| Winner: | Elizabeth Ward |
| Date: | September 12, 1981 |
| Presenters: | Ron Ely[1] |
| Venue: | Boardwalk Hall, Atlantic City, New Jersey |
| Broadcaster: | NBC |
| Before: | 1981 |
| Next: | 1983 |
| Entrants: | 50 |
| Placements: | 10 |
Miss America 1982, the 55th Miss America pageant, was held at the Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey on September 12, 1981, on NBC Network.[1] Elizabeth Ward of Arkansas was crowned by Miss America 1981 Susan Powell.[1] She was the second Miss Arkansas to win the title after Donna Axum in 1964.[1]
| Placement | Contestant | |
|---|---|---|
| Miss America 1982 | ||
| 1st Runner-Up |
| |
| 2nd Runner-Up |
| |
| 3rd Runner-Up |
| |
| 4th Runner-Up |
| |
| Top 10 |
|
| Awards | Contestant | |
|---|---|---|
| Lifestyle and Fitness |
| |
| Talent |
| Alabama | Phoebe Stone | Huntsville | 22 | Ballet, "Mame" | ||||
| Alaska | Laura Trollan | Juneau | 19 | Ballet/Jazz Dance, "Most Wanted" | ||||
| Arizona | Sarah Tattersall | Scottsdale | 20 | Vocal, "Maybe This Time" & "The Man That Got Away" from Cabaret | Non-finalist Talent Award | |||
| Arkansas | Grace Elizabeth Ward | Russellville | 20 | Vocal, "After You've Gone" | Winner | Preliminary Lifestyle & Fitness Award | Previously National Sweetheart 1980 | |
| California | Cheryl Vancleave | Riverside | 20 | Country Vocal Medley, "I Was Country When Country Wasn't Cool" & "You're Lookin' at Country" | Later married Frank Kalil Mother to Ryan Kalil and Matt Kalil | |||
| Colorado | Lynnette Jessen | Denver | 20 | Acrobatic Dance, Theme from Exodus | Later Miss Colorado USA 1985 | |||
| Connecticut | Virginia Reichardt | Danbury | 21 | Country Western Vocal, "Love is a Rose" & "Queen of Hearts" | ||||
| Delaware | Jodi Meade Graham | Wilmington | 19 | Vocal, "Can You Read My Mind" | Daughter of Miss Pennsylvania 1956, Lorna Ringler Graham Grand-niece of Miss America 1924, Ruth Malcomson | |||
| Florida | Dean Herman | Jacksonville | 23 | Gymnastics Dance, "They're Playing Our Song" | ||||
| Georgia | Kristl Evans | Atlanta | 21 | Vocal, "Ring Them Bells" | 2nd runner-up | |||
| Hawaii | Pamela Iwalani Offer | Honolulu | 23 | Vocal, "Don't Cry for Me Argentina" | Mother of Miss Arizona 2010, Kathryn Bulkley | |||
| Idaho | Stephanie Kambitsch | Genesee | 22 | Piano, "Hungarian Rhapsody No. 11" | Non-finalist Talent Award | |||
| Illinois | Sandra Truitt | Evanston | 25 | Classical Vocal, "Près des remparts de Séville" from Carmen | 1st runner-up | Preliminary Talent Award | ||
| Indiana | Pam Carlberg | Bourbon | 21 | Accordion Medley, "Sabre Dance" & "Ritual Fire Dance" | 3rd runner-up | |||
| Iowa | Darla Blocker | Davenport | 19 | Vocal, "But the World Goes Round" | Non-finalist Talent Award | |||
| Kansas | Dawn Holmstrom | Wichita | 20 | Vocal Medley, "My Man" & "Happy Days are Here Again" | ||||
| Kentucky | Sheri Copeland | Benton | 20 | Popular Vocal, "Out Here on My Own" from Fame | ||||
| Louisiana | Donese Worden | Monroe | 22 | Violin, "Millionaire's Hoe-Down" | ||||
| Maine | Kathleen Jarrell | Orr's Island | 19 | Vocal Medley, "Swanee", "My Mammy", & "I'm Happy" | ||||
| Maryland | Robin Harmon | Hagerstown | 24 | Greek Dramatic Monologue from Antigone | ||||
| Massachusetts | Deborah Salois | North Andover | 19 | Vocal, "Keepin' Out of Mischief Now" from Ain't Misbehavin' | ||||
