The '' ' Miss Iowa ' '' competition is the official preliminary for the state of Iowa in the Miss America pageant . No contestant from Iowa has ever won the national Miss America title although two Miss Iowas have been named first runner-up . Cheryl Browne , Miss Iowa 1970 , competed in the Miss America 1971 pageant as the first African American contestant . Contestants at the local and state levels of the Miss Iowa program use the scholarship money they earn to help pay for college and graduate school . In addition to scholarships granted to local and state winners , the Miss Iowa program awards scholarships for outstanding interview skills , talent , and other special awards . The Miss Iowa pageant is a three-day program held in the Quad-Cities every June
Miss America 1971
Miss America 1971
Miss Iowa