Miss Oregon USA 2023 is Manju Bangalore of Benton County


Miss Benton County, Manju Bangalore, was crowned Miss Oregon USA 2023 on Saturday, October 15 at the Sherwood Center for the Arts in Sherwood, Oregon.

The 25-year-old physicist, actor, model, and founder of two nonprofits edged out over 20 other competitors to win the state title in her third attempt. She succeeds last year's winner Arielle Freytag and will now prepare to represent Oregon at Miss USA 2023.

"As an Oregonian, this has been a dream of mine for so long and I'm just in shock," she excitedly told her predecessor in a video clip shortly after winning her title.

"It's literally surreal, I mean, this is the pageant that I grew up watching, like admiring all the intelligent, beautiful, strong girls. I'm just in shock," she added.

Rounding out the Top 5 finalists were Miss Klamath Falls, Amulya Chava; Miss Progress Ridge, Brooklyn Lowery; Miss Multnomah County, Kelly Smith; and Miss West Portland, Aly Nordie.

The new Miss Oregon USA is also an aspiring astronaut who has worked at two NASA centers and in the White House. She is currently enrolled in a postgraduate program training her to go to space one day.

In addition to her scientific accomplishments, her acting and modeling careers have taken her from working with Beyoncรฉ to shooting with Sports Illustrated.

Manju founded two nonprofits, the Operation Period, and Painting With Parkinson's, to advocate for causes closest to her heart.

Apart from Miss Oregon USA, Miss Oregon Teen USA 2023 Isabella Ellsworth of Happy Valley was also crowned at the same venue over the weekend. She will proceed to compete in the Miss Teen USA 2023 pageant.

Meet the new Miss Oregon USA:


RELATED POSTS:

Popular posts from this blog

Miss Grand Thailand 2026 is Patthama Jitsawat of Chonburi

Image
Patthama Jitsawat, representing the Thai province of Chonburi, was crowned Miss Grand Thailand 2026 on Saturday, March 28 at MGI Hall in Bangkok. The 32-year-old beauty edged out 76 other contestants to win the national competition. She succeeds last year's winner Sarunrat Puagpipat of Phuket. Panasaya Angelica Damaagd of Buriram was names first runner-up while Ilin Nabsuk of Phuket, Natthakitta Kerdkanchiroj of Saraburi, and Naruemol Chaloemroek of Sukhothai were the second, third, and fourth runners-up, respectively. This year's competition marked the 13th edition of the annual Miss Grand Thailand pageant. Reigning Miss Grand International Emma Mary Tiglao from the Philippines was present at the glittering event. The new Miss Grand Thailand will represent the "Land of Smiles" at the Miss Grand International 2026 pageant in India this October. View this post on Instagram A post shared by ๐— ๐—ถ๐˜€๐˜€ ๐—š๐—ฟ๐—ฎ๐—ป๐—ฑ ๐—ง๐—ต๐—ฎ๐—ถ๐—น๐—ฎ๐—ป๐—ฑ (@missgrandthailand) P...
Read more

Miss Universe Paraguay 2026 is Gretha Matiauda

Image
Former Miss Earth Paraguay Gretha Matiauda has recently been appointed as her country's official representative in the Miss Universe 2026 pageant. The 24-year-old beauty from Asunciรณn is an economist, international model and entrepreneur. She succeeds last year's titleholder Yanina Gรณmez who made the Top 30 at Miss Universe 2025. No stranger to pageantry, Gretha has previously placed fourth runner-up at Miss United Continents 2022 in Ecuador and competed in Miss Earth 2023 in Vietnam. In a recent post on social media, she wrote, "Today I begin writing a new story, a new chapter where dreams cease to be promises, and become responsibilities." "Being Miss Universe Paraguay is not just about wearing a crown; it's about carrying the voice of a country, the soul of its people, and the strength of every woman who never stopped believing," she added. The 75th Miss Universe pageant will be held in San Juan, Puerto Rico later this year. Meet the new Miss Universe...
Read more

