71st Miss Universe: Major standouts from pre-pageant events and activities


The 71st Miss Universe contestants have been very busy with their pre-pageant events and activities ahead of the preliminary, national costume, and final competitions.

Brennan's, a famous New Orleans restaurant located in the heart of the French Quarter, hosted the contestants a special dinner where they enjoyed delicious and authentic Creole cuisine.

In addition to touring, filming, and rehearsing for the big show, a welcome press conference was held for the 84 contestants on Monday, January 9 at the New Orleans Morial Convention Center.

Present were Mayor LaToya Cantrell, Jerry Reyes (President of the Ernest N. Morial New Orleans Exhibition Hall Authority Board of Commissioners) Kelly Schulz (Senior Vice President, Communications and Public Relations at New Orleans & Company), Miss Universe Organization President Paula Shugart, and outgoing queen Harnaaz Sandhu.


The contestants were also taken to a welcome reception at Gallier Hall, a historic building on St. Charles Avenue. They all dolled up for the special event filled with live music, dance, glam, and more inspirational speeches.

JKN Global Group's Anne Jakrajutatip, the new owner of MUO also attended the party and gave a powerful message: "It's time for women to rise. It's time for women to manage the world, in fact, the universe. You must have a purpose in life, you must know why you were born, and you must use your personality to serve the purpose of your soul."

Major standouts from their pre-pageant events and activities based on their overall presence and "it factor" include the Dominican Republic, Venezuela, Aruba, Philippines, USA, Puerto Rico, Colombia, Thailand, Portugal, Italy, South Africa, Jamaica, and Mexico.

Here are some photos from the welcome reception:

Photos: Benjamin Askinas / Miss Universe

RELATED POSTS:



Popular posts from this blog

Meet the winners of Miss Turkey 2025

Image
The glittering Miss Turkey 2025 national competition was held last December 19 at the Lazzoni Hotel in Istanbul. A total of 20 stunning finalists were chosen to compete for the national titles that were at stake — Miss Turkey World and Miss Turkey Supranational. Sıla Saraydemir, a 22-year-old student, was crowned Miss Turkey World 2025. She is expected to represent Turkey at the 73rd Miss World competition whose date and venue have yet to be announced. The new Miss Turkey World received her crown and sash from former titleholder, Miss Turkey World 1995 Demet Şener. Last year's winner Idil Bilgen was unable to attend the show and pass the crown to her successor because she is currently abroad for her studies. "Today I received not a crown, but a responsibility. Winning Miss Turkey is a shared story of women who believe in their dreams, aren't afraid to make their voices heard, and empower each other," Sıla shared online after the competition. "I thank everyone who...
Read more

Miss World Estonia 2022 is Adriana Mass from Pärnu

Image
Miss World Estonia 2022 final gala event took place on Sunday, August 14 at the Hilton Park Hotel in Tallinn. The winner, Adriana Mass, is a 21-year-old violinist and student from Pärnu. She studied violin at the Tallinn Music School and currently pursuing social work and rehabilitation management at the University of Tartu. Also crowned in the event were Miss Intercontinental Estonia 2022 Annika Vendla, Miss Eco Estonia 2023 Carmen Marjette, Top Model of the World Estonia 2023 Eliise Randmaa, and Teen Face of Beauty Estonia 2022 Valeria Semenjuk. They will be sent to Miss Intercontinental, Miss Eco International, Top Model of the World, and Face of Beauty International competitions. The new Miss World Estonia will go to the 71st Miss World pageant, whose date and venue are yet to be announced. "I still can't believe that I won the Miss World Estonia title. It really was a magical night with Mart Sander singing his jubilee album and a former supermodel Eha Urbsalu hosting the ...
Read more

