Submitted Photo The crowned winners from left to right are Benisha Rai, ND Miss Amazing Teen; Sam Kolden, ND Miss Amazing Jr. Miss; Theresa Kraft, ND Miss Amazing Miss; Danielle Hartson, ND Miss Amazing Sr. Miss; and Carrie Thompson, ND Miss Amazing Mentor.

Sisters Samantha Youngren and Grace Redding of Minot worked together to bring a celebration of individuals with disabilities to North Dakota. In 2019, Youngren was Miss North Dakota and was in South Dakota at the Miss Amazing event.

“When I was there, I was volunteering and I got to sit and watch the final show. It was a really cool experience to get to celebrate these people that often don’t get celebrated,” Youngren said. “So when I got back to North Dakota, I gave up my title and then got to work on this project of bringing Miss Amazing to North Dakota.”

This year’s pageant was held in Minot on March 8-9.

Crowned as winners in the North Dakota Miss Amazing Pageant were:

– Benisha Rai, ND Miss Teen 2025

– Sam Kolden, ND Miss Amazing Jr. 2025

– Theresa Kraft, ND Miss Amazing Miss 2025

– Danielle Hartson, ND Miss Amazing Sr. 2025

– Carrie Thompson, ND Miss Amazing Mentor 2025

The pageant has three core skill areas that contestants focus on.

“Our first is an interview and that is similar to a regular sit down conversation with a friend. The interview is the only part of the three skill areas that is not on stage. This creates a more inviting atmosphere for our contestants,” Youngren said. “The second skill area we focus on is an introduction that is done on stage. So basically, the ladies get to speak into a microphone and share what it is about them that makes them amazing. During this area, contestants are wearing a T-shirt that has been provided to them.

“The third skill area we have is our passion presentation. This can be similar to a typical talent portion. However, we really encourage our participants to think on a more broad spectrum of what talent looks like,” she said.

The girls also get to spend the weekend meeting new friends, participating in workshops, enjoying group activities and participating in a service activity. This year the service project was to make tie blankets to donate to Souris Valley Animal Shelter.

“This gives our participants a chance to give back to the community,” Youngren said. “A lot of time these individuals are on the receiving end. So this is their way of saying thank you.”