These Miss California contestants return to the pageant year after year — here’s why

The Miss California 2026 pageant has returned to Fresno after hopping cities for the last couple of years. Throughout the week, 38 women will compete for the title of Miss California while 25 teens compete for the title of Miss California Teen.

The Miss California competition is affiliated with the Miss America Organization, which has rebranded itself in recent years as a scholarship competition rather than a traditional beauty pageant. Still, pageant elements of the competition remain, such as a red carpet walk, an on-stage interview, and a talent performance.

For a number of Miss California contestants, the 2026 competition is not their first time on the statewide stage. The organization allows young women to compete in local competitions year after year, returning to the Miss California competition once again if they win a local title.

Winning the state crown at the end of the week — and the title of Miss America if they win the national competition — isn’t the only incentive to compete. For some of these repeat contestants, scholarship money is the incentive. For others, it’s the opportunity to develop soft skills such as interview presence.

Love d’Encarnacao Bradley, a UC Irvine student, is Miss Culver City 2026. She has competed in the Miss America Organization for eight years and won five titles across Southern California. “I believe the woman I am today is because I got my start at just 13 years old. I was extremely shy, I didn’t like public speaking,” Bradley said.

Practicing interview skills through her pageant interviews helped Bradley land her current job in the office of Congressman Mark Takano. She credits the Miss America Organization with teaching her to articulate her goals in a professional environment.

“There’s nothing to lose. Even if you don’t walk away with the top crown or a sash, the skills that you pick up alone are what’s going to benefit you the most at the end of the day because you learn what perseverance and resilience really mean,” Bradley said.

Speaking skills are not the only thing that pageants have given Bradley: She has earned a total of $12,000 in scholarship money. The Miss America Organization does not only distribute scholarship funds to winners of pageants. Usually, there are funds also set aside for the runner-up and high scorers in individual areas of the competition, including fitness and talent.

Ashley Lee, who currently holds the title of Miss Placentia 2026, also got her start in the Miss America Organization as a teenager. Lee held the title of Miss Yorba Linda’s Teen 2023 at 17 years old. Before entering the pageant, she said, she was shy and reserved.

“I thought that it would be a really good opportunity for me to make friends, and I’ve obviously heard so many good things about the program, and all the while you can earn scholarship money,” Lee said. She has competed in six local competitions. This year is her second time at the state competition.

Her first time competing statewide for the Miss California’s Teen 2023 competition in Visalia was “one of the most transformative experiences of my life,” Lee said. “That’s why every single year I’ve been coming back non-stop. I really fell in love with the program.”

Lee is entering this year’s competition with her eyes on the prize. She is graduating from college a semester early, and she hopes she’ll be able to spend her free time fulfilling the duties of the state titleholder.

“To be able to represent as Miss California would not only be a dream come true. It would be an honor — a big responsibility that I’m ready for,” Lee said.

Kiley Pastori, Miss Yosemite Valley 2026, is a Fresno State nursing student who will feel right at home competing in Fresno. She held the title of Miss Merced County 2020. After winning her first title, Pastori entered a few local competitions but largely took a break from the pageant world. After emceeing the Merced competition last year, she was inspired to re-enter the ring.

“I love to do competitive things, so this is a great way to be competitive, but it’s also a really great way to build soft skills and make friends. I’ve made some ... friends that I’ll carry with me throughout my entire life through this organization,” Pastori said.

Pastori expressed disappointment in the stereotype that pageant queens are “catty” or unfriendly. “It coudn‘t be more untrue. The girls that I have been competing with are so nice, and everyone’s been here lifting each other up,” she said.

During the talent portion of the competition, Pastori will be channeling her passion for medical care by performing a CPR lesson on stage accompanied by silly songs to get the crowd laughing while they learn valuable skills.

Saturday will be the final night of the Miss California competition. The winner will represent California at the Miss America 2026 competition in Florida from Aug. 28 to Sept. 6.

This story was originally published June 20, 2026 at 5:30 AM with the headline "These Miss California contestants return to the pageant year after year — here’s why."