Miss Subways is the coveted crown of New York quirkiness

CONEY ISLAND, Brooklyn -- It's not your grandmother's Miss Subways contest. The 2025 edition of the uniquely New York beauty pageant took the stage at Coney Island USA's Sideshows by the Seashore theater.

The contest began in 1941 and was America's first integrated beauty pageant. The first Black Miss Subways was crowned in 1947 and the first Asian winner came two years later. The contestants appeared on subway ads and were selected based on their "girl next door" quality. The ads became the inspiration behind "Miss Turnstiles" in Leonard Bernstein's musical On the Town.

Aside from a one-off event in 2004, the contest was on hiatus from 1976 until The City Reliquary - a museum focused on New York City cultural history, artifacts and ephemera - revived the pageant in 2017. The new host opened the contest to all genders, body types and ages. That year, artist Lisa Levy became the first post-menopausal Miss Subways. In 2025 Levy was the head judge at the July

The contestants are as compelling and iconic as the city they live in. Pageant newcomer Teresa Hui, an actor and New York native, is grateful for the one-of-a-kind contest. She appreciates how, "Everyone is so talented. Everyone is so funny. Everyone is so crazy, just like me, so I feel like here, in this place, I've found my people!"

The contestants compete in costume, talent and question-and-answer categories. At the end of the night, Bimini Cricket's MTA-themed parody of Rapper's Delight, train-themed dress and Subway-Rat style earned the comedic-burlesque performer the 2025 crown.

Bimini was shocked, saying, "I was sure somebody else got it. I'm so touched." When asked what she'll do next, Cricket quotes Legally Blonde 2, saying, "I want a hot dog real bad."