Miss America 2015 Results: Miss New York Crowned the Winner, Beat Out the Favorites (+Pictures)

Zachary Stieber
Updated:

Miss New York 2014 was crowned the winner of Miss America 2015 on Sunday night, beating out the favorites.

Kira Kazantsev beat out 52 other women who tried to get the crown.

Kazantsev, 22, hails from Manhattan.

Miss Arkansas Ashton Jo Campbel, Miss Florida Victoria Cowen, Miss Viriginia Courtney Paige Garrett, and Miss Massachusetts Lauren Kuhn were the rest of the top 5.

Kazantsev’s win marks the third year in a row that a contestant from her state has walked away with the crown in the nationally televised pageant.

Kazantsev received the crown Sunday night at Atlantic City’s Boardwalk Hall from outgoing Miss America — and Miss New York — Nina Davuluri.

Kazantsev sang Pharrell Williams’ “Happy” while sitting cross-legged on the stage and banging a red plastic cup on the floor.

She named combating sexual assault in the military as the issue she would want female U.S. Senators to press their male counterparts.

MORE:

Miss New York ‘Happy’ Performance With Cup Slammed by Twitter (+Vine Video)

Miss New York Kira Kazantsev: Pictures, Age, Swimsuit Picture, Facts for NY Miss America Winner

------------Original story below.

The favorites for Miss America 2015 include the women who won awards in the preliminary competition.

Miss Ohio Mackenzie Bart and Miss Florida Victoria Cowen kicked off the awards by winning the first night, for Talent and Lifestyle & Fitness respectively.

Miss Kentucky Ramsey Carpenter and Miss Oklahoma Alex Eppler won the awards for the second night.

Miss Pennsylvania Amanda Smith and Miss Maryland Jade Kenny won them the third night.

Check out more about these women below.

Miss Ohio Mackenzie Bart

Miss Ohio Mackenzie Bart, left, and Miss Florida Victoria Cowen, right, chat with each other before speaking to reporters in the interview room at the Miss America competition on Tuesday, Sept. 9, 2014, in Atlantic City, N.J. Bart won the talent competition and Cowen won the swimsuit competition in the first night of the Miss America preliminaries on Tuesday. (AP Photo/Wayne Parry)
Miss Ohio Mackenzie Bart, left, and Miss Florida Victoria Cowen, right, chat with each other before speaking to reporters in the interview room at the Miss America competition on Tuesday, Sept. 9, 2014, in Atlantic City, N.J. Bart won the talent competition and Cowen won the swimsuit competition in the first night of the Miss America preliminaries on Tuesday. AP Photo/Wayne Parry

This 22-year-old hails from Columbus and wants to become a broadcast meteorologist.

Her talent is ventriloquism, and her platform is Universal Newborn Screening –The STEM of It.

Miss Florida Victoria Cowen

In this Sept. 9, 2014 photo, Miss Florida Victoria Cowen competes in the evening gown competition of the Miss America pageant in Atlantic City N.J. The next Miss America will be crowned Sunday Sept. 14. (AP Photo/Wayne Parry)
In this Sept. 9, 2014 photo, Miss Florida Victoria Cowen competes in the evening gown competition of the Miss America pageant in Atlantic City N.J. The next Miss America will be crowned Sunday Sept. 14. AP Photo/Wayne Parry

The 21-year-old hails from Panama City and wants to pursue a career in Medical Device Marketing and Sales.

Her talent is lyrical dance and her platform is One Chance, One Choice Inc., a nonprofit is focused on empowering the youth of to today to make the right decisions. 

Miss Oklahoma Alex Eppler

Miss Oklahoma Alex Eppler, left, who won the swimsuit competition, and Miss Kentucky Ramsey Carpenter, right, who won the talent competition with a fiddle performance, pose for a photo on the second night of preliminary competition at the Miss America pageant on Wednesday Sept. 10, 2014 in Atlantic City, N.J. (AP Photo/Wayne Parry)
Miss Oklahoma Alex Eppler, left, who won the swimsuit competition, and Miss Kentucky Ramsey Carpenter, right, who won the talent competition with a fiddle performance, pose for a photo on the second night of preliminary competition at the Miss America pageant on Wednesday Sept. 10, 2014 in Atlantic City, N.J. AP Photo/Wayne Parry

The 24-year-old hails from Edmond and wants to become a physician assistant and work as a medical missionary.

Her talent is dance and her platform is Dare 2 Care: Random Acts of Kindness.

Miss Kentucky Ramsey Carpenter

Miss Kentucky Ramsey Carpenter plays the national anthem on her fiddle before the start of the Tennessee-Martin-Kentucky NCAA college football game in Lexington, Ky., Saturday, Aug. 30, 2014. (AP Photo/Garry Jones)
Miss Kentucky Ramsey Carpenter plays the national anthem on her fiddle before the start of the Tennessee-Martin-Kentucky NCAA college football game in Lexington, Ky., Saturday, Aug. 30, 2014. AP Photo/Garry Jones

This 23-year-old hails from Hartford and wants to become an educator and administrator specializing in supporting children with learning disabilities.

Her talent is fiddle and her platform is Multiple Sclerosis Awareness: The Invisible Disease.

Miss Pennsylvania Amanda Smith

Miss Maryland Jade Kenny, left, and Miss Pennsylvania Amanda Smith, right, wait for interviews to begin in a media room in Atlantic City N.J. after winning preliminary competitions Thursday, Sept. 11, 2014, in the Miss America pageant. Kenny won the swimsuit competition while Smith won the talent portion by singing a selection from "Phantom Of The Opera." (AP Photo/Wayne Parry)
Miss Maryland Jade Kenny, left, and Miss Pennsylvania Amanda Smith, right, wait for interviews to begin in a media room in Atlantic City N.J. after winning preliminary competitions Thursday, Sept. 11, 2014, in the Miss America pageant. Kenny won the swimsuit competition while Smith won the talent portion by singing a selection from "Phantom Of The Opera." AP Photo/Wayne Parry

The 21-year-old hails from Dade City and wants to pursue a career in the Performing Arts.

Her talent is vocal and her platform is Fitness and Nutrition: The Key to Healthy Living.

Miss Maryland Jade Kenny 

Miss Maryland Jade Kenny displays her shoe during the Miss America Shoe Parade at the Atlantic City boardwalk, Saturday, Sept. 13, 2014, in Atlantic City, N.J. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)
Miss Maryland Jade Kenny displays her shoe during the Miss America Shoe Parade at the Atlantic City boardwalk, Saturday, Sept. 13, 2014, in Atlantic City, N.J. AP Photo/Julio Cortez

The 23-year-old hails from Madison and wants to obtain a Juris Doctorate degree and become a sports agent.

Her talent is dance and her platform is The Rainbows Organization.

MORE:

Miss New York Kira Kazantsev: Pictures, Photos, Age, Facts for NY Miss America Contestant

Miss America Live Stream: Free Online Video for 2015 Pageant (+TV Channel, Time, Date)

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Zachary Stieber
Zachary Stieber
Senior Reporter
Zachary Stieber is a senior reporter for The Epoch Times based in Maryland. He covers U.S. and world news. Contact Zachary at [email protected]
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