UNCASVILLE, Conn. — Miss Indiana 2022 Elizabeth Hallal took home the talent award on the first night of preliminary competition at the Miss America pageant.
The award earned the southern Indiana native and Ball State student a $2,500 scholarship. In a social media post, Hallal said she intends to put the award toward her master's degree.
Since being crowned Miss Indiana in June, Hallal has been preparing for Miss America while also promoting her social impact initiative, "The Triple A Project: Accessibility to the Arts for All."
Fittingly, the talent she performed Monday night on the Miss America stage was a theatrical vocal performance of "Defying Gravity," the signature song from the musical "Wicked."
Hallal told 13News that the talent portion of the competition was what she was most looking forward to.
"I have been singing my whole life," Hallal said, "and I am really excited to be bringing a musical theater performance to the Miss America stage, with a little bit of a twist. I am really proud of the work that I've done with it and just how I feel like it captures who I am through the song. I'm very excited."
After winning the top prize for her talent on Monday night, Hallal posted on social media to thank those who have helped her along the way.
"There are few moments in life I think that words are unable to capture. This is one of them," she said in the post. "From the bottom of my soul, THANK YOU to all that have loved me this far. I have defied gravity because of YOU!! Thank you also to @missamerica and Kawai Pianos for the $2500 scholarship. This sum will be directed toward my Master’s degree!! This is your sign: nothing’s impossible… and dreams come true."
Miss Georgia, Kelsey Hollis, also won an award on Monday night, earning the Social Impact Pitch award and a $2,500 scholarship.
Hallal is among 51 candidates — representing all 50 states and the District of Columbia — who are competing this week. Each candidate will compete in the preliminary interview, talent, social impact and red carpet portions of the competition.
The second night of preliminary competition will be held Tuesday, and the finals will take place Thursday with a new Miss America being crowned. The state titleholder who is crowned Miss America will spend the next year building upon the work of Miss America 2022 Emma Broyles and the dozens of others who have been named Miss America since the pageant was established in 1921.
The candidates are not only vying for the Miss America crown, but also for some of the more than $500,000 in scholarships that will be awarded this week.
The Miss America Organization is a leading distributor of scholarships to women in the United States, awarding more than $5 million in cash scholarships each year and millions more in-kind per year through national, state, and local programs, according to the organization.