Rochester Voice
DERRY – Lauren Plank, Miss New Hampshire 2026, and Kendall Laroche, Miss New Hampshire’s Teen 2026, are preparing to take the national stage at the upcoming Miss America and Miss America’s Teen competitions, to be held in West Palm Beach, Florida, from today through Sept. 6. This year, 52 Miss delegates and 52 Teen delegates from all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico will take the stage in pursuit of two of the most iconic titles in American culture. As the nation’s largest scholarship program for women, the Miss America Scholarship Foundation has announced over $300,000 in tuition scholarships to be awarded at the upcoming competitions.
Plank, 22, was crowned Miss New Hampshire 2026 on May 2. She was awarded a $15,000 scholarship and has earned over $34,000 in scholarships to further her education since her start in the Miss New Hampshire Scholarship Program. During her year of service as the 80th Miss New Hampshire, she promotes community service among young people. A rising senior at the University of New Hampshire, Lauren is an aspiring elementary school teacher. She will be performing a jazz dance during the talent portion of the competition.
Kendall Laroche, 16, was crowned Miss New Hampshire’s Teen 2026 on May 1. She was awarded a $5,000 scholarship and has earned over $17,000 in scholarships to further her education since her start in the Miss New Hampshire Scholarship Program. During her year of service as Miss New Hampshire’s Teen, she promotes breast cancer awareness. Kendall is a rising junior at Trinity High School where she is on the honor roll. She will be performing a lyrical dance during the talent portion of the competition.
“We can’t wait to see both of these exceptional young women shine on the Miss America and Miss America’s Teen stage,” said David Appleby, President and Co-Executive Director of the Miss New Hampshire Scholarship Program. “These young women are smart, talented, and are committed to serving their communities. They are outstanding ambassadors for the Granite State and we couldn’t be prouder to cheer them on.”
This year’s competition is a special celebration of America’s 250th anniversary. All the on‑stage action can be experienced live or streaming online. The preliminary, talent, and final shows will be available via Live Stream on PageantVision.com. The final show for the Miss America competition on September 6 at 7pm ET will also be streamed FREE on Miss America’s YouTube channel @OfficialMissAmerica. Tickets can also be purchased to attend in-person. See the www.missamerica.org website for more information.