Ashley Bracey, Utah's Junior Miss and a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, was awarded the Spirit of America's Junior Miss Scholarship, Saturday night in Mobile, Ala.

Bracey is the daughter of Richard and Kim Bracey of Alpine, Utah, and a graduate of Lone Peak High School.

She competed in Mobile against Junior Miss program winners from all across the United States in talent, self-expression, scholastics, interview and fitness categories for a $50,000 scholarship.

She was chosen for her award -- which carries with it a $1,500 scholarship -- by the rest of the program contestants as the one who best exemplifies the spirit of the Junior Miss program.

America's Junior MIss was founded in 1958. More than 700,000 young American women participate in local, state and national competitions.

In 2008, Lindsey Brinton of Salt Lake City, also a Mormon, won the national competition.

Kentucky's Junior Miss Michelle Rodgers won the gold medallion in the America's Junior Miss 2009 event with Sidney Anthony from Mississippi and Samantha LaBrasca from Wisconsin taking the honors as first and second runners-up.

The event was webcast on NBC15online.com.

E-mail: haddoc@desnews.com