Miss Universe Venezuela 2025 is Clara Vegas of Miranda

Image
Clara Vegas triumphed over 21 other contestants to win the title of Miss Universe Venezuela 2025 on Thursday, December 4 in Caracas. The 23-year-old model and actress from Miranda will represent Venezuela at the Miss Universe 2026 pageant to be held in Puerto Rico. Maria Evangelista Alayon of Amazonas was named first runner-up while Milena Paola Soto of Mérida, Gabriela de la Cruz of Yaracuy, and Gabriela Villegas of Monagas were the second, third, and fourth runners-up, respectively. Completing the Top 12 were the representatives of  Barinas, Anabelly Ojeda, Bolívar, Yosdanny Navarro, Delta Amacuro, Kelly Maita, Dependencias Federales, Valentina Martínez, Portuguesa, Génesis Mendoza, Sucre, Rosangel Mundaraín, and Táchira, Valeria del Amor. The new Miss Universe Venezuela was crowned by her predecessor Stephany Abasali who placed second runner-up at Miss Universe 2025 last month in Thailand. Clara is the daughter of former Miss Venezuela Andreína Goetz who made the Top 10 at...
Read more

Miss Earth USA 2026 is Gia Soleil Espinoza from Texas

Image
Gia Soleil Espinoza of Texas was crowned Miss Earth USA 2026 in a national competition held on Saturday, January 3 at Rosen Centre in Orlando, Florida. The 20-year-old criminal justice major and third-generation business owner from El Paso succeeds last year's winner Haley Poe. She will represent the USA at Miss Earth 2026 later this year. April Rodriguez of Lone Star State was named Miss Earth USA Air, while Angel Marie Strong of West Coast, Alanna Lynch of West Virginia, and Autumn Fisher of Kentucky were announced Miss Earth USA Water, Fire, and Eco, respectively. For the teen division, talented young model Mia Navarro, also from El Paso, clinched the title of Teen Miss Earth USA 2026. She was crowned by her predecessor Jordyn Campion. The new Miss Earth USA is also passionate advocate for animals. She co-founded Cars & Canines, a community-focused initiative that promotes adoption, sustainability, and meaningful connections. Having recently been accepted into the El Paso Po...
Read more

From Graduation Gown to the Galaxy Crown: Progress With Purpose

Image
Graduating from Loughborough University with a Distinction in her MBA and receiving the Top Student Prize, Aishwarya Ashvinikumar (popularly known as Ash) is set to make her debut in the pageant industry as a finalist in the UK Galaxy Pageant 2025/26.  Building on the insights from her dissertation, which sparked her passion for advocating gender equality in the workplace, Ash is now focused on using the UK Galaxy platform to raise awareness of ongoing gender-based discrimination in professional environments. Under the guidance of Professor Ian R. Hodgkinson, Ash achieved a Distinction (84/100) for her research dissertation, in which she developed a practical framework to help organisations close gender-based gaps, empower women to overcome workplace barriers, and foster inclusive, productive cultures.  Ash feels immensely grateful and privileged to have collaborated with Professor Ian R. Hodgkinson from Loughborough University, a multidisciplinary scholar at the forefront of ...
Read more

LIVE UPDATES: Miss Universe Thailand 2023 Final Competition Results

Image
The Miss Universe Thailand 2023 final competition is taking place tonight at MCC Hall, The Mall Lifestore Ngamwongwan in Nonthaburi. One of the 53 contestants vying for the coveted title will walk away with an opportunity to represent Thailand at Miss Universe 2023 this November in El Salvador. Hosted by DJ and media personality, the spectacular show is streaming live on the official Miss Universe and TPNG YouTube channels. A distinguished selection committee who will have the most difficult task of selecting the winner includes former titleholders Miss Universe Thailand 2017 Maria Poonlertlarp (Miss Universe 2017 Top 5 finalist) and  Miss Universe Thailand 2021  Anchilee Scott-Kemmis, and Miss Universe Philippines 2022 Celeste Cortesi. Who will be the next Miss Universe Thailand? View this post on Instagram A post shared by Miss Universe Thailand (@missuniverse.in.th) --- FINAL RESULTS --- TOP 20 14 MUT Uttaradit - Worawalan Phutklang 23 MUT Khon Kaen -...
Read more

