A Christian pageant winner who lost her Miss North Florida crown for refusing to sign a Miss America contract has been honoured in Washington D.C. for standing firm in her faith. 

Kayleigh Bush received the Young Christian Woman of Distinction 2025 award from She Leads America at its annual gala on 10th October 2025.  

The event, held at the Museum of the Bible, recognised Christian women showing courage and conviction in public life. Bush’s award was also entered into the Congressional Record. 

Bush, crowned Miss North Florida in September 2024, was stripped of her title two months later after refusing to sign a contract that she said contradicted her Christian beliefs about gender.  

She told organisers she could not agree to language that redefined “female” to include biological males who had undergone surgery. 

Faith-based advocacy group Liberty Counsel supported her appeal, which the Miss Florida Scholarship Program and Miss America Organization declined to accept. 

Peggy Nienaber, vice president of Faith & Liberty and the Washington D.C. director of She Leads America, nominated Bush for the award, praising her courage to live out her Christian convictions in the public arena. 

Liberty Counsel founder Mat Staver said in a statement that Bush “gave up her crown rather than accept a lie” and called her “a shining example to young Americans who are willing to stand for truth”. 

Bush said she hopes her story will encourage other young Christians to remain steadfast in their faith, even when it comes at personal cost.