This southern states regional pageant was held annually during the Fourth of July holiday in Daytona Beach (FL) since 1946.  It was held by the Daytona Beach Chamber of Commerce.  It seemed to have been discontinued in 1968.

To be eligible for the Miss Dixie contest, the girls had to have placed first or second in another major contest and be from Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Alabama, Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland, Kentucky, Tennessee, Mississippi, Missouri, Arkansas, Texas or the District of Columbia.

They must be unmarried & between the ages of 17 and 26. Eligible Southern beauties had until June 18 (2 weeks prior) to file their applications.  From 1957 onwards, the first 20 successful applications were accepted for the pageant.  There were a Top 7, from which the Top 3 were announced.

1955

Top 3
1  Barbara Nan Hicks (Gadsden AL) (Miss Birmingham)
2  Joan Faye Brown (Winter Haven FL) (Miss Gardenia Queen)
3  Margaret Anne Haywood (Jonesboro AR) (Miss Arkansas Maid)
Finalists
Beverly Laurent (Bartow FL) (Miss Florida Citrus)
Durlene Johnson (Safety Harbor FL) (Miss Clearwater)
Ellen Whitehead (Chatham VA) (Miss Virginia U.S.A. 54)
Sadie Marie Vinson (New Orleans LA) (Miss Louisiana U.S.A. 54)

24 entries
Anita Glynne Barker (Oak Ridge TN)
Ann Nuckols (Rockville VA)
Barbara Nan Hicks (Gadsden AL) (Miss Birmingham)
Beverly Hinton (Woodstock VA)
Beverly Laurent (Bartow FL) (Miss Florida Citrus)
Carol Hammack (Front Royal VA)
Durlene Johnson (Safety Harbor FL) (Miss Clearwater)
Ellen Whitehead (Chatham VA) (Miss Virginia U.S.A. 54)
Frances Layton (Jacksonville FL)
Gloria Summers (St. Joseph MO)
Janice Hall (Little Rock AR) (Miss City Beautiful)
Joan Faye Brown (Winter Haven FL) (Miss Gardenia Queen)
Joann Roberts (Vero Beach FL)
Joyce Daughty (Mount Olive NC)
Judy Tritt (Jonesville VA)
Kay Stacey (Sarasota FL)
Lynn Brock (Bogalusa LA)
Margaret Anne Haywood (Jonesboro AR) (Miss Arkansas Maid)
Mary Ann Mount (Gadsden AL)
Mary Joyce Chitwood (Resnea GA)
Merlow Donovant (Martinsville VA) (Queen of Tobaccoland)
Peggy Anita Harrell (Hertford NC)
Sadie Marie Vinson (New Orleans LA) (Miss Louisiana U.S.A. 54)
Sandra Wilson (Orlando FL)

1956

1  Martha Dean Chestnut (Conway SC)
2  (not known)
3  Carol Baldwin (West Palm Beach FL)

16 entries
Carol Baldwin (West Palm Beach FL)
Ellen Whitehead (Chatham VA)
Jean Harper (Rome GA)
Jeanne Littler (Vero Beach FL)
Jeannine Aleatrice Parris (Atlanta GA) (Miss Georgia-America 56)
June Prichard (Seymour TX)
Karen Mullins (Enterprise AL)
Linda Lou Frith (Tampa FL)
Martha Dean Chestnut (Conway SC) (Miss South Carolina-America 56)
Mary Lou Key (Meridian MS)
Nancy Isabelle Smith (Toccoa GA)
Ralda Lynn Lefkoff (Atlanta GA)
Robin Williamson (Conway SC)
Ruth Shuman (Plant City FL)
Sadie Marie Vinson (New Orleans LA)
Toni Eidson (Atlanta GA)

1957

Top 3
1  Miss Florida Photography  Carol Baldwin (West Palm Beach FL)
2  Miss Texas  June Prichard (Fort Worth TX)
3  Tobacco Queen  Robin Williamson (Conway SC)

