The first round of the Miss Mississippi Outstanding Teen preliminary competitions was underway Saturday afternoon at the Vicksburg City Auditorium with two veterans winning.

Miss Deep South Madison McCarter won the talent phase of the competition singing “I Am Here,” from the musical, “The Color Purple” and Miss Delta Brook Bumgarner won in the evening wear/on-stage question phase.

Bumgarner, who is competing for the second time in the MMOT Competition, wore a pink custom gown.

“I’ve had this gown for three years and I love it so much I literally want to get married in it,” Bumgarner said.

When Bumgarner first bought the gown, she said, she was not able to wear it because the competition had been canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. But she did wear it in last year’s competition.

This is McCarter’s third time to compete for the crown and she said she was “super excited” to have won the talent phase of the competition in the first round of preliminary competitions.

“This is my last year to compete, and I just wanted to throw it all out on the stage,” she said, adding she chose to sing “I Am Here” because she had heard is sung during a Miss Mississippi Competition.

McCarter, who is a senior a Victory Christian Academy in Columbus, said she hopes to study music in college.

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.