For the ninth year, the Miss Arkansas Pageant presented "Alpha Awards" for each phase of competition to first-time Miss Arkansas contestants who garnered the most points in their respective groups each night.

Savvy Shields, Miss Heart of the Ozarks and a senior at the University of Arkansas, was presented with a $250 scholarship from the Miss Arkansas Executive Directors Association. Shields is the 21-year-old daughter of Todd and Karen Shields of Fayetteville.

Two more University of Arkansas contestants, Jennifer Nottenkamper and Jacey Winn, were honored during preliminary rounds for their success among the top fundraisers for the Children's Miracle Network. The pageant raised more than $93,000.

Competition in Hot Springs continues with preliminaries at 7 p.m. tonight and final competition scheduled for 7 p.m. Saturday, including the naming of the 10 semi-finalists. The reigning Miss Arkansas, U of A alumna Loren McDaniel, will be on hand to crown the new Miss Arkansas at the end of the evening.