COUNTRY STAR BRETT ELDREDGE IS THE FIRST CELEBRITY JUDGE TAPPED FOR THE 95TH ANNIVERSARY BROADCAST OF MISS AMERICA

"The 2016 Miss America Competition" To Broadcast Live on Sunday, September 13 from Atlantic City's Boardwalk Hall on the ABC Television Network

Country star Brett Eldredge is the first of seven judges to be announced for the live broadcast of the 95th anniversary of the "2016 Miss America Competition." Miss America returns to Atlantic City's Boardwalk Hall on SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 13 (9:00-11:00 p.m., ET) on the ABC Television Network. The evening will be filled with glitz and glam when 52 women representing their home states and territories compete to bring home the crown and scholarship.

"I get to judge Miss America. Are you kidding me?!" said Eldredge. "Talk about a dream come true! I can't wait to be a part of this."

Additional hosts and judges for the "2016 Miss America Competition" will be announced in the coming weeks.

Brett Eldredge is the reigning CMA New Artist of the Year and is enjoying three consecutive No. 1 hits with the platinum-certified "Don't Ya," Billboard's No. 1 song on Country Airplay in 2014, and gold-certified "Beat of the Music," and the gold-certified "Mean To Me." His current single, "Lose My Mind," was recently named USA Today's Song of the Week. Eldredge's sophomore album, Illinois, will be released Friday, September 11. He's on tour this summer with Darius Rucker on his "Southern Style" tour. For more information, visit www.BrettEldredge.com, on Facebook www.facebook.com/BrettEldredge and Twitter @BrettEldredge.

Tickets for "The 2016 Miss America Competition" are now on sale and can be purchased at ticketmaster.com. For more information on "The 2016 Miss America Competition," please visit Miss America Organization's website at www.missamerica.org.

For the latest news, be sure to follow Miss America on social and join the conversation by using the official hashtag for the show, #MissAmerica.

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About The Miss America Organization

The Miss America Organization, a 501(c) 4 non-profit corporation, provides millions of dollars in annual college scholarship assistance making it the largest scholarship program for women in the United States. MAO is comprised of 52 licensed organizations, which includes all 50 states, Washington, D.C. and Puerto Rico. MAO contestants contribute over 500,000 hours of community service annually and have raised over $10 million for Children's Miracle Network Hospitals since 2007.