PHOTOSMiss New York Nia Imani Is Crowned Miss America 2019!
Sept. 10 2018, Updated 3:39 p.m. ET
The Big Apple represented in a big way Sunday night, as Miss New York Nia Imani was crowned Miss America 2019!
The 2019 pageant made some major changes from the ones that occurred in years past. The swimsuit portion of the competition was eliminated in favor of the candidates competing in a live interactive session with the judges. This allowed each of them "to highlight her achievements and goals in life and how she will use her talents, passion, and ambition to perform the job of Miss America."
That and everything else worked in Nia's favor on Sunday night, as she was crowned Miss America 2019 over runner-up Bridget Oei from Connecticut.
The show was co-hosted by Dancing with the Stars judge Carrie Ann Inaba and RuPaul's Drag Race mainstay Ross Matthews. It was broadcast live on ABC on Sunday night.
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“It took a lot of perseverance to get here and I just want to thank my beautiful family,” Nia said after winning. It's the second time in five years that a candidate from New York has taken home the title of Miss America. Kira Kazantsev won in 2015.
The judges from last night were Laila Ali, Bobby Jones, Jessie James Decker, Randy Jackson, Soledad O’Brien, Alli Webb and Carnie Wilson. Congrats to Nia on her big win!
Are you happy that Nia won last night? Sound off in the comments!