Miss Cosmo 2025 is Yolina Lindquist from the USA

Image
Miss Cosmo USA Yolina Lindquist beat 70 other contestants to win the Miss Cosmo 2025 pageant on Saturday, December 20 in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. The 22-year-old from Illinois was crowned by her predecessor Ketut Permata Juliastrid from Indonesia. She became the first ever American woman to hold the international beauty title. Chelsea Fernandez of the Philippines finished as runner-up while Gabriela Borges of Brazil, Myint Myat Moe of Myanmar, and Italy Mora of Panama were the rest of the Top 5 finalists. Completing the Top 10 were the contestants from Colombia, Dayana Cárdenas, Cuba, Amys Nápoles Ochoa, Thailand, Chotnapa Kaewjarun, Vietnam, Hoang Phuong Linh Nguyen, and Zimbabwe, Lisa Sibanda. Beauties from Cambodia, Sreypii Phorn, Dominican Republic, Delisa Francisco, Ecuador, Alexandra Mina, Germany, Chloé Ëlyse, Greece, Ioanna Sarantopoulou, India, Vipra Mehta, Indonesia, Salma Ranggita, Laos, Christina Lasasimma, Mexico, Angela Yuriar, New Zealand, Katharina Weischede, and ...
Read more

Miss Universe 2026 host country and venue officially announced

Image
The Miss Universe Organization has officially confirmed that Puerto Rico will be the host country for the Miss Universe 2026 pageant. Puerto Rican politician Jenniffer González Colón also made an announcement in a conference held on Tuesday, September 23 in San Juan. The 75th Miss Universe edition will be held in November 2026 at the Coliseo de Puerto Rico José Miguel Agrelot, the largest indoor entertainment and sports arena in Puerto Rico. Reigning Miss Universe Victoria Kjær Theilvig from Denmark was present at the conference alongside former winners from Puerto Rico — Deborah Carthy-Deu (1985), Dayanara Torres (1993), Denise Quiñones (2001), and Zuleyka Rivera (2006). Next year's competition will be the fourth Miss Universe edition to take place in Puerto Rico after 1972 (Dorado), 2001 (Bayamón), and 2002 (San Juan). Contestants from 135 countries and territories around the world are expected to compete for the crown. Puerto Rico is a Caribbean island and unincorporated U....
Read more

Miss France 2026 is Hinaupoko Devèze from Tahiti

Image
Hinaupoko Devèze from Tahiti was crowned Miss France 2026 on Saturday, December 6 at the Zénith d'Amiens in Amiens, Hauts-de-France. The 23-year-old model bested 29 other contestants to win the prestigious national pageant. She succeeds Angélique Angarni-Filopon from Martinique. Juliette Collet of Nouvelle-Calédonie was named first runner-up while Victoire Dupuis of Normandie, Naomi Torrent of Guadeloupe, and Déborah Adelin-Chabal of Roussillon placed second, third, and fourth runners-up, respectively. Completing the Top 12 were Lou Lambert  of Languedoc (fifth runner-up), Alice De Lima Guimaraes of Auvergne (sixth runner-up), Luna Maiolino of Côte d'Azur, Aloïce Sejotte of Limousin, Ynès Lallemand of Champagne-Ardenne, Mareva Michel of Île-de-France, and Emma Boivin of Picardie. The new Miss France was born in Papeete, on the island of Tahiti to a French father and Polynesian mother. She became the sixth representative from French Polynesia to become Miss France. Before winnin...
Read more

Miss Slovenije 2022: Vida Milivojša to represent Slovenia at 71st Miss World

Image
Vida Milivojša was crowned Miss Slovenije 2022 (Miss Slovenia) on Sunday, September 4 in the beautiful municipality of Braslovče. The 23-year-old beauty from Ljubljana bested 15 other finalists to win her national title. She is a dancer and student pursuing a degree in marketing communication and public relations. Hana Klaut, 26, and Talita Sofija Komelj, 22, were named the first and second runners-up, respectively. To live up to its theme "Podjetništvo na podeželju" (Entrepreneurship in the countryside), this year's national competition was held in a venue rich in cultural and natural heritage and is home to successful domestic companies. The new Miss Slovenije succeeds Maja Čolić and is now expected to represent her country at the 71st Miss World pageant on a date and venue yet to be announced. View this post on Instagram A post shared by MISS SLOVENIA for MISS WORLD (@miss.slovenia) Photos: Anže Krže / Miss Slovenia for Miss World
Read more