A silver tiara adorned with numerous clear gemstones, set against a red background with a dark surface below. Miss America crown.

Miss Wausau area is forever an icon. The crown may come off - but the legacy continues.

The Miss Wausau Area Scholarship Organization has had an incredible foundational legacy in the local community. This is largely in part due to our incredible forever titleholders. Meet them below to see who has been a Miss Wausau Area and Miss Wausau Area’s Teen!

Forever Miss Wausau Area’s

  • A young woman with long, wavy hair, wearing a sparkly, patterned dress, holding a small tiara in her right hand, smiling at the camera, with a white background.

    Avery Manthe

    MISS WAUSAU AREA 2025

    Avery grew up in Spencer, Wisconsin. Her community service initiative was “Engage & Elect”, which promoted voter education and local election involvement. Avery performed a HERStory for talent.

    Awards at Miss Wisconsin:
    Non-Finalist Interview Winner
    Miss Congeniality Winner
    Overall Interview Winner (Tie)

  • Young woman with long red hair and blue eyes wearing a blue off-shoulder dress, holding a tiara on her head.

    Lauren Hjelsand

    MISS WAUSAU AREA 2024

    Lauren is from Wausau. Lauren’s community service initiative was titled “Bridging the Gap in STEM Education,” in which she supported STEM Education across the state of Wisconsin. She performed a HERStory for her talent.

  • Two young women on stage wearing crowns and elegant dresses, one of them is crowning the other with a smaller crown. There are flowers and a large bow in the background.

    Barabara Buehler

    MISS WAUSAU 1974

  • Three women, with two of them wearing crowns, celebrating Miss Wausau 1973; one woman is placing a crown on another's head, while the third woman holds a trophy. All are smiling, with bouquets of flowers in front. The background has curtains. The photo caption states Miss Wausau 1973 was crowned on Saturday, and mentions other titles and awards.

    Marva Marie Hemphill

    MISS WAUSAU 1973

  • Two women smiling, one wearing a crown and sash, the other placing a crown on her head, at a beauty pageant.

    JOY Trempe

    MISS WAUSAU 1972

  • Vicki Van Der Geest

    MISS WAUSAU 1971

  • Carolyn St. Clair

    MISS WAUSAU 1970

  • Josephine (Joey) Stoehr

    MISS WAUSAU 1969

  • Donna Sobkowiak

    MISS WAUSAU 1968

  • Daune Michelle Moen

    MISS WAUSAU 1967

  • Christine Beatty

    MISS WAUSAU 1966

  • Susan Wardius

    MISS WAUSAU 1965

  • Jacqueline Horel

    MISS WAUSAU 1964

  • Lu Ann Hyland

    MISS WAUSAU 1963

  • Maryanne Bendel

    MISS WAUSAU 1956

  • Eleanor Mary Eggebrecht

    MISS WAUSAU 1953

Forever Miss Wausau Area’s Teens

  • A young woman wearing a crown, sash, and a black and blue dress, smiling and posing against a plain white background.

    Anna Jacobson

    Miss Wausau Area’s Teen 2025

  • Young woman with shoulder-length hair, wearing a sash that reads 'MISS WIS', is smiling and placing a crown on her head.

    Payten Degrave

    Miss Wausau Area’s Teen 2024

Black and white photo collage of past Miss Wausau winners from 1959 to 1973, with their names and years of winning, including portraits of young women.

The Miss Wausau Area Scholarship Organization is always seeking information & photos regarding its historical previous titleholders. If you are one, or have any information, please reach out at misswausauarea@gmail.com!