Ali Mims is the new Miss Alabama’s Teen.

The 16-year-old from Shelby County was crowned on Sunday afternoon at Thompson High School in Alabaster. She competed as Miss Hoover’s Teen, besting 37 other contestants for the state title.

Mims will start a yearlong reign and move on to represent Alabama at Miss America’s Teen, the national competition linked to Miss America. Hanley House of North Carolina is the current Miss America’s Teen.

Mims takes over the role of Miss Alabama’s Teen from Elaina Burt of Birmingham, the 2023 winner. Burt crowned her successor on Sunday at the high school’s performing arts center and presented her with a bouquet of flowers.

Mims attends Chelsea High School and lives in Harpersville. She performed a soprano aria during the talent competition on Sunday, singing “O Mio Babbino Caro” (”Oh, my Dear Papa”) from Giacomo Puccini’s 1918 opera “Gianni Schicchi.”

Mims also participated in physical fitness and evening wear segments during the finals, answered on-stage questions and discussed her philanthropic platform (called a “social initiative” by the Miss Alabama organization). It’s the Joyful Noise Foundation: Music Education for the Special Needs Community, and raises money to put musical instruments in special needs classes.

When asked on stage what it would mean to her to hold the title of Miss Alabama’s Teen, Mims said she was inspired by the contestants who came before her, and therefore wanted to be a role model for future contestants.

“It’s my turn to be able to give back to this organization that has genuinely given so much to me,” Mims said, “but also to inspire girls sitting in the audience right now so that someday, they too can fulfill their dreams of being on stage, just like I am.”

As the winner of Miss Alabama’s Teen, Mims will receive $7,500 in scholarship money and her choice of tuition scholarships to schools such as the University of Alabama, Auburn University, the University of Montevallo, Troy University or the University of North Alabama.

Addison Shoemaker was named first runner-up on Sunday. Evie Smith was second runner-up, taking third place. Megan Kent was third runner-up (fourth place). Katherine Grigsby rounded out the top five. All of them will receive scholarship money ranging from $1,000 to $3,000.

Before the pageant finals on Sunday, contestants for Miss Alabama’s Teen participated in preliminary events and had off-stage interviews with the judges. The judges for 2024 were Jessica Baeder (a former winner of Miss Alabama’s Teen and Miss America’s Teen), Brianna Broady, Tresa Hardin, Beth Mobilian and Barry Moody. Brianna Burrell, Miss Alabama 2023, was the emcee for the finals event.

READ MORE: Miss Alabama’s Teen 2024: Meet 38 teens competing for the crown

Miss Alabama’s Teen was founded in 2003 as Miss Alabama’s Outstanding Teen and has crowned 23 winners to date. (The name of the competition was changed in 2023, dropping the word “Outstanding” to make it simpler and more concise.) See photos of the previous winners of Miss Alabama’s Teen in the gallery below.

1/22