| Michigan | Gwen Roberta Brown | Ishpeming | 22 | Dramatic Presentation of Original Writing, "Memory of Grandmother" | ||||
| Minnesota | Elizabeth Ruyak | Mankato | 20 | Piano, Fantaisie-Impromptu by Frédéric Chopin | Became television host/reporter with CBS/NBC -- part of five Summer/Winter Olympics broadcast teams from 1992-2002 | |||
| Mississippi | Karen Hopson | Vicksburg | 21 | Character Ballet en Pointe, "Overture" from Annie | Top 10 | Preliminary Lifestyle & Fitness Award | ||
| Missouri | Theresa McDonnell | Florissant | 22 | Vocal, "Let's Hear it for Me" from Funny Lady | ||||
| Montana | Sue Harris | Helena | 19 | Gymnastics Dance, Theme from Hawaii Five-O | ||||
| Nebraska | Jill Pershing | Lincoln | 21 | Ballet en Pointe, Rhapsody in Blue | ||||
| Nevada | Suzanne Bowman | Reno | 20 | Modern Rhythmic Gymnastics, "Zero to Sixty in Five" | ||||
| New Hampshire | Natalie Oliver | Manchester | 21 | Vocal, "Home" from The Wiz | Non-finalist Talent Award | |||
| New Jersey | Debra Naley | Rockaway | 26 | Violin Medley, "Csárdás" & "Orange Blossom Special" | Non-finalist Talent Award | |||
| New Mexico | Lynn Lawson | Portales | 21 | Classical Piano, "Piano Concerto No. 2, Third Movement" by Rachmaninoff | ||||
| New York | Suzanne Alexander | Lyons Falls | 20 | Classical Vocal, "Vissi d'arte" from Tosca | Top 10 | Preliminary Talent Award | ||
| North Carolina | Lynn Williford | Wilmington | 24 | Russian Character Dance, "Czardas" | Non-finalist Talent Award | |||
| North Dakota | Stacie Anfinson | Hettinger | 21 | Vocal, "I Only Want to Say" | ||||
| Ohio | Juliana Zilba | Mansfield | 21 | Vocal Medley, "Up the Ladder to the Roof" & "With One More Look at You" from A Star is Born | Dr. David B. Allman Medical Scholarship Non-finalist Talent Award | Sister of Miss Ohio 1986, Mary Zilba | ||
| Oklahoma | April Clayton | Cameron | 22 | Ballet en Pointe, "The Blue Danube" | ||||
| Oregon | Julie Ross | Portland | 20 | Classical Piano, "Toccata" by Prokofiev | Top 10 | |||
| Pennsylvania | Jill Shaffer | Dover | 22 | Piano, "Piano Concerto in A Minor" by Grieg | ||||
| Rhode Island | Kathleen Cryan | Providence | 23 | Jazz Dance, "Electro-Phantasma" | ||||
| South Carolina | Jill Rankin | Columbia | 21 | Figure Skating, "Mozart's Piano Concerto No. 21 in C Major" | ||||
| South Dakota | Pennisue Largent | Hot Springs | 22 | Vocal & Jazz Dance, "Misty" | ||||
| Tennessee | Angelina Johnson | Jackson | 20 | Ventriloquism, "Laverne & Shirley" | ||||
| Texas | Sheri Ryman | Texas City | 20 | Gymnastics, Theme from Close Encounters of the Third Kind | 4th runner-up | Preliminary Talent Award | ||
| Utah | Jonelle Smith | Provo | 23 | Classical Vocal, "Sempre Libera" from La traviata | Top 10 | |||
| Vermont | Kimberly Nestle | Shelburne | 19 | Acrobatic Jazz Dance, "I Hope I Get It" from A Chorus Line | ||||
| Virginia | Vicky Pulliam | Martinsville | 21 | Semi-classical Vocal, "Art is Calling for Me" from The Enchantress by Victor Herbert | ||||
| Washington | Kristine Weitz | Moses Lake | 19 | Jazz Vocal, "Summertime" | Preliminary Lifestyle & Fitness Award Non-finalist Talent Award | |||
| West Virginia | Candy Cohen | Huntington | 24 | Tap Dance, "How High the Moon" | ||||
| Wisconsin | Keungsuk Kim | Shorewood | 19 | Classical Piano, "Kabalevsky's Prelude" | Top 10 | |||
| Wyoming | Keri Borgaard | Cheyenne | 23 | Vocal Medley, "At the Crossroads" & "Hey, Look Me Over" |