Miss Nebraska USA

For the state pageant affiliated with Miss America, see Miss Nebraska.

The Miss Nebraska USA competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state Nebraska in the Miss USA pageant. The pageant is directed by Vanbros & Associates, headquartered in Shawnee, Kansas. In 2002, Nebraska joined the Vanbros group of state pageants for the Miss USA and Teen USA system.

Miss Nebraska USA

Formation	1952
Type	Beauty pageant
Headquarters	Shawnee
Location	Kansas
Membership	Miss USA
Official language	English
Key people	John M. Vannatta Jason Vannatta Jennifer Vannatta-Fisher, State Pageant Director
Website	Official website

Nebraska is one of the least successful states at Miss USA, having only placed 14 times. They were most successful in the 1950s, placing 6 times, with three runner up placements. Until 2018, their highest placement was in 1955 which was 2nd runner up. Belinda Wright's top 15 placement in 2010 was Nebraska's first semi-final placement since 1980 and first to win Miss Congeniality. In 2018, Sarah Rose Summers became the first Miss Nebraska USA to win Miss USA and becoming the 35th state to have the title of Miss USA for the first time. The most recent placement was Natalie Pieper placing 2nd runner-up in 2022.

In 2020, Megan Swanson became the first Miss Nebraska delegate to ever win the state title. Also, she and her sister Allie Swanson, Miss Nebraska 2019, became the first sisters to hold the statewide Miss USA and Miss America titleholders simultaneously.^[1]

Audrey Eckert of Lincoln was crowned Miss Nebraska USA 2025 on April 6, 2025 at The Garden Theater in Omaha. She will represent Nebraska for the title of Miss USA 2025.

Gallery

• 
  Guerin Austin, Miss Nebraska USA 2004
• 
  Micaela Johnson, Miss Nebraska USA 2008
• 
  Sarah Rose Summers, Miss Nebraska USA 2018, Miss Nebraska Teen USA 2012 & Miss USA 2018

Results summary

Placements

• Miss USA: Sarah Rose Summers (2018)
• 2nd runners-up: Donna Jo Streever (1955), Natalie Pieper (2022)
• 3rd runners-up: Shari Lewis (1956), Carolyn McGirr (1957)
• Top 12: Janice Geiler (1973), Rebecca Staab (1980)
• Top 15/16/19/20: Berneta Nelson (1953), Margie Winkhoff (1954), Dee Kjeldgaard (1958), Gail Weinstock (1961), Belinda Wright (2010), Amanda Soltero (2014), Erika Etzelmiller (2021)

Nebraska holds a record of 14 placements at Miss USA.

Awards

• Miss Photogenic: Janice Geiler (1973)
• Honorable Mention: Stacey Skidmore (2002)
• Miss Congeniality: Belinda Wright (2010)

Winners

Color key

•   Declared as Winner
•   Ended as runner-up
•   Ended as one of the finalists or semifinalists

