PAGEANT Circle

Anna Linnikova bested 24 other finalists to be crowned Miss Russia 2022 in a virtual ceremony held on Monday, July 25 in Moscow. The 22-year-old public relations student and professional model hails from the southwestern Russian city of Orenburg. She succeeds Alina Sanko and is expected to represent her country at the 71st Miss Universe (Miss Universe 2022) pageant, possibly later this year. Anna Budaeva from Chuvashia and Daria Nemaeva from Khabarovsk Region were the first and second runners-up, respectively. Miss Russia is one of the most well-known and prestigious national beauty pageants, which is backed by Russia’s Culture Ministry. The winner receives a white gold tiara, a cash prize as well as a chance to represent Russia at international competitions. Russia won Miss Universe 2002 with Oxana Fedorova at the Coliseo Roberto Clemente in San Juan, Puerto Rico. She was dethroned a few months later and the first runner-up from Panama, Justine Pasek, took over the title. View

Miss Universe Colombia 2022 María Fernanda Aristizábal has been officially crowned by last year's titleholder and Miss Universe Top 5 finalist Valeria Ayos. The glittering coronation event was held on Saturday, July 23 at Catedral de Sal (Salt Cathedral) in the central Colombian city of Zipaquirá, in Cundinamarca. María Fernanda was appointed as Miss Universe Colombia last April and the announcement took place at a press conference held at Hotel Dann Carlton Medellin. The 25-year-old beauty from Quindío is now more than ever prepared to represent her country at the 71st Miss Universe (Miss Universe 2022) pageant, three years after winning Señorita Colombia and unfortunately lost her chance to compete in Miss Universe 2020. "You always have to fight to achieve dreams, you never have to give up, you always have to inspire people to achieve what they have always wanted so much and I think that has been me, an example, because I have wanted to materialize that dream and here I am

A 20-year-old journalism student from Kfarchouba, Yasmina Zaytoun, won Miss Lebanon 2022 in Beirut on Sunday, July 24. A total of 17 contestants participated in the national competition which was held after a 4-year hiatus. Maya Reaidy who won in 2018 and went on to compete during the 67th Miss Universe edition in Bangkok, crowned her successor at the end of the event. The runners-up were Maya Aboul Hosn (first runner-up), Jacintha Rached (second runner-up), Lara Hraoui (third runner-up), and Dalal Hoballah (fourth runner-up). Former Miss USA Rima Fakih, who is now the national director of Miss Universe Lebanon, announced that the winner will be sent to the next edition of Miss Universe and Miss World. If the dates of both international pageants coincide, the winner will solely represent Lebanon in the next Miss World, while the first runner-up will be sent to Miss Universe 2022. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Yasmina Zaytoun | ياسمينا (@yasminazaytoun

A new crown for Miss Universe Thailand 2022 was unveiled during the "Ignite the Night" gala dinner and jewelry fashion show at the Royal Orchid Sheraton Hotel and Towers in Bangkok on Friday, July 22. The "Power of Resilience" crown by Mouawad features the peacock feather and lotus flower, to symbolize the interlocking harmony of the community. Its peridot gemstones' green hues radiate fresh beginnings and growth. The masterpiece is encrusted with 43 pear-shaped peridots and one marquise peridot, weighing 101.08 carats. These are nestled among 158.24 carats of marquise-cut and round white topaz gems and 4.19 carats of round white diamonds to evoke purity and honesty. Miss Universe Thailand 2022 will take place next Saturday, July 30 at True Icon Hall, Iconsiam, in Bangkok. Last year's winner Anchilee Skott-Kemmis will crown her successor at the end of the event and the next queen will represent Thailand at the 71st Miss Universe (Miss Universe 2022) pageant

