Preliminary Winners Announced at Night Two of Miss Volunteer America Pageant

Miss Georgia Volunteer Peyton Christen Earns Talent Honors; Miss Mississippi Volunteer Mattie Grace Morris Takes Fitness & Wellness

Preliminary competitions continue nightly with Final Crowning on Saturday, June 20. All events are streaming live at MissVolunteerAmerica.net

Preliminary winners from Night Two of the Miss Volunteer America Pageant take center stage at the historic Carl Perkins Civic Center. Miss Georgia Volunteer, Peyton Christen (left), received the Judges' nod in Talent, earning the Talent Preliminary Award and a $500 scholarship, while Miss Mississippi Volunteer, Mattie Grace Morris (right), received the Judges' nod in Fitness & Wellness, earning the Fitness & Wellness Preliminary Award and a $500 scholarship sponsored by Morgan Morgan Fitness, on Thursday, June 18. Photo by Sheldon Smith Photography for Miss Volunteer America.
*Click here for HIGH-RES PHOTOS*

JACKSON, Tenn. (June 18, 2026) – The Miss Volunteer America Pageant continued on Thursday, June 18, with an exciting second night of preliminary competition at the historic Carl Perkins Civic Center in Jackson, Tennessee. Preliminary winners were announced in two key categories: Talent and Fitness & Wellness.

Miss Georgia Volunteer, Peyton Christen, received the Judges' nod in Talent, earning the Talent Preliminary Award and a $500 scholarship. Our official Talent sponsors, Chris Chambers, National Judges Chairperson, and Scott Hilburn, Chief Administrative Supervisor of Miss Volunteer America, generously donate these scholarship awards to our preliminary Talent winners each night.
Miss Mississippi Volunteer, Mattie Grace Morris, received the Judges' nod in Fitness & Wellness, earning the Fitness & Wellness Preliminary Award and a $500 scholarship generously sponsored by Morgan Morgan Fitness. Our official Fitness & Wellness sponsor provides each preliminary Fitness & Wellness winner with a $500 scholarship, with the award given out each night of preliminary competition.

Preliminary competitions continue nightly through Friday, June 19, leading up to the final competition and crowning on Saturday, June 20.

Fans can stream all events live at www.MissVolunteerAmerica.net.

Follow along and join the conversation:
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Facebook: @missvolunteeramerica

Miss Georgia Volunteer, Peyton Christen, celebrates her Thursday, June 18, Night Two win at the Miss Volunteer America Pageant at the Carl Perkins Civic Center in Jackson, Tennessee, receiving the Judges' nod in Talent and a $500 scholarship. Photo by Sheldon Smith Photography for Miss Volunteer America.
*Click here for HIGH-RES PHOTOS*

Miss Mississippi Volunteer, Mattie Grace Morris, celebrates her Thursday, June 18, Night Two win at the Miss Volunteer America Pageant at the Carl Perkins Civic Center in Jackson, Tennessee, receiving the Judges' nod in Fitness & Wellness and a $500 scholarship sponsored by Morgan Morgan Fitness. Photo by Sheldon Smith Photography for Miss Volunteer America.

Click here for HIGH-RES PHOTOS

Allison DeMarcus, Founder and CEO of the Miss Volunteer America Pageant System, announces the Preliminary winners from Night Two of the Miss Volunteer America Pageant at the Carl Perkins Civic Center on Thursday, June 18, 2026. Miss Mississippi Volunteer, Mattie Grace Morris (left), received the Judges' nod in Fitness & Wellness, earning the Fitness & Wellness Preliminary Award and a $500 scholarship sponsored by Morgan Morgan Fitness, while Miss Georgia Volunteer, Peyton Christen (right), received the Judges' nod in Talent, earning the Talent Preliminary Award and a $500 scholarship. Photo by Sheldon Smith Photography for Miss Volunteer America.
*Click here for HIGH-RES PHOTOS*

ABOUT MISS VOLUNTEER AMERICA:
Miss Volunteer America is a national scholarship pageant founded by Allison DeMarcus—entrepreneur, television personality, former Miss Tennessee, and wife of Rascal Flatts' Jay DeMarcus. With a vision to uplift and empower young women, DeMarcus created the organization to champion academic excellence, servant leadership, and personal development through a values-driven competition platform. The pageant emphasizes the importance of education, integrity, character, and volunteerism, and provides significant scholarship opportunities to its participants. Titleholders and contestants dedicate countless hours to community service while preparing to become tomorrow’s leaders. Miss Volunteer America continues to grow as a meaningful movement for young women across the country.

Learn more at www.missvolunteeramerica.net.