Queen of the Cove 2026: the winners
Three titles, decided by public vote, at a sandbar you can only reach by boat.
Cove Queen — Lydia. The 35-and-over division, and the title that started it all.
Cove Princess — Carly. The 18–34 division.
Cove Daddy — Jason. The men's division, and the loudest trophy of the three.
Voting ran September 15–18, one vote per division per day, winners decided on the cumulative count rather than a single day's spike — so a title went to whoever kept a crowd coming back for four days, which is rather the point of holding it out there.
The day
The crowns and the prizes were handed over out at The Cove, and the winners were thrilled with them — photographed by the water showing off what they had won, then a few modeling shots in the mangroves while the light held out. Jason arrived later in the day, no less pleased, and got his own set with his winnings.
The photos
Every set is published at full size — not the compressed version the voting pages carried, and not a watermarked preview. Open a gallery, tap any photo to see it full screen, and download whatever you like. They are free to keep and share.
- Cove Queen — Lydia
- Cove Princess — Carly
- Cove Daddy — Jason
- Winners with their prizes — awards day, four galleries
Thank you to the sponsors
Tormenter ocean, Barrett rod co, Cool Cat Charters, Caitlin Steele REALTOR, Boat snak, Smokin Fish Charters, Bikini Garden Swimwear, Bruce Stanford Services, Sunshine Boudoir Photography — a free contest on a sandbar only works because local businesses back it. See who else is on the wall.
Queen of the Cove is a Fort Pierce contest: three divisions, free to enter, decided by public vote every September. If you want to be in the next one, that is a swim away.
