Photos courtesy of Miss Alabama
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From left to right: Ali Mims, Elaina Burt, Hannah Adams and Hailey Adams.
Four women with Hoover ties will take the stage this week at Samford University as part of the 2026 Miss Alabama competition, with three of them already recognized among the pageant's top community service candidates.
The competition runs Wednesday through Saturday, June 3-6, at the Leslie S. Wright Fine Arts Center on Samford University's campus. Preliminary nights are at 7 p.m. Wednesday through Friday, with the crowning ceremony set for Saturday at 7 p.m.
Ali Mims, Miss Hoover; Hannah Adams, Miss Shelby County; and Hailey Adams, Miss University of Alabama, are three of seven finalists for the Miss Alabama Community Service Award. The winner and two runners-up will be announced at the awards breakfast on Saturday morning.
Mims, a Harpersville native and graduate of Chelsea High School who just finished her freshman year at Samford University, founded the Joyful Noise Foundation, a nonprofit working to provide musical instruments for special-needs classrooms across Alabama. She previously held the title of Miss Alabama's Teen 2024 and was first runner-up at Miss America's Teen 2025. She performs classical opera for her talent competition, singing "O Mio Babbino Caro."
Hannah Adams, a recent University of Alabama graduate, is a pediatric cancer survivor who was diagnosed with a Stage 3 Wilms tumor at age 5. Her community service initiative, Hannah's Hope, focuses on finding a cure for pediatric cancer. She has raised more than $60,000 through her nonprofit and previously served as a national youth ambassador for Hyundai Hope on Wheels. Adams was first runner-up at Miss Alabama 2025 and competes in jazz ballet en pointe for her talent.
Her sister Hailey Adams, a junior at the University of Alabama, focuses her platform on raising awareness about human trafficking through her initiative Hailey H.E.A.R.S. She serves as co-chairwoman of Gov. Kay Ivey's Human Trafficking Task Force and has led more than 90 legislative meetings on Capitol Hill. She performs jazz acro dance for her talent competition.
Elaina Burt, Miss Jefferson County, rounds out Hoover's contingent. Burt, a sophomore at the University of Alabama, founded Charlie's Chance in memory of her cousin, who had epilepsy caused by an SMC1A gene mutation. She has raised more than $100,000 for the Epilepsy Foundation through her signature fundraiser, Wings of Hope. A former Miss Alabama's Teen 2023, Burt performs classical ballet en pointe for her talent.
The Miss Alabama title comes with a $15,000 cash scholarship in addition to other awards. The winner will advance to compete at Miss America 2027. Outgoing titleholder Emma Terry, a former Miss Hoover who was crowned Miss Alabama 2025, will crown her successor Saturday night.
