Helena native Adella Harris crowned Miss Montana 2026

Adella Harris now carries Helena onto a statewide platform that comes with more than a crown: the Miss Montana 2026 title, $5,400 in scholarships, a full-ride scholarship to Troy University and a year of service built around a community initiative she will advocate.

Harris, a Helena native, was crowned at the Mother Lode Theatre in Butte during the 76th annual Miss Montana and Miss Montana’s Teen competition, held May 28-30. The title gives Lewis and Clark County a local representative in a program that is designed around scholarship, leadership, service and personal growth, not just the pageant itself.

A student at Montana State University, Harris is studying political science and serves as a resident adviser. She is also an honors student. After graduation, she plans to attend law school and pursue public service, a path that makes her new role especially relevant in Helena, where civic leadership, state government and higher education overlap in everyday life.

The Miss Montana Organization says each delegate must advocate a Community Service Initiative during her year of service. That requirement turns the title into an active public role, placing Harris in front of communities, students and organizations across Montana as she represents the state and the Miss Montana Scholarship Foundation’s long-running emphasis on educational advancement.

Founded in 1940, the foundation sends scholarships directly to the winner’s chosen college or university as tuition awards. For Harris, the scholarship package provides immediate support while underscoring the organization’s broader message that pageantry can be tied to education and service.

The teen title went to Harper Harryman of Butte, who earned $1,800 in scholarships and a full-ride scholarship option to the University of Alabama, Mississippi State University and Troy University. Her platform, The Mind & Movement Collective, focuses on teen mental wellness through movement, mentorship and meaningful conversation, adding another service-centered voice to this year’s winners.

The 2026 competition followed a 2025 event that was the 75th annual Miss Montana pageant, also held at the Mother Lode Theatre in Butte. That year’s field included 14 contestants, and the state organization has continued to highlight titleholders with service initiatives, including Haley Joy Tate’s EmpowHer: Breast Cancer SupportHERs and Marygrace Knuffke’s scholarship win as Miss Montana’s Teen 2025.

For Helena, Harris’s victory is more than a hometown headline. It places a local student, future lawyer and public servant into a statewide role built around advocacy, education and visible community work.