In January 2018 , Gretchen Carlson , who won the Miss America in 1989 , was elected as the new chairwoman of the organization , becoming the first former Miss America to serve as its leader . Katherine Shindle , Miss America 1998 , was also appointed to the board alongside fellow Miss America winners , Heather French Henry ( 2000 ) and Laura Kaeppeler ( 2012 ) . This move led to a number of changes . In June 2018 , there was an announcement that Miss America contestants would no longer be judged based on their physical appearance . Thus , the national Miss America event would be considered a competition , rather than a beauty pageant , and the titleholders would now be candidates , rather than contestants . The swimsuit competition was replaced with state titleholders participating in a live interactive session with the judges . For the evening gown competition , the contestants chose clothing , " that makes them feel confident , expresses their personal style , and shows how they hope to advance the role of Miss America . " In interviews , Carlson emphasized the organization 's desire to be more welcoming , " open , transparent , and inclusive to women , " and to prioritize displaying the talent and scholarship in the contestants . The talent portion was worth 50 % of the contestants ' preliminary score . Additionally , the new board of directors increased the maximum age of titleholders to 25 years old , from 24 . Therefore , contestants can not be older than 25 years old on December 31 in the calendar year of her state competition
Miss America 1998
Miss America 1998
Miss America