Hanoi's Phan Phuong Oanh is the new Miss World Vietnam

Image
Phan Phuong Oanh was proclaimed the winner of the Miss World Vietnam 2025 pageant held on Sunday, March 29 in Ho Chi Minh City. The 23-year-old international business graduate from Hanoi bested 46 other contestants to clinch the coveted national title. Le Phuong Khanh Nhu and Truong Tam Nhu were named the first and second runners-up, respectively. Reigning Miss World Opal Suchata Chuangsri of Thailand and Miss World CEO Morley CBE were special guests at the event. During the show, Vietnam was officially announced as the host country for the 73rd Miss World (Miss World 2026) to be held this summer. The new Miss World Vietnam is expected to represent her country at the 74th Miss World competition. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Miss World Vietnam (@missworldvn) Photos: Kieng Can, Miss World Vietnam / Instagram
Read more

Vietnam to host the 73rd Miss World competition this summer

Image
Vietnam, the land of the "Ascending Dragon", has been revealed as the official host country of the 73rd Miss World (Miss World 2026) competition. The official announcement was made during the Miss World Vietnam final on March 29 by Miss World CEO and Chairperson Julia Morley CBE and representatives of Sen Vร ng, the local organizers and co-producers of the event. According to the organizers, this year's competition will be held from August 9 in Hanoi until the final on September 5 in Ho Chi Minh City where the reigning queen Opal Suchata Chuangsri of Thailand will crown her successor. From the stunning limestone scenery of Ha Long Bay to the lively atmosphere of Hanoi and the energetic vibe of Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam presents an extraordinary mix of natural beauty, deep cultural heritage, and contemporary elegance. During their travels, contestants and visitors will have the chance to discover famous landmarks, interact with local communities, and enjoy the country’s fam...
Read more

Miss World Cayman Islands 2026 is Kristianna Gordon from West Bay

Image
Kristianna Gordon from West Bay has been officially announced as Cayman Islands' representative for the 73rd Miss World competition. The 21-year-old graduate of St. Ignatius Catholic School is a dedicated advocate for empowering youth. She founded her Beauty with a Purpose platform, Unsilenced, which emphasizes child protection, consent, and emotional awareness for young individuals. Through her initiative, she strives to establish safe and supportive environments where young people feel valued, respected, and confident in their self-esteem. The new Miss World Cayman Islands is the granddaughter of Patrick and Celeste Broderick — longstanding leaders in Caymanian pageantry and former national franchise holders for Miss World and Miss Universe. She is also the daughter of Nicole Broderick Gordon, Miss Florida Teen USA 1998. The Miss World 2026 competition will be held in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam this summer. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Miss Worl...
Read more

Mister International titleholders from 2006-2024

Image
The Mister International pageant, a celebrated event in the world of male beauty, was established in 2006 in Singapore by Alan Sim, its original president and founder. After the unfortunate passing of Sim, the pageant relocated its headquarters to Bangkok, Thailand, where it is now guided by the current president, Pradit Pradinunt. In a significant change starting in 2023, the Mister International organization opened its doors to fathers, married men, and divorced men aged 18-33, allowing a broader range of contestants to participate. The annual Mister International competition is recognized as one of the premier male beauty pageants in the world. Meet the titleholders from 2006-2024: 2006: Lebanon - Wissam Hanna 2007: Brazil - Alan Bianco Martini 2008: Vietnam - Ngo Tien Doan 2009: Bolivia - Bruno Kettels 2010: Great Britain - Ryan Terry 2011: Brazil - Cรฉsar Curti 2012: Lebanon - Ali Hammoud (resigned) 2013: Venezuela - Josรฉ Anmer Paredes 2014: Philippines - Neil Perez 2015: ...
Read more