Year	Name	Hometown	Age[a]	Local title	Placement at Miss USA	Special awards at Miss USA	Notes
2025	Audrey Eckert	Lincoln	21	Miss Lincoln	TBA		Previously Miss Nebraska Teen USA 2020 3rd Runner-Up at Miss Teen USA 2020
2024	Kamryn Buchanan	Lincoln	24	Miss South Lincoln
2023	Amelia "Mimi" Wood	Omaha	23	Miss West Omaha
2022	Natalie Pieper	Lincoln	26	Miss Douglas County	2nd runner-up
2021	Erika Etzelmiller	Lincoln	23	Miss South Lincoln	Top 16		Previously Miss Nebraska Teen USA 2016
2020	Megan Swanson[1]	Omaha	26	Miss Millard			Previously Miss Nebraska 2014 Sister of Allie Swanson, Miss Nebraska 2019
2019	Alexis "Lex" Nicole Najarian[2]	Lincoln	23	Miss Capital City			Daughter of Peter Najarian
2018	Breanna "Bree" Coffey	Valley	24	Miss Valley	did not compete		Originally first runner-up; assumed the title when Sarah Rose Summers won Miss USA Later competed in Miss Nebraska USA 2020, placed in semifinals
	Sarah Rose Summers	Omaha	23	Miss Omaha	Miss USA 2018		Previously National American Junior Miss 2010 Previously Miss Nebraska Teen USA 2012 Top 20 semifinalist at Miss Universe 2018
2017	Jasmine Jade Fuelberth	Norfolk	20	Miss Norfolk			Previously Miss Nebraska Teen USA 2013 Awarded Miss Congeniality at Miss Teen USA 2013
2016	Sarah Elizabeth Hollins	Omaha	25	Miss North Douglas County			Previously Miss Nebraska Teen USA 2009 Appeared on We TV Obsessed with the Dress
2015	Hoang-Kim Cung	Grand Island	23	Miss Grand Island			Previously National American Miss 2012–2013
2014	Amanda Soltero	Columbus	22	Miss East Lincoln	Top 20		Previously Miss Nebraska Teen USA 2010
2013	Ellie Lorenzen[3]	Omaha	21	Miss Omaha
2012	Amy Marie Spilker	Malcolm	21	Miss Malcolm
2011	Haley Jo Herold	Omaha	23	Miss Greater Omaha
2010	Belinda Renee Wright[4]	Scotia	21	Miss Greeley County	Top 15	Miss Congeniality
2009	Meagan Winings	Atkinson	22	Miss Sandhills			Previously Miss Nebraska Teen USA 2004 Top 10 finalist at Miss Teen USA 2004[5] First Miss Nebraska Teen USA to make the semifinals at Miss Teen USA.
2008	Micaela Johnson	Omaha	23	Miss Douglas County			Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders Squad Member 2003-2005
2007	Geneice Wilcher[6]	Omaha	26	Miss North Omaha
2006	Emily Poeschl[7]	Lincoln	21	Miss Lincoln
2005	Jana Murrell	Omaha	23
2004	Guerin Austin	Omaha	24
2003	Jessica Perea[8]	Omaha	22				First Latina to win title[8]
2002	Stacey Skidmore	Omaha	19			Honorable Mention
2001	Su Joing Drakeford	Bellevue	23				USAF Airman 1995–1999, Miss Teen Omaha 1996, Later Mrs. Maryland 2015
2000	Valerie Cook	Omaha	25
1999	WaLynda Lou Sipple						Previously Miss Michigan Teen USA 1992
1998	Jennifer Naro
1997	Kimberly Jane Weir	Lincoln	21
1996	Kerry Lynn Kemper		24
1995	Chandelle Peacock	Omaha
1994	Shawn Wolff
1993	Tish Gade	Lincoln
1992	Jeanna Margaret Blom
1991	Ziba Ayeen[9]						Native of Afghanistan[9]
1990	Angela Humphrey
1989	Renee Harter
1988	Kellie O'Neil
1987	Amy Anderson	Kearney
1986	Ellen Withrow	Papillion
1985	Lori Leigh Straight	Omaha
1984	Joni Rundall	Omaha
1983	Penelope Boynton	Lincoln
1982	Lori Lynn Novicki	Omaha
1981	Ladonna Hill	Seward
1980	Rebecca Staab[10]	Ralston	18		Semi-Finalist		Played Jessie Matthews on Guiding Light[10]
1979	Rhonda Lundberg	McCook
1978	Shari Alyce Reimers
1977	Deb Ridge	Hastings
1976	Catherine Fricke
1975	Mary Lee Hoth	Omaha
1974	Mary Wolff
1973	Janice Geiler				Semi-Finalist	Miss Photogenic
1972	Theresa Engels
1971	Lola Butler
1970	Bonnie McElveen	Bellevue
1969	Marily Poole
1968	Linda J Dresher
1967	Mary Hoth
1966	Karen Weinfurtner
1965	Constance Kellogg
1964	Georgia Ann Merriam
1963	Sandy Zimmer
1962	No Representative
1961	Gail Weinstock				Semi-Finalist
1960	No Representative
1959	Priscilla Eckrish
1958	Dee Kjeldgaard				Semi-Finalist
1957	Carolyn McGirr				3rd Runner-Up		Finished as 4th runner-up, but succeeded to 3rd runner-up when the 3rd runner-up took the place of the 2nd runner-up
1956	Shari Lewis				3rd Runner-Up
1955	Donna Jo Streever				2nd Runner-Up
1954	Margie Winkhoff				Semi-Finalist
1953	Berneta Nelson				Semi-Finalist
1952	No representative

1. Age at the time of the Miss USA pageant