Maddie Duff '25 Selected as a Kentucky Derby Festival Princess
Congratulations to Lewis Honors College student Maddie Duff ’25 who was one of two University of Kentucky students selected to serve as a Princess for this year’s 70th Kentucky Derby Festival!
“I am super excited to represent the University of Kentucky and the Lewis Honors College as a member of the 2025 Royal Court,” Maddie said.
Maddie is studying Neuroscience and Appalachian studies. She is the first female from eastern Kentucky to be elected UK Student Body President and chairs the Southeastern Conference (SEC) Board of Student Presidents. A Lewis Honors College ambassador, Maddie has served as president of both ACTION (Appalachian Career Training in Oncology) and the Appalachian Health Initiative (AHI), organizations dedicated to improving healthcare access in Appalachia. She is also a member of Alpha Phi sorority, the Apollo Society, Phi Delta Epsilon, and Neurocats.
The Court will serve as official ambassadors of the Festival, as well as Louisville and the Commonwealth. The Program is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity celebrating the state’s most civic-minded and academically achieving college students, and each woman receives a $2,000 scholarship ($1,000 from the Fillies, Inc., and $1,000 from the Kentucky Derby Festival Foundation).
The 2025 Royal Court was selected after attending final judging with 32 other finalist candidates. There were nearly 100 original applicants for the Royal Court Program, representing more than 15 colleges and universities from around Kentucky and Indiana and throughout the region. All of the applicants went through preliminary judging in November.
The Royal Court is coordinated by The Fillies, Inc., a volunteer group that works closely with the Festival. Fillies President Joanne Hurst joined Kentucky Derby Festival President and CEO Matt Gibson, as well as 2025 Derby Festival Chair Al Cornish, in crowning the newly appointed court.
One of the five Princesses will be crowned the Derby Festival Queen by a spin-of-the-wheel at the annual Fillies Derby Ball on Saturday, March 22 at the Omni Louisville Hotel.