On September 5, 2026, in West Palm Beach, Florida, Elle Anderson of Highland, Utah was crowned Miss America’s Teen 2027. She’s the first Miss Utah’s Teen ever to win the national title. But to me, it was more than that. I saw her win the state title of Miss Utah’s Teen, so this time was different. I knew her.
The night she won Miss Utah’s Teen 2026
On May 30, 2026, I was shooting Miss Utah’s Teen at the Covey Center for the Arts in Provo. When they called Elle’s name, I got my favorite kind of photos, the ones where they just start crying and can’t control their emotions.
Every Beat Matters
Elle’s service initiative, Every Beat Matters, teaches teens hands-on CPR so they know what to do when it counts. She started it to honor her late brother, Stone. And honestly I think that was the first time I’ve heard that initiative in my 20 years of working with pageants. It was awesome to see something new.
She’s also a violinist, and she’s earned $48,000 in scholarships through the Miss America’s Teen program.
Her Miss Utah’s Teen Promo Session
Shortly after she won state came the Miss Utah pageant, but we still needed promotional photos for Elle. As always, Amy, the awesome Miss Utah’s Teen director, figured out all the outfits, hair and makeup, and we squeezed the shoot into the crazy busy Miss Utah schedule. That gave us a lucky opportunity we normally don’t get. We got to use the Capitol Theatre as an amazing background for her official promo photos. I don’t do the heavily retouched pageant look. I want titleholders to look like themselves on a great day, and let’s be honest, these pageant ladies don’t need much editing anyway. They make my job easy. We shot in the front foyer and all around the theater, did some big gown shots, and finished with studio headshots. She nailed every setup.
Ceylontige happened to be around that day, so we threw on some of their sapphire jewelry just for fun.
Congratulations, Elle
Utah has never had a Miss America’s Teen before. Congrats, Elle. Enjoy every minute of this year.
Getting ready for your own local or state competition? Check out my pageant headshots if you want photos that look like you and show off how great you are.