June 23, 2025
The 22-year-old Willow Newell mesmerized the crowd and judges with her vocal talent.
Miss Wisconsin just got a little more melanin. The pageant has crowned its first-ever Black woman winner in its history.
Willow Newell, a 22-year-old from Racine, Wisconsin, took home the title during the June 21 event. WISN confirmed that she made history with her storied win by becoming the first Black woman to accomplish the feat.
“Tonight, I had the opportunity to share my heart with the judges and the state of Wisconsin. My passion and mission in life is to transform lives through the arts, to make everyone feel included, and to create spaces for expression #ExpressionWithoutExclusion,” captioned Newell in her post, detailing her campaign for inclusivity.
She added, “It is an absolute honor to be the first Black woman to represent the state of Wisconsin! And I cannot wait to step on the Miss America stage and meet all of you while serving this beautiful state I have the privilege of calling home!”
Newell will receive $13,000 in scholarships from the Miss Wisconsin Scholarship Organization, along with other gifts and awards to accompany her crown. Her singing performance in the talent portion of the event also scored her another $2,300 scholarship as the top-scoring vocalist.
Newell beat out 29 other contestants who vied to represent America’s Dairyland. An alumna of Carthage College, she graduated from the institution this year with a Bachelor of Arts in Musical Theater. The seasoned vocalist has had roles in both community and collegiate theater productions.
However, she will take a new stage in the upcoming months. As the newly crowned Miss Wisconsin, Newell will compete in the Miss America 2026 pageant. The national event takes place this September in Orlando, Florida.
If she wins, she will continue to make history as a Black woman in the pageant world. She is now vying to become the ninth Black woman to win Miss America, with the most recent crownholder being Nia Franklin in 2019.
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