Transgender woman Nguyen Huong Giang to represent Vietnam at Miss Universe 2025

Image
Former Miss International Queen winner Nguyen Huong Giang has been officially announced on Wednesday, September 25 as Miss Universe Vietnam 2025. The 33-year-old model, singer and actress from Hanoi made history as the first ever transgender woman to represent Vietnam at Miss Universe. Huong Giang rose to prominence when she joined the fourth season of Vietnam Idol. She also competed and won The Amazing Race Vietnam 2014 with her ex-boyfriend Criss Lai. One of her proudest achievements in pageantry was winning Miss International Queen 2018, a prestigious beauty pageant for trans women in Pattaya, Thailand. The new Miss Universe Vietnam will head to Bangkok, Thailand to compete in Miss Universe 2025 this November. Road to the 74th Miss Universe: View this post on Instagram A post shared by ๐๐†๐”๐˜๐„̂̃๐ ๐‡๐”̛๐Ž̛๐๐† ๐†๐ˆ๐€๐๐† (@huoggiangggg) Photos: Nguyen Huong Giang / Instagram
Read more

Miss Universe 2025: Meet the contestants

Image
Miss Universe 2025, the 74th Miss Universe competition is set to take place on Friday, November 21 at the Impact Arena in Bangkok, Thailand. Reigning Miss Universe Victoria Kjรฆr Theilvig from Denmark will hand over her crown to her successor at the conclusion of the event. This year's much-talked-about edition marked Thailand's fourth time hosting the prestigious beauty pageant after 1992, 2005, and 2018. Following the withdrawal of several countries including Cameroon, Germany, Iceland, Kenya, Mongolia, and Montenegro, 122 contestants from various countries and territories are left competing for the coveted international beauty title. The competition has welcomed the debuts of Miss Universe Latina, Cape Verde, Mayotte, Palestine, and Rwanda as well as the return of Ghana, Haiti, Iraq, Kosovo, Panama, Slovenia, South Africa and Sweden. Bonaire and Rwanda, both 42 years old, are the oldest participants this year while 18-year-old Belarus and Ireland are the youngest. For the fir...
Read more

Miss International Hong Kong 2023 is Verna Leung

Image
Verna Leung edged out five other finalists to be crowned Miss International Hong Kong 2023 on Saturday, July 15 at the 2020 Studio in Hong Kong. The 25-year-old fashion model and pet food bakery owner also bagged the Best in Swimsuit award. She succeeds Rosemary Ling and will now prepare to represent Hong Kong at Miss International 2023 in Japan this October. Lucy Stewart, 22, and Sela Wang, 28, were announced as the first and second runners-up, respectively while Yohanna Fung, Vera Chan, and Erika Yu were the rest Top 6 finalists. Former Miss Hong Kong Hoyan Mok graced the event as one of the distinguished panel of judges. She represented Hong Kong at Miss Universe 1994 in Manila, Philippines. Meet the new Miss International Hong Kong: View this post on Instagram A post shared by Miss International Hong Kong ๅœ‹้š›ๅฐๅง้ฆ™ๆธฏไปฃ่กจ (@missinternationalhk) Photos: Chan Tsz Fung, Miss International Hong Kong / Instagram
Read more

Miss Universe Curacao 2025: Meet the contestants

Image
The five stunning contestants vying for the title of Miss Universe Curacao 2025 have been officially revealed. Their bio and official photos have been posted on the pageant's social media page. One of them will succeed last year's winner Kimberly de Boer and will represent the Dutch Caribbean island at the Miss Universe 2025 competition in Thailand this November. Reigning Miss Universe Victoria Kjรฆr Theilvig from Denmark has been announced to visit the island this June to crown the next Miss Universe Curacao. Who will head to the 74th Miss Universe? Meet the contestants: Sashelle Antasia Johnson  — a 19-year-old law student whose strength and determination defy her young age. Born in Jamaica and raised in Curacao, Sashelle turned early experiences of loss, bullying, and anxiety into a powerful journey of perseverance and advocacy. With her passion for justice and her dream to inspire others, she is ready to stand tall on the Miss Universe Curacao stage and show the world that ...
Read more