The History of Miss Teen All American
Miss Teen All American
A Storied History

In the late 1970s, three pageant visionaries—Sid Sussman, Marie Sweeney, and Frank Sweeney—teamed up to create a new and exciting event: the Miss Teen All American Pageant. Their mission? To celebrate confidence, personality, and natural beauty in a way that broke free from tradition. By forgoing a performing talent segment, they made the competition more inclusive and accessible for all young women. With women representing cities and regions instead of states, the pageant promised to be fun, family-oriented, and flawlessly organized. Its debut at the glamorous Konover Hotel on Miami Beach set the stage for a new annual tradition. The first winner, Tonja Walker of Maryland, epitomized the pageant’s spirit, going on to achieve fame as an actress and producer.
Miss Teen All American wasn’t just groundbreaking—it was a trendsetter. As one of the first national pageants created exclusively for teens, it paved the way for other iconic competitions like Miss Teen USA and Miss America’s Outstanding Teen, influencing the evolution of pageantry as we know it today.
Over the years, the Miss Teen All American Pageant became one of North America’s premier pageants, growing in prestige and capturing the imagination of young women nationwide. The event was held in some iconic venues, including the Sheraton Bal Harbour, which is now the luxurious St. Regis Bal Harbour Resort. Alumni like Oscar-winning actress Halle Berry and other trailblazing women solidified its reputation as a platform for launching successful careers.
Now, RPM Productions is proud to continue the legacy of Miss Teen All American. Inspired by years in the industry, we’re redefining what it means to empower young women through humility, confidence, and international experiences. It’s more than a crown and title—it’s about putting them into action and using them to influence, embrace, and achieve. As we look to the future, we’re excited to carry forward this timeless tradition while adding a modern flair and highlighting what pageants were truly meant to be.
Halle Berry
Miss Teen All American 1985
Academy Award® Winner



Former Titleholders