40 contestants vie for Miss Oklahoma 2023 crown, scholarships

Megan Gold is crowned Miss Oklahoma 2022 at the River Spirit Casino Resort theater last summer. This year's event kicks off this week, with 40 contestants from across the state competing for the title, a $30,000 cash scholarship and the chance to participate in this year's Miss America competition.

The Miss Oklahoma 2023 pageant kicks off this week with 40 contestants from across the state competing for the title, a $30,000 cash scholarship and the chance to participate in this year's Miss America competition.

The event, held at Tulsa's River Spirit Casino Resort, features a private interview as well as talent, evening gown, and health and fitness events before the winner is announced Saturday night.

The Miss Oklahoma Organization will be giving more than $2 million in scholarships to contestants in the Miss Oklahoma and the Miss Oklahoma's Teen competitions this week, said Jack Cooper, Miss Oklahoma president and board chairman.

Cooper said the organization is volunteer based and that funding for the scholarships comes from sponsors and donors.

Megan Gold, Miss Oklahoma 2022, won a $25,000 cash scholarship toward her education at the University of Oklahoma.

Over the last year, Gold focused on her social impact initiative, "America, Let's Do Lunch — Ending Senior Hunger." To get closer to her initiative, she temporarily moved into Covenant Living at Inverness, a retirement community located on West 71st Street.

Gold said she wanted to be closer to the community she hoped to impact, and she said the experience gave her a new perspective on the isolation and hunger experienced by older generations. Along with living in the retirement community, she worked closely with Meals on Wheels to advocate for expanded resources and fundraising.

Cooper said contestants typically choose an initiative they have a personal connection to, with topics ranging from mental health and CPR training to music programs and literacy. Gold chose her initiative after seeing her grandfather struggle with nutritious eating after his wife died.

"These community service initiatives (are) something that means something to them, something that they’ve experienced with their families, something that they’ve experienced personally," Cooper said.

Gold has competed in Miss Oklahoma competitions for the last 10 years, and she said the organization has given her valuable life skills and connections she can carry with her in the future.

Gold wants the contestants to soak in this week, as winning isn't necessarily the only way for the organization to affect them.

"(It's) a testament to what the organization can do for you if you allow it to transform you and to change your life and to catapult you into the rest of your life and give you the skills that you need to succeed," Gold said. "Make the most of the experience and the opportunity."

The Miss Oklahoma preliminary competition begins at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, and the Miss Oklahoma's Teen competition begins at 7:30 p.m. Friday. The finals for both begin at 7:30 p.m. Saturday.

Tickets are available at the River Spirit Casino Resort box office.

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About the Across the Sky podcast. The weekly weather podcast is hosted on a rotation by the Lee Weather team: Matt Holiner of Lee Enterprises' Midwest group in Chicago, Kirsten Lang of the Tulsa World in Oklahoma, Joe Martucci of the Press of Atlantic City, N.J., and Sean Sublette of the Richmond Times-Dispatch in Virginia.

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