20 entries
Charleston County Maid of Cotton  Delores Huff (Charleston SC)
Miss Audubon  Earlyn Regouffre (New Orleans LA)
Miss Azalea Trail  Pat Ellisor (Pensacola FL)
Miss Cypress Gardens  Joan Ivey Smith (Winter Haven FL)
Miss Florida Photography  Carol Baldwin (West Palm Beach FL)
Miss Gadsden  Mary Anne Mount (Gadsden AL)
Miss Georgia (America 57)  Rosalie Jane Morris (East Point GA)
Miss Georgia Teachers College  Diana Bair (Pelham GA)
Miss Hibiscus Queen  Elvira Sapp (Vero Beach FL)
Miss Louisiana (America 57)  Bobbie Chachere (Baton Rouge LA)
Miss Louisiana Cotton Queen  Beth Rogers (Saline LA)
Miss Maryland (America 57)  Jeanne Steel (Baltimore MD)
Miss Orchid Queen  Mary Lou Gonzales (Tampa FL)
Miss Peanut Queen  Blanche Baxter (Louisville AL)
Miss Rose Queen  Nancy Mclean (Thomasville GA)
Miss Texas (America 56)  June Prichard (Fort Worth TX)
Miss Texas (America 57)  Barbara Murray (Houston TX)
Miss Thomasville  Betty Lou Eldridge (Thomasville GA)
Miss West Virginia (America 57)  Carolyn Jane Miller (Martinsburg WV)
Tobacco Queen  Robin Williamson (Conway SC)

1958

1  Miss North Carolina  Elaine Herndon (Durham NC)
2  Miss Missouri  Sara Ann Cooper (Buckner MO)
3  Miss Atlanta  Betsy Tant (Atlanta GA)

20 entries
Louisiana Peach Queen  Susie Acklin (Jonesboro LA)
Miss Atlanta  Betsy Tant (Atlanta GA)
Miss Congeniality of Port Arthur  Sandra Lyday (Port Arthur TX)
Miss Cypress Gardens  Sylvia C. Wyllys (Winter Haven FL)
Miss District of Columbia (America 58)  June Roberta Cook (Arlington VA)
Miss Fiesta, Festival of Five Flags  Patricia Jean Ferguson (Hampton VA)
Miss Florida Sunshine  Lynn Gennaria (Fort Lauderdale FL)
Miss Hospitality of Laurel, Mississippi  Nancy C. Crawford (Laurel, MS)
Miss Hospitality of Little Rock  Harlene Janelle (Russellville AR)
Miss Louisiana (America 58)  Beverly Leigh Norman (Shreveport LA)
Miss Missouri (America 58)  Sara Ann Cooper (Buckner MO)
Miss North Carolina (America 58)  Elaine Herndon (Durham NC)
Miss South Carolina (America 58)  Cecelia Ann Colvert (Greenwood SC)
Miss Texas (America 58)  Carolyn Calvert (Austin TX)
Miss Valdosta  Mary Dee Rivers (Adel GA)
Miss West Virginia (America 58)  Janice Lou Sickle (Fairmont WV)
Orange Bowl Queen  Marcia Valibus (Miami Beach FL)
Pan American Fiesta Queen  June Ann Pitre (Westwego LA)
Rose Festival Queen  Celia Mason Chestnut (Thomasville GA)
Southern Radio Queen  Karen Hurley (Grundy VA)

1959

Top 3
1  Miss Georgia  Jeanette Arlene Ardell (Marietta GA)
2  Miss Tennessee  Marty Boales (Memphis TN)
3  Miss Coastal Empire  Martha Ruth Brannon (Bishopville SC)

20 entries
Flower Show Queen of Ocala  Linda Gay Bennett (Ocala FL)
Miss Arkansas (America 59)  Sally Miller (Pine Bluff AR)
Miss Athens  Phyllis Sudderth (Atlanta GA)
Miss Atlanta runner-up  Hannah Annette Jones (Atlanta GA)
Miss Augusta  Lynne Elaine Richardson (Augusta GA)
Miss Caribbean  Genie Marie Spencer (Martinsville VA)
Miss Chickasaw  Charline Elizabeth Phillips (Chicksaw AL)
Miss Coastal Empire  Martha Ruth Brannon (Bishopville SC)
Miss District of Columbia (America 59)  Lee Rose Berkow (Washington DC)
Miss Florida (America 59)  Dianne Marie Tauscher (Orlando FL)
Miss Georgia (America 59)  Jeanette Arlene Ardell (Marietta GA)
Miss Hurricane Honey  Janice Elaine Carron (Tampa FL)
Miss Kentucky (America 59)  Sandra Sue Smith (Harlan KY)
Miss Memphis  Terry Kay Lane (Memphis TN)
Miss Missouri (America 59)  Marjorie Ann Critten (Kansas City MO)
Miss Sarasotan  Lucinda H. Wheeler (Sarasota FL)
Miss Tennessee (U.S.A. 58)  Martha Nelle Boales (Memphis TN)
Miss Texas (America 59)  Mary Nell Hendricks (Arlington TX)
Miss Virginia (America 59)  Barbara Doris Guthrie (Martinsville VA)
Miss Wilmington  Olivia Deann Estes (Wilmington NC)

