Miss Quad Cities and Washington, Illinois native Jessica Tilton has been named Miss Illinois 2023.
The 25-year-old won the title Saturday evening at the Marion Cultural and Civic Center following five days of interviews, performances, and rehearsals.
Tilton, a faculty member at Bradley University in Peoria, will spend the next year traveling throughout the state to attend special events and promote her social community initiative of advocating for organ donation. In addition to the title and crown, Tilton wins a minimum $10,000 in scholarships and will represent Illinois at the Miss America competition later this year.
Miss Capital City Breana Bagley of Decatur was named runner-up and Miss Lake County Makalyn Heaslett of Chicago was second runner-up. Other finalists were:Additional semi-finalists included:Bethalto: Sydney Daniel, Miss KankakeeChicago: Elise O’Connell Miss ChicagoChicago: Imani P. Muse, Miss Windy CityFrankfort: Megan Magee, Miss Little EgyptJeffersonville, Indiana: Madelyn Steurer, Miss Cook CountyMundelein: Sheridan Hurtig, Miss PeoriaQuincy: Jasmine Cobb, Miss HeartlandRichton Park: Nitsaniyah Fitch, Miss Iroquois County
