WELCH, Minn. — A recent Byron High School graduate has been named Miss Minnesota and will go on to compete in the Miss America contest.
Anna Brennan was crowned Miss Minnesota 2026 on Friday night, June 19, at Treasure Island Resort & Casino in Welch. She will receive a $10,000 educational scholarship and represent Minnesota at the 2027 Miss America competition.
Brennan, a 2024 Byron High School grad, is a journalism student at the University of St. Thomas in Minneapolis and a KSTP-TV promotions intern, a Miss Minnesota press release said. Her community service initiative, which she will promote during her year of service, is MediaWELL.
“MediaWELL is dedicated to building the foundations of Empowered Connection for the digital generation,” Brennan said in the release. “Empowered Connection is the ability to engage with today’s digital landscape intentionally and intelligently, gaining the benefits of media without harming quality of life.”
Brennan’s talent was performing classical ballet en pointe to “Tango de Roxanne.”
The Miss Minnesota competition featured 25 candidates ages 18-28 competing in various categories.
The other finalists in the Miss Minnesota competition include:
First runner-up: Miss Capital City, Jordan MannSecond runner-up: Miss St. Croix Valley, Whitney McClainThird runner-up: Miss Granite City, Michelle Rose BerghFourth runner-up: Miss Waseca County Sleigh & Cutter, Jasmin Kotek
Natalia Yurecko, a 17-year-old senior at Minnetonka High School, was named Miss Minnesota’s Teen. She will receive a $3,000 educational scholarship and represent Minnesota at the Miss America’s Teen 2027 competition.
Yurecko will spend the year as Minnesota’s teen ambassador at various events across the state. She will also promote her community service initiative, “OCD: Transforming Obsessive Compulsive Disorder Into Obtaining Confidence Daily,” the release said.
The Miss Minnesota’s Teen competition featured 14 candidates from across the state. Top finalists included:
First runner-up: Miss Moorhead’s Teen, Jillian BainSecond runner-up: Miss Twin Cities’ Teen, Marnie Shepersky
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