Miss South Carolina Teen USA

For the state pageant affiliated with Miss America's Outstanding Teen, see Miss South Carolina Teen.

The Miss South Carolina Teen USA pageant is the competition that selects the representatives for the state of South Carolina in the Miss Teen USA pageant. The pageant has been directed by RPM Productions since its inception.

Miss South Carolina Teen USA

Formation	1983
Type	Beauty pageant
Headquarters	Aiken
Location	South Carolina
Membership	Miss Teen USA
Official language	English
Website	Official website

South Carolina is in the top 10 most successful states at Miss Teen USA in terms of number and value of placements, this state has placed 17 times at Miss Teen USA and has produced two winners. Vanessa Joy Minnillo won the Miss Teen USA title on August 17, 1998, in Shreveport, Louisiana and later went on to become successful in the entertainment industry and Katherine (K.) Lee Graham won the Miss Teen USA title on August 2, 2014, in Nassau, Bahamas.

South Carolina holds the record for the most Miss Congeniality awards. It has won three: 1994, 1998, and 2002. In 1998, Minnillo became the first teenager to win both Miss Congeniality and the national title, and is one of only two contestants to achieve this.

Six Miss South Carolina Teen USA titleholders have won the Miss South Carolina USA title and competed at Miss USA.

Jules Grass of Clemson was crowned Miss South Carolina Teen USA 2024 on June 15, 2024, at North Charleston Coliseum & Performing Arts Center in North Charleston.

Gallery of titleholders

• 
  Vanessa Minnillo, Miss South Carolina Teen USA 1998 & Miss Teen USA 1998
• 
  Caitlin Upton, Miss South Carolina Teen USA 2007
• 
  K. Lee Graham, Miss South Carolina Teen USA 2014 & Miss Teen USA 2014

Results summary

Placements

• Miss Teen USAs: Vanessa Joy Minnillo (1998), K. Lee Graham (2014)
• 1st runners-up: Brittany Pjetraj (2008), Tori Sizemore (2013), Kirby Elizabeth Self (2018)
• 2nd runner-up: Marley Stokes (2016)
• 3rd runner-up: Caitlin Upton (2007)
• Top 6: Mary Stevenson (1994)
• Top 12: Lauren Poppell (1993)
• Top 15/16/20: Lindsey Sporrer (2004), Brittany Smith (2006), Keyla Childs (2011), Shannon Ford (2012), Wesley Mitchell (2015), Allie Richardson (2019), Gracen Grainger (2020), Augusta Roach (2021), Kenlee McVay (2023)

South Carolina holds a record of 18 placements at Miss Teen USA.

Awards

• Miss Congeniality: Mary Stevenson (1994), Vanessa Joy Minnillo (1998), Austen Brown (2002)

Winners

Color key

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

Year	Name	Hometown	Age1	Placement at MTUSA	Special awards at MTUSA	Notes
2024	Jules Grass	Clemson	19
2023	Kenlee McVay	Easley	19	Top 20
2022	Katie Ward	Charleston	19
2021	Augusta Roach	Easley	17	Top 16
2020	Ava Gracen Grainger	Clemson	18	Top 16		Previously Miss Teen World America 2017; later Miss South Carolina USA 2024 and Miss Columbia 2025
2019	Allie Richardson	Lexington	17	Top 15
2018	Kirby Elizabeth Self	Greenwood	17	1st Runner-Up		Later Miss South Carolina USA 2023
2017	Alexis Johnson	Myrtle Beach	17
2016	Marley D'Lynn Stokes	Lexington	18	2nd runner-up		Later Miss South Carolina USA 2021
2015	Wesley McCall Mitchell	Lexington	17	Top 15
2014	Katherine (K.) Lee Graham	Chapin	16	Miss Teen USA 2014		Daughter of Jennifer Neuen, Miss South Carolina Teen USA 1985
2013	Victoria "Tori" Carol Sizemore	Anderson	17	1st runner-up		Later Miss South Carolina USA 2018[1] 4th runner-up at Miss South Carolina 2019 competition[2] 3rd runner-up at Miss South Carolina 2021[3]
2012	Shannon Noel Ford	Lexington	18	Top 16
2011	Keyla Starr Childs	Summerville	17	Top 15		Later 3rd runner-up at Miss South Carolina USA 2014 and top 15 at Miss South Carolina USA 2017
2010	Megan Tyler Pinckney	North Charleston	18			Later Miss South Carolina USA 2013 5th runner-up at Miss USA 2013
2009	Mary Helen Caver	North Augusta	18
2008	Brittany Pjetraj	Chapin	18	1st runner-up
2007	Lauren Caitlin Upton	Lexington	18	3rd runner-up[4]		Contestant on The Amazing Race 16. Gained notoriety following her answer to the final question in the 2007 Miss Teen USA pageant, which was criticized as "strange" and "grammarless". Videos of her response were posted to YouTube and have received millions of views.[5]
2006	Brittany Smith	Lyman	17	Top 15
2005	Lauren Taylor	Travelers Rest	18			Later two time top 10 semifinalist at Miss South Carolina USA
2004	Lindsey Sporrer	Easley	17	Semi-finalist
2003	Stephanie Horton[6]	Sumter	18
2002	Austen Brown	Charleston	17		Miss Congeniality	Later 4th runner-up at Miss South Carolina USA 2006 Later Mrs. America 2013
2001	Sarah Ashley Medley	North Charleston	15			Later Miss South Carolina USA 2005
2000	Morgan Smith	Lexington	17
1999	Hannah Grooms[7]	Wallace	17			Later 3x runner-up at Miss South Carolina USA
1998	Vanessa Joy Minnillo	Charleston	17	Miss Teen USA 1998	Miss Congeniality	Born in the Philippines. Later married actor and singer Nick Lachey
1997	Caroline Brigman	Latta	17
1996	Wendy Roberts	Pelzer	19
1995	Garianne Phillips	Leesville	18
1994	Mary Stevenson	Greenville	18	Finalist	Miss Congeniality	Granddaughter of Miss Universe 1954, Miriam Stevenson (Miss South Carolina USA, Miss USA 1954)
1993	Lauren Poppell	Rock Hill	17	Semi-finalist		Later Miss South Carolina USA 1999, finished 4th in Miss USA 1999
1992	Shannon Pelerin	Lexington	17
1991	Jeanie Bowers	Prosperity	17
1990	Kathryn Hancock	Greenwood	15			Later Mrs. North Carolina America 2007 under her married name, Kathryn Hancock-Stuart.[8]
1989	Michelle Warner	Inman	15
1988	Nicole Adams	West Columbia	16
1987	Carol Carver	Hilton Head	16
1986	Angela Shuler	Rock Hill	15			Later Miss South Carolina USA 1989
1985	Jennifer Neuen	Florence	19			Later 2nd runner-up at Miss South Carolina USA 1988 Mother of Katherine Lee Graham, Miss Teen USA 2014
1984	Mary Delgado	Florence	17
1983	Elizabeth (Beth) Woodard	Aiken	17			Later Miss South Carolina USA 1987

¹ Age at the time of the Miss Teen USA pageant