Seven Crowned as 10th Miss Shrimp Festival Pageant Draws 90 Contestants and 8,000 Charity Items
The 10th Miss Shrimp Festival Pageant drew 90 contestants, crowned seven queens and collected more than 8,000 items for Baldwin County Blessing Boxes, though the festival itself was canceled for Isaias.
GULF SHORES, Ala. — The Miss Shrimp Festival Pageant marked its 10th anniversary with 90 contestants competing for seven crowns, and its charity drive collected more than 8,000 items for Blessing Boxes across Baldwin County.
The pageant raises money for local schools and provides scholarships to high school seniors in Baldwin County. Lindsay Taylor and Kimberly Hollis serve as the Miss Shrimp Fest directors.
The 2026 Miss Shrimp Festival queens
- Miss Shrimp Festival: Adalyn Lyles
- Teen Miss Shrimp Festival: Catherine Dean
- Junior Miss Shrimp Festival: Ann-Miller Howe
- Young Miss Shrimp Festival: Hayden McClure
- Petite Miss Shrimp Festival: Abigail Reddell
- Little Miss Shrimp Festival: Kate Bunn
- Tiny Miss Shrimp Festival: Lorina Sisianu
Along with the queens, the pageant named first alternates and court members in each division, as well as Miss Charity and People’s Choice winners.
A festival stage that never went up
Pageant organizers had planned to present the queens, their first alternates, court members and the Miss Charity and People’s Choice winners on stage at the National Shrimp Festival. This year, that stage never came to be.
The 53rd National Shrimp Festival, scheduled for Oct. 8-11 on the Gulf Shores public beach, was canceled on Oct. 7 as then-Tropical Storm Isaias took aim at the Alabama coast. Coastal Alabama Business Chamber President Greg Alexander said the forecast of high winds, heavy surf and rain left organizers no choice. Isaias later strengthened into a hurricane before reaching the northern Gulf Coast.
Pageant organizers had not announced whether the 2026 court would be recognized at another event.
Miss Charity and the Blessing Boxes
Beyond the crowns, contestants competed for the title of Miss Charity by collecting goods for Blessing Boxes in Baldwin County. This year, the drive brought in more than 8,000 items, which were distributed to the boxes.
Blessing boxes are small, community-stocked pantries, often set up outside churches, schools and businesses, where neighbors can leave food and household essentials and anyone in need can take what they need, no questions asked. The donations take on added importance this fall, as many Baldwin County families work through the aftermath of Hurricane Isaias.
Ten years of crowns and scholarships
This year’s pageant was the 10th, and its field of 90 contestants competed across seven age divisions, from Tiny Miss through Miss Shrimp Festival. The pageant directs its proceeds to local schools and to scholarships for Baldwin County high school seniors, making it a fundraiser as much as a competition.
About the National Shrimp Festival
The National Shrimp Festival is one of the best-known events on the Alabama Gulf Coast. Its roots date to the early 1970s, when local business leaders created a celebration to stretch the tourist season past summer and spotlight the region’s seafood heritage. Organized by the Coastal Alabama Business Chamber and staffed largely by volunteers, the four-day festival typically draws more than 300,000 people to the Gulf Shores public beach for seafood, live music and hundreds of arts and crafts vendors.
This year marked the third time in recent years the festival has been called off; it was also canceled in 2020 and 2021 because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The cancellation was a blow to the artists, food vendors and small businesses who count on the festival weekend, and the chamber has encouraged residents to support those vendors through its online directory.
