Host Rebecca Day welcomes audiences to the 2026 America’s Ideal Miss Preliminary Evening Gown Competition at the RiverCenter for the Performing Arts in Columbus, Georgia. Contestants in the Junior Teen, Teen, and Miss divisions model gowns onstage as judges assess confidence and grace. The broadcast then presents special awards, including spokesmodel, photogenic, talent, casual wear, and supermodel honors. Notable winners include Junior Teen Piper Smith, who receives the spokesmodel, supermodel, and talented miss honors; Teen winners Kallyn Long (spokesmodel and supermodel), Olivia Tillman (photogenic and cover model), Ella Kate Haynes (talent), Aaliyah Hendrix (casual wear), and Ashlyn Horne (talented miss); and Miss winners Taylor Martin (spokesmodel, supermodel, and talented miss), Jordan Thompson (photogenic), Tamiyah Baptiste (talent), and Jay Marie Howard (casual wear). This segment concludes the preliminary gown competition and awards; it does not announce the overall division titleholders or a crowning.
