Meet the stunning Miss America 2026 Cassie Donegan who wowed viewers with musical performance to bag $50,000 prize

MISS New York Cassie Donegan has been crowned Miss America 2026 after her show-stopping performance at the pageant finals.

Donegan, 27, is walking away from Sunday’s victory with the reigning title, the sparkling crown, and a $50,000 scholarship.

InstagramMiss America 2026 Cassie Donegan[/caption]

Donegan sobbed as Miss America 2025 Abbie Stockard crowned her the winner

The Virginia native, a musical theater star, sang A Darker Shade of Blue from the musical Some Like It Hot in the talent portion of the competition at the Walt Disney Theater in Orlando, Florida.

The stunning vocal performance won her a talent award of a $3,000 scholarship during the two nights of preliminary competition.

On Sunday night, Donegan sobbed as Miss America 2025, Alabama’s Abbie Stockard, crowned her the winner of the iconic pageant.

She received a glittering crown as confetti showered the stage at the annual event, which faced backlash this year after it didn’t air on TV.

On top of the crown, sash, and title, Donegan will claim her massive tuition scholarship of more than $50,000.

This brings the grand total of scholarships earned through the program to $70,000, Miss America HQ confirmed to The U.S. Sun.

The money has funded her undergraduate education at Belmont University in Nashville.

It will also support her as she pursues her master’s degree.

Miss America stands out from other beauty pageants because it’s known as a scholarship competition and operates largely as a nonprofit organization.

“Miss America has always been a powerful springboard for ambitious women to turn their dreams into reality,” Donegan shared after her win.

“I am honored to represent an organization that provides scholarships, resources, and a platform for women to lead—and I’m deeply grateful for the chance to bring that mission to life.”

Donegan’s charity organization of choice is Promoting Arts Education in Our School Systems, which is driven by her background in musical theater as an accomplished singer and actress.

As an advocate for arts education, Donegan has directed youth theater, curated a K-12 masterclass, and launched three scholarship funds.

She has performed on stages across the country in musicals including Grease, Waitress, and Legally Blonde, according to her website.

The beauty queen also serves as chief operations officer of a woman-led childcare company called Southern Sitter LLC.

She beat out all other delegates in the pageant for the reigning title, including first runner-up Sadie Schiermeyer, Miss Texas 2025, and second runner-up, Miss Florida Paris Richardson.

During one of the last rounds of the pageant, Donegan referred to her own sense of style as “grandma chic.”

“I believe that being true to yourself 100 percent is the most important thing that you can do, and if that includes your self-expression through piercings or tattoos, then 100 percent do it,” she said.

“I think that no one has the right to tell you what you can do with your own body. This is your vessel, and you should be able to walk around proudly in it.”

Donegan is the 98th Miss America in 104 years of the organization.

She is the eighth Miss New York to win the crown.

InstagramDonegan in a picture posted to Instagram on August 18[/caption] Published: [#item_custom_pubDate]