The winner of the 2022 Miss Mississippi Competition and recipient of a $10,000 scholarship provided by Ameristar Casino and Hotel is Miss Mississippi State University, Emmie Perkins.

Perkins, a Hattiesburg native, said she was “in shock, in such a good way” immediately following her win. The reason, she said, was that she now has the opportunity to further her social impact initiative, Music is Medicine, throughout the state.

“(Music is Medicine) brings music to hospitals, nursing homes and school districts across the state,” she said. “I want to, first-hand, visit 82 schools in Mississippi, one in every county, all the assisted living facilities I can and create hubs on college campuses so they can do the same.”

Next on her journey as Miss Mississippi will be competing in the Miss America Competition. It’s something Perkins said she’s already looking forward to.

“I’m ready to hit the ground running,” she said. “The first thing I thought after all the emotions slipped away was, ‘I’ve got to start tomorrow. I’ve got a list of goals and I’m ready to far exceed them so I can head to Miss America and give my all — show people what Mississippi is all about and what Mississippi represents.”

The first alternate to Miss Mississippi and recipient of a $7,500 scholarship provided by the Miss Mississippi Corporation is Miss Leaf River Valley, Vicksburg native Charity Lockridge.

The second alternate and recipient of a $4,000 scholarship provided by David and Katherine McRae and a $1,000 scholarship provided by the Miss Mississippi Corporation is Miss Hattiesburg, Vivian O’Neal.

The third alternate and recipient of a $2,500 scholarship provided by Rusty’s Riverfront Grill and a $500 scholarship provided by the Miss Mississippi Corporation is Miss Gulf Coast, Katelyn Perry.

The fourth alternate and recipient of a $1,500 scholarship provided by Mutual Credit Union and a $1,000 scholarship provided by the Miss Mississippi Corporation is Miss All-American City, Kaylin Costello.

The five remaining semi-finalists were each recipient of a $2,000 scholarship provided by the Miss Mississippi Corporation. Their names are: Miss Pine Belt McKay Lee Bray, Miss Greenville Angel Gail Lang, Miss Deep South Ally Hopper, Miss University Abigail Church and Miss Jones County Karsyn Ulmer.