PAGEANT Circle

Two weeks after the announcement that shocked the pageant community, the new Miss Universe Indonesia organization under the leadership of Indonesian singer and entrepreneur Poppy Capella has been officially launched. A star-studded press conference followed by a glittering red carpet gala dinner took place on Tuesday, February 21 at the Mulia resort, on the beautiful Nusa Dua in Bali. Among the special guests were reigning Miss Universe from the USA R'Bonney Gabriel, second runner-up Andreína Martínez Founier of the Dominican Republic, and Top 5 finalist Gabriëla Dos Santos of Curacao. The owner of the Miss Universe Organization Anne Jakrajutatip and her team were also present and made another surprising revelation about her company's preference for standalone national pageants being held exclusively for her prestigious brand. "We (MUO) prefer to have just one stage for one beauty pageant brand. No other brands must involve. I respect your work in the past 20-30 years, I a...

Reigning Miss Universe R'Bonney Gabriel and her queen sisters Andreína Martínez Founier and Gabriëla Dos Santos kicked off their first day in Bali, Indonesia looking elegant in traditional clothing. The three beauties basked in the culture of the island, donning elaborate Balinese costumes as they met with the King of Ubud, Tjokorda Gde Putra Sukawati. Their meeting took place on Monday, February 20 at the Ubud Royal Palace (officially Puri Saren Agung), an important historical landmark for the Balinese. "Thank you Bali for sharing your culture with us," R'Bonney shared on social media. "I am so inspired by every detail and textile of the traditional Bali Songket," she wrote in another post. Andreína also went online to share: "So excited to learn more about Balinese culture while wearing a traditional Balinese outfit. Thankful for these opportunities." The highlight of the queens' visit to Indonesia was attending the successful grand launching...

Fresh from her memorable trip to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, the 71st Miss Universe R'Bonney Gabriel of the USA arrived on Sunday, February 19 at Ngurah Rai International Airport in Bali, Indonesia. She will be attending the upcoming grand launching of Miss Universe Indonesia under PT Capella Swastika Karya this week together with her second runner-up Andreína Martínez Founier of the Dominican Republic and Top 5 finalist Gabriëla Dos Santos of Curacao. They will be staying at the beautiful TS Suites Seminyak, an urban lifestyle hotel in Bali, for the duration of their visit to the country. After that, the queens are expected to continue their tour to Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam for the grand reveal of the new Miss Universe Vietnam organizers on Friday, February 24. This is R'Bonney's second visit to Indonesia this month. She was earlier in Lombok for a commercial shoot before heading to Bangkok, Thailand to begin her official Asian tour with her Miss Universe 2022 sisters. Reig...

Yayasan Puteri Indonesia was surprised, Miss Universe's license was taken by another organization The Yayasan Puteri Indonesia (YPI) the organization behind the annual Puteri Indonesia pageant revealed in an official press release they were shocked by the news that the Miss Universe Indonesia license has been taken over by PT Capella Swastika Karya. According to the Head of Communication for the Puteri Indonesia Foundation, Mega Angkasa, he was surprised by the statement from another organization claiming they have the license at a press conference on Wednesday, February 8 in Jakarta. "The Puteri Indonesia Foundation was surprised because at that time we were still waiting for confirmation from MUO's Director for Global Franchise, Carlos Capetillo, regarding the continuation of the license like the previous year," he said. He continued: "On January 25, 2023, YPI received information from the Miss Universe organization that there would be bidding to extend the 202...

R'Bonney Gabriel touched down in Lombok, Indonesia to shoot a commercial for YOU•C1000 Vitamin earlier this week. The reigning Miss Universe stunned in a Lombok's traditional clothing while shooting for the Indonesian vitamin C health beverage. Lombok is an island known for beaches and surfing spots in West Nusa Tenggara province, Indonesia. This was R'Bonney's first official visit to Indonesia and first travel abroad since she bagged the 71st Miss Universe crown last month in New Orleans. "This is actually my fourth time in Indonesia and I love visiting every time," she shared and added that she previously visited Ubud, Canggu, Mount Rinjani, and Bukittinggi. R'Bonney will continue her official Asian tour to Thailand as she is expected to arrive at Suvarnabhumi Airport in Bangkok this Saturday afternoon. She will be joined by Miss Universe 2022 second runner-up Andreína Martínez Founier of the Dominican Republic and Top 5 finalist Gabriëla Dos Santos of C...

The Miss Universe pageant has entered a new era in Indonesia as its national franchise now belongs to a new company. Previously held by Puteri Indonesia for almost two decades, the Miss Universe Indonesia franchise is now under Jakarta-based PT Capella Swastika Karya. Indonesian singer and actress Poppy Capella will serve as its chairwoman with AVUE Chief Executive Officer Eldwen Wang as the national director. They are joined by Safa Attamimi as the chief operating officer and fashion stylist Niel Dimitrij as project director, among others. This surprising turn of events is just one of the many changes in the Miss Universe Organization since ownership went to Thai media mogul Anne Jakrajutatip late last year and expect more surprises to come. According to a source, national directors were given until Friday's deadline to bid for their licenses, or else someone with the highest offer will take over. Indonesia managed to achieve with the past franchisee a total of...

