Miss UAB 2025 Melissa Mercer and Miss UAB 2026 Mckinley HubbardMckinley Hubbard is the new Miss University of Alabama at Birmingham.
Hubbard was crowned Miss UAB 2026 on Saturday, Nov. 8, during the Miss UAB Scholarship Pageant held in the Alys Stephens Performing Arts Center. The scholarship pageant is an official preliminary to the Miss Alabama and Miss America competitions and is presented by Student Involvement and Leadership.
Hubbard, 20, of Tuscaloosa, Alabama, also won the Miss Congeniality and Talent awards, winning $2,800 in scholarships.
A junior majoring in kinesiology with a concentration in exercise science, Hubbard is a member of the UAB Softball team. She has been named to the Presidential honors list and the American Conference All-Academic Team in both her freshman and sophomore years. Hubbard is a volunteer for Miracle League Every Child Deserves a Chance to Play Baseball. She is on the board of directors for Distinguished Young Women of Tuscaloosa. Her talent was a piano and vocal performance to the song “Don’t Stop Believing.” Her parents are Jason and Kellie Hubbard.
Senior Anna Grace Deason, 21, of Millbrook, Alabama, was named first runner-up and won a $1,300 scholarship. Her major is public health with a minor in political science. She has been in the UAB Honors College throughout her time at UAB. Deason is involved in Best Buddies, the Maternal and Child Health Student Association, and the Student Athlete Advisory Committee. A member of the March of Dimes National Collegiate Leadership Council, she received the “Circle of Champions” award in 2023. In 2023 and 2024, she was named a Daisy Team Award winner for her volunteer service in NICU units in Alabama. Her parents are Trent and Donna Deason.
Sophomore Landry Mavar, 20, of Fairhope, Alabama, was named second runner-up and awarded the Miss UAB Spirit Award, winning $1,200 in scholarships. Mavar is a health care management major and legal affairs minor and a member of the UAB Cheerleaders. She is in Alpha Gamma Delta Sorority and volunteers at Blazer Kitchen and Kids Eatz. Her parents are Lisa Mavar and John Mavar.
Miss UAB 2026 will receive a gift certificate from ESQ Photography, free workout classes from True40 Fitness Studio, free cuts and coloring from Morgan Ashley Salon, a gift certificate from Glitz & Gowns, a gift certificate from the UAB Bookstore, a free Bundt cake tower from Nothing But Bundt, and a crown lapel pin from the Dressing Room Moms. EQS Photography, LLC, provided the candidate headshots.