Jefra Bland". CBS. Retrieved 2018-02-18.
  7. ^ a b "Former Miss USA describes life of drugs, alcohol and recovery". The Caroline Progress. 2013-12-03. Retrieved 2018-02-18.
  8. ^ a b c "Winner of state's Miss Teen has options outside pageants". The Courier-Journal. 1999-06-30. p. 44. Retrieved 2018-02-18.
  9. ^ "Ballard Senior makes friends & memories at Miss Teen pageant". The Courier-Journal. 1999-09-08. p. 73. Retrieved 2018-02-18.
  10. ^ a b c Landini, Leigh (21 June 1994). "Reidland contestant wins Miss Kentucky Teen title". The Paducah Sun. Retrieved 28 February 2023.
  11. ^ a b c "Miss Kentucky speaks out". The Courier-Journal. 1995-08-09. p. 35. Retrieved 2018-02-18.
  12. ^ a b c "Senior wins Miss Kentucky Teen". The Advocate-Messenger. 1988-05-12. p. 9. Retrieved 2018-02-18.
  13. ^ "Set for Miss Teen pageant". The Citizens' Voice. 13 July 1987. p. 11. Retrieved 8 October 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
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