Miss Grand International 2022 Sportswear Competition was held on Sunday, October 9 at Bebek Tepi Sawah in Bali, Indonesia. The contestants strutted the runway wearing their sportswear outfits in the middle of Balinese rice fields. They had to impress the judges including the reigning MGI queen Nguyen Thuy Thuc Tien of Vietnam. Who were the best contestants in MGI's first-ever sportswear competition? Meet our Top 16 favorites: Top 16 Angola - Teresa Sara Argentina - Camila Barraza Cambodia - Pich Votey Saravody Costa Rica - Brenda Muñoz Curaçao - Kanisha Sluis Dominican Republic - Jearmanda Ramos Ecuador - Lisseth Naranjo Indonesia - Andina Julie Mexico - Laysha Salazar Nigeria - Damilola Bolarinde Paraguay - Agatha Leon Spain - Hirisley Jimenez Thailand - Engfa Waraha United Kingdom - Sofia Mayers Venezuela - Luiseth Materán Vietnam - Doan Thien An Special mentions: Brazil, Malaysia, Mauritius, Myanmar, Philippines, Poland, Puerto Rico, Singapore, South Africa, Ukraine Photos: Miss...

Miss Grand International 2022 will be held on Tuesday, October 25 at the Sentul International Convention Center in Jakarta, Indonesia. This year's competition marks the 10th anniversary edition of the Thailand-based international pageant. Who will succeed Nguyen Thuc Thuy Tien of Vietnam for the golden crown? Meet the official contestants: Angola - Teresa Sara, 25, Luanda Argentina - Camila Barraza, 28, Buenos Aires Australia - Amber Sidney, 25, Melbourne Bangladesh - Towhida Tusnim Tifa, 24, Gazipur Belarus - Marina Viazankova, 28, Minsk Belgium - Chiara Vanderveeren, 27, Brussels Bolivia - Camila Sanabria, 27, Santa Cruz Brazil - Isabella Menin, 25, Marília Cambodia - Pich Votey Saravody, 23, Preah Sihanouk Canada - Mildred Rincon, 26, Calgary Chile - Karina Perez Gres, 24, Santiago China - Shirley Yu, 27, Shanghai Colombia - Priscilla Londoño, 28, Houston Costa Rica - Brenda Muñoz, 28, Guanacaste Crimea - Yulia Pavlikova, 28, Kerch Cuba - Fabien Laurencio, 28, Mi...

The official sashing ceremony for the contestants of the Miss Grand International 2022 pageant took place on Wednesday, October 5 at The Seminyak Beach Resort & Spa in Bali, Indonesia. Sixty-six of the 72 confirmed contestants were present at the special event to receive their country sashes from the reigning Miss Grand International Nguyen Thuy Thuc Tien of Vietnam. Based on their overall looks and presentations, here are our Top 12 favorites (in alphabetical order): Top 12 Brazil - Isabella Menin Curacao - Kanisha Sluis Czech Republic - Mariana Bečková Indonesia - Andina Julie Mexico - Laysha Salazar Philippines - Roberta Tamondong Poland - Natalia Gryglewska Puerto Rico - Oxana Rivera Spain - Hirisley Jimenez Thailand - Engfa Waraha Venezuela - Luiseth Materán Vietnam - Doan Thien An Special mentions: Cambodia, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Ghana, Guatemala, Honduras, Mauritius, Panama, Paraguay, Sou...

The Miss Grand International 2022 pageant kicked off on Wednesday, October 5 with the contestants' official sashing ceremony at The Seminyak Beach Resort & Spa in Bali, Indonesia. Hosted by a former winner from 2014, Lees Garcia of Cuba, the show streamed live on the official Facebook page of Miss Grand International. MGI Vice President Teresa Chaivisut opened the ceremony and revealed that the final Top 10 will have their own crowns and stay for one more week in Indonesia after the coronation on October 25 in Jakarta. Before the official sashing commenced, reigning Miss Grand International Nguyen Thuy Thuc Tien gave a short speech and shared with the contestants some helpful advice as they are competing for the golden crown. With the beautiful Bali beach as the backdrop to the ceremony, a total of 66 contestants from around the world received their official sashes from the Vietnamese queen. Standouts were Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Cambodia, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa R...

Karina Fariza Basrewan has been officially announced by Mahakarya Duta Pesona Indonesia as Miss Earth Indonesia 2022 on Friday, September 30. The 26-year-old SEA Today news anchor, community manager and brand ambassador will represent her country at Miss Earth 2022 in the Philippines this November. "I’m so immensely grateful for all the love and support; it’s still such a surreal feeling to be getting back at it but with your positive encouragement and unconditional solace, ain’t no mountain high, no river wide enough that we can’t overcome," she wrote in a statement on social media. "To my family and friends, my support system who’s been there since day one - I wouldn’t be here without you. Thank you for believing in me, and cheering me on. I am blessed beyond measure," she added. The new Miss Earth Indonesia is no stranger to pageantry. She participated in Puteri Indonesia 2018 representing Jakarta SCR 6 and placed in the Top 11. For her advocacy, Karina wants to ...

Indonesia's Riskyana Hidayat beat over 30 other contestants to be crowned Miss Aura International 2022 on Saturday, September 24 in Antalya, Turkey. The 25-year-old model and entrepreneur succeeded last year's winner from the Philippines, Alexandra Faith Garcia. She is the first Indonesian representative to win the international title. Nanette Indriago of Venezuela was named first runner-up while Yulia Dashkovskaya of Ukraine, Miruna Doldor of Romania, and Carina Proscurnea of Bulgaria were announced the second, third, and fourth runners-up, respectively. The new Miss Aura International is no stranger to pageantry as she was the winner of Indonesian Top Model Makassar 2015, Indonesian Stars Search 2021, and Puteri Indonesia Sulawesi Selatan 2022 second runner-up. Riskyana started modeling at the age of 19, supported her own college education, and proudly established her own fashion business.  The Miss Aura International beauty pageant, formerly known as Miss Kemer International...