Audrey Eckert is celebrating a crowning achievement in her pageant career.
The 23-year-old from Nebraska was named Miss USA 2025 at the Oct. 24 competition in Reno, Nev.
"NEBRASKA, WE DID IT!" she wrote on Instagram after her win. "I am your Miss USA 2025! Even typing that out feels surreal, the past 24 hours have been nothing short of magical."
Eckert will go on to compete at the Miss Universe competition in Bangkok, Thailand, in November. In fact, she was crowned Miss USA by the current Miss Universe Victoria Kjær Theilvig from Denmark after the 2024 Miss USA winner Alma Cooper from Michigan announced she would not be there in person to pass down her crown and sash.
"After much consideration, I’ve made the extremely difficult decision not to attend this year’s Miss USA pageant and crowning ceremony," Cooper wrote on Instagram the day of the event. "As I close this chapter, I do so with the knowledge that I finished what I started with integrity and my self-worth held high, just like the crown I was honored to wear."
This marked the first pageant since Miss USA and Miss Teen USA announced its new leadership in September, with Thom Brodeur taking over as president and CEO.
The switch-up came more than a year after Miss USA 2023 Noelia Voigt from Utah announced her decision to step back from her role in May 2024. In her resignation letter obtained by NBC News, she alleged "There is a toxic work environment within the Miss USA organization that, at best, is poor management and, at worst, is bullying and harassment." Former Miss USA CEO and President Laylah Rose denied the allegations.
Days after Voigt’s resignation, Miss Teen USA 2023 UmaSofia Srivastava from New Jersey announced she was also relinquishing her crown—noting in a statement her "personal values no longer fully align with the direction of the organization."
But after Brodeur took over, Voight—who returned to the Miss USA competition this year as one of the co-hosts—told Business Insider it felt like a "new day on the horizon."
"I genuinely feel like going on my social media right now and telling every girl that has been afraid to compete in the USA system since I resigned to please go ahead and sign up now," she added in September. "Because I know things are going to be different."
And as Eckert begins her chapter as Miss USA 2025, keep reading to learn more about the titleholder.
This isn't Audrey Eckert's first crown.
Six months before Eckert was crowned Miss USA 2025, she was named Miss Nebraska—a dream she previously noted she had since she was 9 years old.
"04/06/25 – a day I will never forget," she wrote on Instagram after winning the state title. "Dreams really do come true."
Having competed since she was a kid, Eckert was also named Miss Nebraska Preteen in 2015, Miss Nebraska Jr. Teen in 2017, Miss Princess of America Sweetheart in 2018 and Miss Nebraska Teen USA 2020—going on to finish in the top five for Miss Teen USA.
She works in social media.
Eckert was hired as the Social Media and Marketing Coordinator for the brand Sapahn, which she's described as "a Thai handbag brand with a powerful human rights mission."
But social media isn’t just her job. Creating safer online spaces is also one of her passions.
"My impact through digital safety started by working firsthand with kids every week," she wrote in an October Instagram post. "I noticed many arriving anxious, withdrawn, even scared, and the cause wasn’t always obvious. Cyberbullying, predators in DMs, and rumors spreading behind screens were all too common. Nearly half of teens have experienced cyberbullying, and 1 in 5 children have encountered predatory behavior online. Social media doesn’t have to steal confidence. Together, we’re helping a generation thrive online, safely and confidently."
She’s a graduate of University of Nebraska–Lincoln.
According to her Miss Nebraska USA bio, Eckert received a Bachelor of Science degree in business administration, specializing in marketing and minoring in advertising and public relations.
She's a cheerleader.
While attending the University of Nebraska, Eckert was a member of the Husker Cheer Squad—at one point becoming captain. Now, she teaches others.
"As a former Husker cheerleader, I now use my expertise and experience as a competitive cheer coach to over 300 athletes,” she wrote in an April Instagram post. "I’m committed to building self-confidence both on and off the mat."
She loves adventure.
"Audrey is a fearless thrill-seeker; you'll find her zip-lining, bungee-jumping, and chasing adrenaline," her bio reads. “She firmly believes that life is meant to be lived boldly."
To learn more about the world of pageants, keep reading.
1. Age isn't just a number when it comes to the storied Miss America pageant, first launched as a type of swimsuit competition on New Jersey's Atlantic City boardwalk back in 1921. Hopefuls for the 2026 event must be no older than 28 on Sept. 30, 2026, and no younger than 18 on Sept. 1, 2026, the day before the preliminary events kick off.
2. As for those that would be exactly 18 years old when they'd slip into their evening gowns and, ideally, that winning tiara, they enjoy what's called a "pivot year" in which they decide if they'd rather compete in the Teen or the Miss division. (The age requirement for teens: They must be no younger than 14 on Sept. 1, 2026; no older than 18 on Sept. 30.)
However, once the teens have chosen their adventure, they cannot change divisions until the next application cycle.
3. There's a reason the words are, "There she is, Miss America!" Hopefuls cannot be married at the time of competition (though they can be divorced). They also must certify that they're not pregnant and have no children.
4. As for all those state titleholders, they must stay in their lanes, so to speak. In order to compete for a state title, delegates must provide proof that they've lived in the state at least 120 consecutive days before they took the stage.
Other options: Proving that they've worked in the state a minimum of 40 hours a week for at least 120 days or are enrolled full-time at one of the state's accredited colleges or universities.
5. They've got talent, yes they do. Because the contestant's 90-second performance in the talent portion—singing, instrumental performances and dance are among the most popular, though Miss Vermont 2015 Alayna Westcom provided a chemistry lesson and that year's winner Kira Kazantsev played the cups Pitch Perfect-style—counts for 20 percent of the scoring in each round.
Not a part of the tally: The swimsuit competition, which was washed away in 2018.
6. Contestants know how to keep score. In both the prelims and the final rounds, those coveting the crown are judged on their private interview (worth 30 percent of their total score), a fitness category (20 percent), the talent portion (another 20 percent), the evening wear portion (their 20 percent is tallied based on confidence and composure) and the stage question segment (worth 10 percent).