1960

Top 3
1  Miss North Carolina Sun Fun  Norma Ann Buchanan (Elk Park NC)
2  Miss Kentucky (America 60)  Carol Fairchild Brown (Whitesburg KY)
3  Miss South Carolina (America 59)  Gene Lenoir Wilson (Charleston SC)

20 entries
Alabama’s Miss Universe (U.S.A. 59)  Pat Sullivan (Birmingham AL)
Miss Athens  Lynda Bradbury (Atlanta GA)
Miss DeKalb County, Georgia  Linda Faye Watson (Stone Mountain GA)
Miss Hospitality of Arkansas  Donna Axum (El Dorado AR)
Miss Maryland (America 60)  Marie Lorraine True (Baltimore County MD)
Miss Memphis runner-up  Anita Atkins (Memphis TN)
Miss Missouri (America 60)  Linda Mae Long (Independence MO)
Miss North Carolina runner-up  Gerry Barron (Chester SC)
Miss North Carolina Sun Fun  Norma Ann Buchanan (Elk Hart NC)
Miss Pan-American, Louisiana  Joann Watts (Poplarville MS)
Miss Savannah  Lynda Smith (Savannah GA)
Miss South Carolina Sun Fun  Wendy Ann Rivenbark (Aiken SC)
Miss Tennessee (America 59)  Patricia Arden Eaves (Cookeville TN)  
Miss Virginia (America 60)  Alice Sue Williams (Richmond VA)
Miss West Virginia (America 60)  Janet Marie Hill (Nitro WV)
Miss Winter Haven  Sheila Corum (Winter Haven FL)
Mississippi Forestry Queen  Judith Randall (Forest MS)
National Sweetcorn Sweetheart  Rita Wilson (Humboldt TN)

1961

Top 3
1  Miss Baton Twirling of U.S. Twirling Association  Carol Long (Orlando FL)
2  Southern Jewelry Queen  Bonnie Bunkley (Whitehaven TN)
3  Miss South Carolina  Tootsie Dennis (Moncks Corner SC)

20 entries
Azalea Queen  Barbara Olinger (Woodstock VA)
Florida Citrus Queen  Janice Griffin (Palm Beach FL)
Florida State Television Queen  Patricia Lee Cossin (Orlando FL)
Majorette Queen of America  Scarlett Cornwell (Dardanelle AR)
Miss Baton Twirling of U.S. Twirling Association  Carol Long (Orlando FL)
Miss Hospitality of Arkansas  Mary Ann Griffin (El Dorado AR)
Miss Huntington  Jo Ann Odum (Huntington WV)
Miss Jackson County, Georgia  Virginia Castellaw (Commerce GA)
Miss Maryland (America 61)  Robin Carol Davis (Hyattsville MD)
Miss Memphis  Pat Kerr (Memphis TN)
Miss Missouri (America 61)  Dusene Alee Vunovich (Kansas City MO)
Miss Newton County  Sandra Jean New (Atlanta GA)
Miss North Carolina Sun Fun  Betty Ann Russell (Charlotte NC) (Sun Fun 61)
Miss North Georgia  Beverly Kaye Bryant (Dalton GA)
Miss Oxford  Elizabeth Ann Judge (Oxford MS)
Miss South Carolina (America 60)  Nettie “Tootsie” Adelaide Dennis (Moncks Corner SC)
Miss Waycross  Lou Ellen Tyre (Waycross GA)
Miss West Virginia (America 61)  Mary Elizabeth “Beth” Hoback (Bluefield WV)
Mississippi Oil Queen  Joann Watts (Poplarville MS)
Southern Jewelry Queen  Bonnie Bunkley (Whitehaven TN)

1962

Top 3
1  Miss Tennessee  Rita Wilson (World-U.S.A. 62)
2  Miss North Carolina  Susan Woodall
3  Miss South Carolina Sun Fun  Nancy Ann Harrison

