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INDIANAPOLIS — The 500 Festival has announced the 33 women selected to serve as the 2021 500 Festival Princesses.

This year’s group represents 16 Indiana colleges and universities, as well as 21 Hoosier cities and towns.

Each princess will receive a $1,000 scholarship, made possible by Marlyne Sexton, an Indianapolis philanthropist and president of The Sexton Companies, and the 500 Festival Foundation. 

During the month of May, one princess will be announced as the 2021 Marlyne Sexton 500 Festival Queen Scholar. She will receive an additional $1,500 scholarship.

  • Photo provided by 500 Festival
  • Victoria Petriskey
  • Sunnie Berning
  • Sienna Bates
  • Sarah Downing
  • Samantha Coffing
  • Rebecca Townsend
  • Rachel Ploss
  • Miranda Bieghler
  • Mikaela Jennings
  • Meridian Stowers
  • MaKenzie Quissell
  • Madeline MacKinnon
  • Lily Casavant
  • Kayla Vasilko
  • Karlye Vonderwall
  • Janae Quinn
  • Isra Haider
  • Hannah McGee
  • Haley Phemister
  • Grace Todd
  • Gloria Xue
  • Elizabeth Score
  • Elizabeth Martine
  • Elizabeth Cornejo
  • Dayna Kyler
  • Claire Rightley
  • Carly Smith
  • Brittany Alvarez
  • Autumn Lawhorn
  • Andrea Peterson
  • Alyssa Brinkman
  • Alie Brown
  • Aditi Sood

This year’s princesses were selected through a competitive process consisting of a written application and virtual interviews. The 2021 500 Festival Princesses represent a diverse group of women with an eclectic array of studies ranging from civil engineering to arts administration to cybersecurity to international relations.  

Since the program’s launch, more than 2,000 Indiana women have served as a 500 Festival Princess. You can learn more about the program here.

The 500 Festival is a nonprofit organization providing life-enriching events and programs that celebrate the spirit and legacy of the Indianapolis 500.