The new Miss America doesn’t think the competition should get rid of the age limit

• Abbie Stockard was crowned Miss America 2025 on January 5 in Orlando.
• Stockard told BI that she doesn’t think Miss America should change its age limit like Miss USA did.
• Women must be between the ages of 18 to 28 to compete for the Miss America title.

The Miss America pageant has seen quite a few changes in its 104 years. But Abbie Stockard, who won the crown on January 5, believes a few rules should stay the same, including the current age limit.

Women must be between 18 and 28 to compete for the title of Miss America, a rule that Stockard thinks has “served our organization well for years,” as she told Business Insider.

“I like the way that we have it, and I appreciate that we do have an age limit,” the 22-year-old Auburn University student said. “This organization has always been about empowering young women. And I think for the sake of fostering these friendships and creating a sisterhood, there has to be some type of age limit.”

“There has to be some type of cap to carry out the ultimate mission of this organization, which is empowering young women to lead,” she added.

While Miss America has remained firm on its eligibility requirements, the Miss USA pageant now allows all women 18 and over to compete. The rule change was announced in September 2023 and went into effect at Miss USA 2024.

Like Miss America, the organization previously only permitted contestants between the ages of 18 to 28.

Miss USA president Laylah Rose told BI in February 2024 that lifting the age limit was about “really proving that we’re inclusive.”

“We can start running for a marathon at 45, we can pick up a hobby at 50, we can go back to school at 65. So why would we limit a woman and tell her that she can or cannot do something?” Rose said.

At the time, several past contestants told BI that they weren’t sure it made sense for the brand. Miss Montana 2020 Merissa Underwood said she thought the rule change was a “total cash grab,” while the winner of Miss USA 2020, Asya Branch, questioned how they would “compare someone who’s just entering adulthood to someone who has lived 20 years in their adulthood.”

“Before we knew who Miss USA was, we knew what her job was and her role in society,” Branch said. “Now, I think the organization should redefine what that means and what they’re looking for.”

Others were excited for the new direction, including Miss USA 2003 Susie Castillo.

“I’m excited to see what the future brings for the Miss USA competition and the incredible women who aged out and never competed because they didn’t have the means or didn’t feel as confident in their younger years,” Castillo told BI at the time. “This rule change is a game changer, and I love it.”

Miss USA 2024 featured multiple contestants over 28, but none reached the top 20. Alma Cooper, a 22-year-old US Army officer, won the crown.

Married women and mothers are now also allowed to compete at Miss USA, a rule change that went into effect in 2023. They are still not eligible to enter Miss America, a decision defended by past winners, including Miss America 2020 Camille Schrier and Miss America 2023 Grace Stanke.

Stockard also doesn’t believe the eligibility requirements should change.

“I think the way we have it has served us well for years,” she told BI.

However, Stockard applauded the organization for now allowing contestants to go public with their significant others. Former winners said in the 2023 A&E docuseries “Secrets of Miss America” that the organization previously had an unofficial anti-boyfriend rule under Sam Haskell’s leadership.

“I’m so glad that it doesn’t really matter now because it does not affect your job as Miss America at all,” said Stockard, who is dating Utah Jazz player Walker Kessler. “And I think this is a good way to boost recruitment because I’ve heard stories of girls who just didn’t want to compete because they were in a serious relationship.”

“They weren’t willing to put that relationship on hold or to hide it throughout their year,” she added. “But now it’s not like that. They don’t have to worry about that anymore.”