The first round of the Miss Mississippi Outstanding Teen preliminary competitions was underway Saturday afternoon at the Vicksburg City Auditorium with a tie for evening wear and a first-year talent winner.

Miss Hattiesburg Ellie Chain won the talent phase of the competition with a spirited jazz dance to “Still Rock ‘N Roll to Me” by Billy Joel. Chain said she chose the song for a special reason.

“I’ve been dancing since I was 2 years old, and my dad actually chose that song, because he wanted it to be something everyone in the crowd knew, from every age,” Chain said. “It was super fun to dance to.”

Miss Capital City Blake Hart and Miss Metro Jackson Nataleigh Nix tied in the evening wear/on-stage question phase of the competition.

Hart, a Meridian native and first-year delegate, wore a chartreuse green gown by Sherri Hill. The only contestant to wear green for this preliminary round, Hart said she decided to choose colors that compliment her skin tone.

“Every time I’m on stage, I know how the lights hit my skin and I know what colors look best,” Hart said. “So I try to wear a color that pops. It’s one of my favorite dresses.”

Nix is no stranger to the Miss Mississippi Outstanding Teen stage. This year marks her third go at the competition, and for the evening wear phase, she wore a bedazzled blue gown.

“I got my dress from Mia Bella Prom,” Nix said. “I get all my pageant wardrobe there because they’re so kind. I chose the color blue because my eyes are blue.”

Nix added that, while she wasn’t sure about wearing blue in the competition, her grandmother fell in love with the dress when she tried it on and she knew it was the one.

The second and final round of preliminary competitions will continue tonight at 7:30 p.m.

The final round of competition and crowning will be held at 3 p.m. Sunday.

Tickets are $25 for the preliminary round and $40 for the final day of the competition and are available at the door. For more information, call 601-638-6746.