Miss Alabama 2023: Talent, evening gown winners of Fridayâs preliminary

The Miss Alabama competition is nearing its conclusion, with three nights of preliminaries completed before Saturday’s finale.

A total of 42 women are vying for the state title, along with scholarship money and the chance to move on to the Miss America pageant.

Preliminary events held this week, Wednesday through Friday at Samford University’s Wright Center, have given each contestant a chance to strut her stuff in talent, evening gown, health and fitness and on-stage interview segments. The contestants also chatted with the judges this week during off-stage interviews and showcased their community service initiatives.

Preliminaries also help to determine the semi-finalists who’ll compete on Saturday in the pageant finale. Lindsay Gaines Fincher, Miss Alabama 2022, will crown her successor that evening.

Friday’s preliminary winners were:

Brianna Burrell, Miss Baldwin County, earned the top score in the talent competition. Burrell, 25, sang “Alabaster Box,” a gospel song recorded by CeCe Winans. Burrell, from Mobile, is a graduate of the University of South Alabama, where she majored in political science. Her community service initiative is SAVE-A-STEM, which encourages engagement in science, technology, engineering and math for students of color and underfunded schools.
Hannah Adams, Miss Birmingham, earned the top score in the evening gown competition. Adams, 19, is from Birmingham and attends the University of Alabama, majoring in political science/public relations. Her community service is Hannah’s Hope: Finding a Cure for Pediatric Cancer.

Thursday’s preliminary winners were:

Abbie Stockard, Miss Trussville, earned the top score in the talent competition. Stockard, 20, performed a contemporary dance routine to “You Say.” She’s from Birmingham and a student at Auburn University, majoring in nursing. Her community service initiative is Be the Change — Find a Cure: Cystic Fibrosis Awareness.
Emma Terry, Miss UAB, earned the top score in the evening gown competition. Terry, 20, is from Leeds and attends the University of Alabama at Birmingham, majoring in accounting. Her community service initiative is Stomping Out ALS One Step at a Time. It aims to raise awareness of ALS, a disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord, and increase funding for research.

Wednesday’s preliminary winners were:

Abby Sosa, Miss Southern Hospitality, earned the top score in the talent competition. Sosa, 19, performed a dance routine to “Stone Cold.” She’s from Cullman and a student at the University of Alabama, majoring in nursing. Her community service initiative is Bridging the Gap, which encourages collaborations between nonprofit organizations and Latino and Hispanic people.
Brianna Burrell, Miss Baldwin County, earned the top score in the evening gown competition. Burrell, 25, is from Mobile. She’s a graduate of the University of South Alabama, where she majored in political science. Her community service initiative is SAVE-A-STEM, which encourages engagement in science, technology, engineering and math for students of color and underfunded schools.

Friday’s preliminary event included performances by Lindsay Fincher, Shannon Camper Chandler (Miss Alabama 2004) and Elaina Burt (Miss Alabama’s Teen 2023). Amie Beth Dickinson Shaver, Miss Alabama 1994, was the emcee for Friday’s event.

New this year is a People’s Choice Contest that allowed the pubic to vote online for their favorite contestants in advance of the Miss Alabama finals. Each vote costs $1. The contestant with the most votes will earn a spot among the top 13 finalists on Saturday. Voting ran through Friday at 10 p.m. CT, according to the PageantPlanet.com.

Judges for this year are McNeil Chestnut, Morgan Smith, Chika Kaba Ma’atunde, Nanette Pearson Swenson and Chuck Steelman.

IF YOU GO:

The Miss Alabama 2023 competition is set for June 28-July 1 at the Samford University’s Wright Center, 872 Montague Drive in Birmingham. Preliminary competitions were set for Wednesday through Friday, June 28-30, at 7 p.m. The finals are scheduled for Saturday, July 1, at 7 p.m.

Single tickets are $45-$55 Wednesday through Friday, $63-$75 on Saturday. Season tickets (for all four nights) are $105-$145. Visit the Miss Alabama website or call 205-871-6276 for more info.