Miss America is ending the swimsuit portion of its competition, ABC News is reporting.

>> Read more trending news

The Miss America Organization said early Tuesday that the contest is trading its swimsuit competition for "a live interactive session with the judges" in which participants must "demonstrate their passion, intelligence and overall understanding of the job of Miss America," ABC News reported.

“We are no longer a pageant; we are a competition,” Gretchen Carlson, who chairs the Miss America Organization’s Board of Trustees, told “Good Morning America” on Tuesday morning.

The current Miss America, Cara Mund, tweeted soon afterward: “We’re changing out of our swimsuits and into a whole new era.” She added the hashtags #byebyebikini and #MissAmerica2019.

The contest is also nixing its evening gown competition in favor of "asking contestants to wear attire that makes them feel confident," ABC News reported.

This year’s pageant will air at 9 p.m. ET Sept. 9 on ABC.

About the Author

Featured

Cuthbert is the county seat of Randolph County, one of 94 Georgia counties that registered more deaths than births in 2024. The county's hospital closed in 2020, leaving longtime state Rep. Gerald Greene to drivce himself 46 miles to Albany while suffering from a kidney stone recently. (Hyosub Shin/AJC)

Credit: HYOSUB SHIN / AJC