Miss South Dakota USA

For the state pageant affiliated with Miss America, see Miss South Dakota.

The Miss South Dakota USA competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state of South Dakota in the Miss USA pageant. It is currently directed by Future Productions based in Savage, Minnesota since 2002.^[1]

Miss South Dakota USA

Formation	1952
Type	Beauty pageant
Headquarters	Sioux Falls
Location	South Dakota
Membership	Miss USA
Official language	English
Key people	Denise Wallace Craig Heitkamp
Website	Official website

South Dakota has placed five times. One notable Miss South Dakota USA was Vanessa Short Bull (2000), one of the first Native Americans to compete at Miss USA. Short Bull was also Miss South Dakota 2002. South Dakota's best placement in the competition was Madison Nipe placing in the top five in 2018.

The current titleholder is Ahmitara Alwal of Sioux Falls who was crowned on May 12, 2024 at the Watertown Event Center in Watertown. She represented South Dakota at the Miss USA 2024 pageant in August 2024.

Gallery of titleholders

• 
  Jessica Albers, Miss South Dakota USA 2013 (pictured in 2015)
• 
  Charlie Buhler, Miss South Dakota 2008

Results summary

• Top 5: Madison Nipe (2018)
• Top 10/12: Debra Ann Brickley (1974), Madison McKeown (2016)
• Top 15/16: Helen Youngquist (1958), Caroline Pettey (2021)

South Dakota holds a record of 5 placements at Miss USA.

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
2024	Ahmitara Alwal	Sioux Falls	25	Miss Southern South Dakota
2023	Amber Hulse	Hot Springs	25	Miss Black Hills			Previously Miss South Dakota 2019 and Miss South Dakota 2020.
2022	Shania Knutson	Viborg	21	Miss Brookings County			Previously Miss South Dakota Teen USA 2018
2021	Caroline Pettey	Rapid City	26	Miss Rapid City	Top 16		Previously Miss Alabama Teen United States 2013
2020	Kalani Jorgensen	Sioux Falls	25				Previously Miss South Dakota Teen USA 2012 Longest reigning Miss South Dakota USA at 1 year, 7 months and 3 days
2019	Abigail Merschman	Sioux Falls	22
2018	Madison Nipe	Madison	21		Top 5
2017	Tessa Dee	Mitchell	25				Previously Miss South Dakota 2013
2016	Madison McKeown	Sioux Falls	20		Top 10		Previously Miss South Dakota Teen USA 2014
2015	Lexy Schenk	Irene	20				Previously Miss South Dakota Teen USA 2011
2014	Brittney Palmer	Brookings	25
2013	Jessica Albers	Yankton	26
2012	Taylor Neisen	Rapid City	20
2011	Chandra Burnham	Highmore	23
2010	Emily Miller	Irene	21
2009	Jessica Rowell	Sioux Falls	22
2008	Charlie Buhler	Mitchell	19
2007	Suzie Heffernan	Brookings	20
2006	Alexis LeVan	Sioux Falls	19				Contestant at National Sweetheart 2008
2005	Jessica Fjerstad	Madison	20				Previously Miss South Dakota Teen USA 2002
2004	Andrea Parliament	Brandon	20
2003	Jessica Lawrence	Brookings	25				Contestant at National Sweetheart 2001
2002	Sitania Syrovatka	Sioux Falls
2001	Beth Lovro	Sioux Falls
2000	Vanessa Short Bull	Rapid City					Future Miss South Dakota 2002
1999	Shawna Gross	Huron
1998	Lori O'Brien	Rapid City
1997	Jamie Swenson	Sioux Falls	25
1996	Caresa Winters	Huron	20
1995	Jenny Snobeck	Sioux Falls
1994	Tabetha Mauck	Mobridge					Previously Miss South Dakota Teen USA 1991
1993	Kara Rovere	Sturgis
1992	Shawn Frerichs	Sioux Falls
1991	Jillayne Fossum	Canton					Previously Miss South Dakota Teen USA 1988
1990	Valerie Sejnoha	Sioux Falls
1989	Nanette Enders	Watertown
1988	Sandi Lynn Fix	Sioux Falls
1987	Jana Van Woudenberg	Hudson
1986	Lori Scumacher	Sioux Falls
1985	Stacey Arnold	Rapid City
1984	Donna Smith	Box Elder
1983	Kelly Rosenbaum	Elk Point
1982	Meaghan North	Sioux Falls
1981	Joan Abbott	Irene
1980	Jane Schmidt	Flandreau
1979	Noele de Saint Gall	Garretson
1978	Nadene Oppold	Sioux Falls
1977	Ginger Thomson	Sioux Falls
1976	Dorothy Westphal	Sioux Falls				Miss Congeniality (tie)
1975	Lanette Rabenberg	Sioux Falls
1974	Debra Ann Brickley	Sioux Falls			Semi-finalist
1973	Rebecca Bunkers	Brookings
1972	Kathleen Bakke	DeSmet
1971	Sonia Hart	Sioux Falls
1970	Cynthia Finley	Sturgis
1969	Mary Bergen	Sioux Falls
1968	Byrean Blacksmith	Sioux Falls
1967	Patricia Marshall	Rapid City
1962-1966	Did not compete
1961	Sharon Hoffman
1960	Patricia Klith
1959	Jeannine Stratton
1958	Helen Youngquist				Semi-finalist
1957	Gay Marshall
1956	Did not compete
1955	Phyllis Choquette
1954	Barbara Ann Brown
1953	Kathleen Herman
1952	Marlene M. Rieb				withdrew

1. Age at the time of the crowning