20 entries
Florida’s Junior Miss 1959  Linda Ann Couch (Tampa FL)
Florida’s Junior Miss 1960  Ellen Whigham (Tallahassee FL)
Gator Bowl Queen  Rhoda Rozier (Jacksonville FL)
Miss Florida Sun Fun  Elizabeth Jevnaas (Miami FL)
Miss Georgia Bathing Suit Winner  Joyce Bell (Canton GA)
Miss Georgia runner-up  Charron Pitts (Thomasville GA)
Miss Hospitality of Arkansas  Sandra Joan Cox (Monticello AR)
Miss Kentucky (America 62)  Lee Grigsby (Bardstown KY)
Miss Kentucky (U.S.A. 61)  Marcia Gail Chumbler (Mayfield KY)
Miss Moultrie  Joyce Butler (Moultrie GA)
Miss North Carolina (America)  Susan Woodall (Weldon NC)
Miss North Georgia  Linda Smith (Dalton GA)
Miss Savannah  Helen Gay Heidt (Savannah GA)
Miss South Carolina Sun Fun  Nancy Ann Harrison (Spartanburg SC)
Miss Southeast Georgia  Jane Johnson (Alma GA)
Miss Tennessee (America 62)  Rita Wilson (Humboldt TN)
Miss Tennessee Sun Fun  Mary Pendergrast (Memphis TN)
Miss Virginia runner-up  Mary Ellen Fuller (Colonial Heights VA)
Miss West Virginia (America 62)  Carole E. Johnson (Morganstown WV)
Queen Sugar  Lyndal Larson (Buras LA)

NOTE: Susan Woodall was fired as Miss North Carolina for entering the Miss Dixie contest in violation of her contract.

1963

Top 3
1  Miss Missouri  Sandra Kay Lyle
2  Miss Cypress Gardens  Sally Ann Hall
3  Miss Florida-World  Lynne Shirley

20 entries
Georgia’s Junior Miss 1962  Judy Elaine Evans (Dalton GA)
Miss Armed Forces  Charlotte Ford (Houston TX)
Miss Columbia  Joselyn Jeanne Alarie (Columbia SC)
Miss Cypress Gardens  Sally Ann Hall (Cypress Gardens FL)
Miss Florida (World 61)  Lynne Shirley (Jacksonville FL)
Miss Georgia (U.S.A. 62)  Genelda Jo Odum (Odum GA)
Miss High School of North Carolina  Shelia Karol Rocque (Fayetteville NC)
Miss Hospitality of Arkansas  Dianna Bernice Arey (Benton AR)
Miss Jefferson County  Martha Sharon Higdon (Louisville KY)
Miss Majorette of America  Judith Ann Barton (Knoxville TN)
Miss Maryland (America 63)  Beverly Ann Smith (Baltimore MD)
Miss Memphis  Dorothy Joyce Williams (Memphis TN)
Miss Mississippi (U.S.A. 62)  Sandra Josette Mazur (Jackson MS)
Miss Missouri (America 63)  Sandra Kay Lyle (Springfield MO)
Miss National Peanut Queen  Rose Marie Shelton (Colquitt GA)
Miss Southern 500  Carolyn Melton (Charlotte NC)
Miss Southern Majorette  Linda Kay Smith (Fairfax AL)
Miss Teen Age Atlanta  Cherilynn Elizabeth Paris (Atlanta GA)
Miss Tennessee Sun Fun  Betty Carol McCormick (Gallatin TN)
Miss Virginia (World 62)  Laurie Mills (Arlington VA)

1964

1  Florida's Junior Miss 1962  Carol Lynn Blum (Miami Beach FL)

20 entries
Florida’s Junior Miss 1962  Carol Lynn Blum (Miami Beach FL)
Louisiana’s Junior Miss 1962  Bonnie Elizabeth Fugler (Baton Rouge LA)
Miss Alabama (World 63)  Kathy Miller (Mobile AL)
Miss Arkansas (World 62)  Linda Suellyn Edwards (Hot Springs AR)
Miss Atlanta finalist  Carol Susan Gleim (Decatur GA)
Miss Florida (World 63)  Lanita Gayle Kent (Coral Gables FL)
Miss Florida National Guard  Karol Kelly (Zephyrhills FL)
Miss Fort Worth  Joyce Irene Garrett (Fort Worth TX)
Miss Hospitality of Arkansas  Jeri Haynie (El Dorado AR)
Miss Jackson runner-up  Patricia Ann Horne (Jackson MS)
Miss Maryland runner-up  Sharon Jane Dennis (Cottage City MD)
Miss Mississippi (U.S.A. 63)  Joan Elizabeth Kinnebrew (Hattisburg MS)
Miss Missouri (America 64)  Judith Nadine Engelhardt (St. Louis MO)
Miss North Carolina Rhododendron Queen  Brenda Lee Bost (Kannapolis NC)
Miss North Carolina Sun Fun  Martha Stone Alley (Leaksville NC)
Miss Perfect Posture  Frieda Jean Parsons (Athens GA)
Miss Port Arthur  Karen Ann Sealey (Port Arthur TX)
Miss South Carolina runner-up  Peggy Darlene Dickerson (Lexington SC)
Miss Tennessee (America 64)  Martha Ellen Truett (Tiptonville TN)
Miss Valdosta runner-up  Brenda Carol Smith (Albany GA)