Asya Branch is preparing to pass down the crown.
On Monday, Nov. 29, the 2021 Miss USA winner will anoint the newest beauty queen at the River Spirit Casino in Tulsa, Okla. As Asya recently wrote on Instagram, "One lucky lady's life will be forever changed on that night."
But there's still quite a lot that needs to happen before judges can choose the next Miss USA. There's the swimsuit portion of the competition, then evening gowns and, most important, the interview.
So far, there are no obvious frontrunners, but history is already being made. Kataluna Enriquez is representing Nevada this year, marking the first time an openly transgender contestant is competing in the pageant.
Kataluna previously told NPR that she has faced discrimination throughout her pageant experience but said, "When I was young, I always wanted to see someone on the Miss USA stage—someone like me. And it just happened to be that I was the person that I needed to make history."
"My win is not just a win for the trans community," Kataluna added. "It's a win for all women to be represented."
To see Kataluna and more Miss USA hopefuls model in the swimsuit portion, check out the gallery below!
Alex Flanigan
Madison Edwards
Cassidy Jo Jacks
Stephanie Barber
Sabrina Lewis
Olivia Lorenzo
Amanda Torchia
Drew Sanclemente
Sasha Perea
Ashley Bareto
Cora Griffen
Allison Chu
Katarina Schweitzer
Sydni Bennett
A'Niyah Birdsong
Katie Wadman
Gracie Hunt
Elle Smith
Tanya Crowe
VeronicaIris Bates
Layilah Nasser
Sarah de Souza
Taylor Hale
Katarina Spasojevic
Bailey Anderson
Joye Forrest
Jami Forseth
Erika Etzelmiller
Kataluna Enriquez
Taylor Fogg
This story was originally published on Tuesday, Nov. 9, 2021 at 3:26 p.m. PT.