The new Miss South Dakota has been crowned

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) – The competition for Miss South Dakota 2025 wrapped up Saturday night in Brookings, crowning Jamee Kattner as the new Miss South Dakota.

Kattner is from Huron and graduated from SDSU with a major in music education this spring.  She won a $13,000 scholarship with the title, and a $500 South Dakota Strong award, according to a news release.

Kattner’s community service initiative is “Melodies of Joy: Music’s Power to Inspire.”

As her talent, she sang “Art is Calling Me,” an operatic vocal from the Enchantress. She has also competed as Miss Siouxland.

The Sugar Shack is back in business

With this win, Kattner will move on to represent South Dakota at the 2025 Miss America pageant this September, competing against women from every state in the U.S. for the Miss America title.

“Miss America is more than a title, it’s a movement of empowering young women everywhere to dream big, to insist that their voices be heard and to inspire change in the world around them.” says the official Miss America website.

Twenty women from across the state competed for the title of Miss South Dakota. All won scholarships, totaling $54,250.

First runner-up was Katie Milbrant of Brookings, earning a $5,000 scholarship, $1,000 South Dakota Strong award, the $1,000 Dorothy Barnett Award for top overall interview. She also won a $750 STEM scholarship and a $1,000 Community Service Award.

Second runner-up was Kianna Healy of Harrisburg, receiving a $4,000 scholarship, a $500 preliminary health and fitness award and a $500 South Dakota Strong award, as well as the $1,000 Ray Peterson Rookie of the Year award. This is given to the highest placing delegate competing at Miss South Dakota for the first time. She is a recent graduate of Pace University NYC.

Third runner-up was Emily Deinken of Sioux Falls, receiving a $3,000 scholarship. She also won a $1,000 preliminary talent award, playing the Carmen Flute Fantasie from Habanera. She is a middle school music teacher in Sioux Falls and is pursuing her master’s degree in music education from Florida State University.

Natalie Biegler of Timber Lake was fourth runner-up, receiving a $2,000 scholarship. Biegler also earned the top South Dakota Strong award for $5,000, the Sylvia Tannehill Kindness Award for $1,000, and the Hunter Widvey Medical Scholarship for $500.

Rounding out the top ten semi-finalists, each receiving a $750 scholarship, were Payton Steffensen of Sioux Falls, Jenisha Gurung of Vermillion, Sydney Morgan of Hot Springs, Adrian Gruis of Onida, and Thea Tanton of La Vista, NE.

Jamie Smith aims to be the next Sioux Falls Mayor

Friday evening, Taya Ritterbush, 18, was crowned Miss South Dakota’s Teen. For her talent, she sang the Italian art song, “Se Tu M’Ami.” Her community service initiative is “Swimming in Inclusion, Floating in Diversity.”

She is from Hot Springs and plans to attend the University of South Dakota to major in music education and performance. The title comes with a $3,500 scholarship.

For more information on this year’s Miss South Dakota competition, visit their website.

Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KELOLAND.com.