Byron native Anna Brennan named Miss Minnesota 2026
Third time is a charm for Anna Brennan, the Byron native who was recently crowned Miss Minnesota 2026. Brennan began competing in the Miss Minnesota’s Teen competition in 2023, where she finished first-runner up.
The next year, she also finished second when she competed in the Miss Minnesota 2024 competition. Brennan then took time off from competing as she began college, only to return in 2026 to finally clinch the title of Miss Minnesota.
For Brennan, winning the title of Miss Minnesota was especially meaningful coming from outstate Minnesota.
“The biggest thing is just being a representation for small town Minnesota. I'm from Byron originally and so for me I didn't see a whole lot of large (opportunities) basically handed to me when I was growing up. I always had to kind of seek and go and find new opportunities for myself,” said Brennan.
The Miss Minnesota competition features several rounds ranging from private interviews to stage competition to a talent performance. For her talent performance, Brennan performed classical ballet.
Brennan credits the program, not just for sharpening her leadership skills, but broadening her horizons.
“It's given me the opportunity and permission to kind of chase different passions and career and professional opportunities that I wouldn't necessarily be able to,” said Brennan.
Brennan is currently a journalism student at the University of St. Thomas with ambitions of entering local journalism either through local tv news or through social media as an independent journalist.
Brennan will represent Minnesota in 2027 in the Miss America Competition in West Palm Beach in September.
“Miss America organization itself gives women so many opportunities to grow not just in leadership skills, but also in community service skills,” said Brennan about the competition. Miss Minnesota competitors often champion a community service initiative, with Brennan promoting her social media outreach program MediaWELL, which seeks to teach how to “engage with today’s digital landscape intentionally and intelligently, gaining the benefits of media without harming quality of life.”
Brennan was optimistic overall about the Miss America program, especially for what it provides to women.
“It is giving women the opportunity to kind of step into platforms and step into roles that they never saw people like them step into, so it’s really just kind of expanding what it means to be a woman, and I think that's really beautiful,” she said.
DCI Intern Cadence Loughran contributed to this report.