PAGEANT Circle

Amara Shune Lei, 25, has been officially announced as the newly appointed Miss Grand Myanmar 2021. The 25-year-old model, hairstylist, and makeup artist placed in the Top 8 during the Miss Earth 2020 virtual competition held in November last year. She will now prepare to represent her country at the Miss Grand International 2021 pageant in Thailand later this year. Amara succeeds Miss Grand Myanmar 2020 Han Lay, who placed in the Top 20 at Miss Grand International 2020 last March. Photos: Miss Grand International

Jeanè Van Dam was crowned Miss Grand South Africa 2021 in a national competition held on Saturday, August 14. She succeeds last year's winner Anrónet Roelofsz. The 20-year-old model and dancer from Johannesburg is a law and commerce student. She will represent South Africa at the Miss Grand International 2021 competition later this year. Lu Juan Mzyk was the first runner-up while Danielle Van Zyl was the second runner-up. Genive Trimble and Jordan Van Rensburg were the third and fourth runners-up, respectively. The new Miss Grand South Africa is no stranger to pageantry. She was the first runner-up during last year's competition. "Last night I had the honour of sharing a stage with 26 incredible women. I formed friendships that will never never be forgotten," she shared on social media. "To all my sisters, I am so proud of how far you've come. May your light continue to shine bright and may you always chase your GRANDest dreams," she added. Photos: Mis

Nguyen Thuc Thuy Tien was officially named as the newly-appointed Miss Grand Vietnam 2021 on Thursday, August 12. She succeeds Miss Grand Vietnam 2020, Thao Le Ngoc Nguyen. The 23-year-old beauty will represent Vietnam at the Miss Grand International 2021 competition later this year. Thuy Tien is no stranger to pageantry as she placed in the Top 5 during Miss Vietnam 2018 and went on to represent her country at Miss International 2018. Miss Grand International headed by Nawat Itsaragrisil has yet to announce the date and venue of this year's competition. Photos: Miss Grand International / Facebook

Masbate representative Hannah Arnold bested over 30 other contestants to win the Binibining Pilipinas 2021 pageant on Sunday, July 11 at the Smart Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City. The 24-year-old Filipino-Australian science advocate and model took home the title of Binibining Pilipinas International 2021 (Miss International Philippines) in her second attempt at the national competition. "Freedom of speech is a basic human right that we all must remember and it is important for democracy and with the upcoming elections, we definitely need free speech. On Twitter, we are limited to a few characters, and what I've seen from these tweets have been powerful and helped me think of who I would like to vote for in the upcoming elections," she said during the question and answer round. Other winners were Binibining Pilipinas Grand International 2021 Samantha Alexandra Panlilio of Cavite, Binibining Pilipinas Intercontinental 2021 Cinderella Faye Obeñita of Cagayan de Oro, Misamis

In just a few hours, the Binibining Pilipinas 2021 coronation will take place for the first time without an audience at the Smart Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City. After several cancellations and postponements due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the national competition will finally reach a culmination. Over 30 contestants will be vying for four coveted crowns at stake and the opportunity to represent the Philippines at Miss International, Miss Grand International, Miss Intercontinental, and Miss Globe. The pageant can be watched at 9:30 p.m. (Philippine time) live on A2Z Channel, Kapamilya Channel, Metro Channel, iWantTFC, and the Binibining Pilipinas online streaming platforms. Former Miss Universe Catriona Gray and Miss Grand International runner-up Nicole Cordoves will host the highly-anticipated event. Photo: Binibining Pilipinas / Facebook

Michoacán representative Karolina Vidales was crowned Miss Mexico 2021 at Lago Di Como in Chihuahua on Saturday, July 3. The 24-year-old beauty holds a bachelor's degree in business administration. She bested 31 other contestants from across Mexico to win the national competition.  Karolina will represent her country at Miss World 2021 to be held in San Juan, Puerto Rico this December. Jalisco's Mariana Macías was named Miss Mexico Grand 2021 and will be sent to the Miss Grand International 2021 later this year. Previous winners, Ashley Alvídrez Estrada and Angela Yuriar crowned their respective successors at the end of the event. The reigning Miss Grand International, USA's Abena Appiah has attended the glittering competition. Photos: Miss Mexico Organization / Facebook

A commercial pilot from Punta Fogón, Massiell Llamas, has been officially appointed as Señorita Panamá Grand 2021 (Miss Grand Panama) over the weekend. The 23-year-old beauty succeeds last year's titleholder Angie Keith and will now prepare to represent Panama at the Miss Grand International 2021 competition later this year. Massiell holds a bachelor's degree in aviation administration and presently a master's degree student in business administration with emphasis on human resources. The new Miss Grand Panama is no stranger to pageantry as she has previously held the title of Reina de Calle de Las Tablas and won the international Miss Teenager pageant in 2016. Photo: Oscar Barahona / Organización Señorita Panama