Mia Mamede, the representative of Espírito Santo, bested four other finalists to be crowned Miss Universo Brasil 2022 (Miss Universe Brazil 2022) on Tuesday, July 19 in São Paulo. The 26-year-old graduate in audiovisual journalism and socio-economics from the University of New York hails from the city of Vitória and is multilingual. She hosts a program about travel and entertainment broadcast on YouTube. Rebeca Portilho of Amazonas and Isa Murta of Minas Gerias were respectively in second and third places while the representatives of Ceará, Luana Lobo, and Rio Grande do Sul, Alina Furtado, were the rest of the five finalists. The newly crowned Miss Universe Brazil succeeded last year's titleholder Teresa Santos and will now prepare to represent her country at Miss Universe 2022. "Everything still feels like a dream. What happiness to be the first capixaba to take the crown to Espírito Santo," she wrote in a statement on social media. View this post on Instagram

Aleksandra Klepaczka bested 23 other finalists to win Miss Polski 2022 on Sunday, July 17 at Strzelecki Park Amphitheater in Nowy Sącz, Małopolska. The 22-year-old beauty from Bukowiec is a violinist and engineering student at the Lodz University of Technology. She is expected to represent Poland at Miss Universe 2022 and possibly Miss Supranational 2023. Sylwia Stasińska was named first runner-up while Patrycja Krzywoń, Natalia Konofalska, and Aleksandra Gronowska were the second, third, and fourth runners-up, respectively. Last year's winner Agata Wdowiak, who placed Top 12 in the recently concluded Miss Supranational 2022, crowned her successor at the end of the event. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Aleksandra (@ola_klepaczka) Photos: Seweryn Cieślik / Miss Polski, Aleksandra Klepaczka / Instagram

The Miss Bolivia 2022 pageant took place on Saturday, July 16 in Santa Cruz de la Sierra. A total of 24 contestants competed for the three national titles at stake. Fernanda Pavisic, a 23-year-old psychology student from Cochabamba, was crowned Miss Bolivia Universo 2022 and will represent her country at the 71st edition of the Miss Universe (Miss Universe 2022) pageant. Camila Sanabria of Santa Cruz was named Miss Supranational Bolivia 2022 while María Jesús Jimenez of Tarija clinched the title Miss Bolivia Hispanoamericana 2022. They will be sent to Miss Supranational 2023 and Reina Hispanoamericana 2022 pageants, respectively. María Jesús Jimenez for Reina Hispanoamericana 2022 Camila Sanabria for Miss Supranational 2023 Fernanda Pavisic for Miss Universe 2022 Photos: David Condori / Promociones Gloria

Noky Simbani was crowned Miss Universe Great Britain 2022 in a glittering event held on Saturday, July 9 at The Riverfront in New Port, Wales. The 25-year-old Zimbabwean beauty from Derby bested over 30 other contenders to win the national title. She succeeds last year's winner, Emma Rose Collingridge and will now prepare to represent Great Britain at Miss Universe 2022. Anglee Kumar and Paidamoyo Mangi were the first and second runners-up, respectively, while Lauren Parkinson and Charlotte Kamale completed the Top 5 finalists. The new Miss Universe Great Britain is a chemical engineer and commercial banker who hails from Zimbabwe. She was previously named Miss Grand England 2017 and joined Miss Grand International 2017 pageant in Vietnam. Besides advocating diversity, inclusion, and careers, Noky also launched Boss Bios, an online platform for "celebrating women to empower women." View this post on Instagram A post shared by Miss Universe Great Britai

Telma Madeira was crowned Miss Universe Portugal 2022 during a special crowning ceremony on the "Conversa de Mulheres" TV program in Lisbon on Wednesday, July 6. The 22-year-old beauty who hails from Póvoa de Varzim is a model and former Miss Queen Portugal. She was named Miss Earth Portugal and went on to compete in Miss Earth 2018 in the Philippines where she placed in the Top 8. CNB Portugal, which is under the direction of Letícia Silva, now holds the Miss Universe national franchise in Portugal. Taking into account this year's Miss Universe schedule, as well as the annual national pageant, which has already been set, it was not possible for the organizers to hold a competition to select Miss Universe Portugal 2022. The newly appointed Miss Universe Portugal succeeded last year's titleholder Orícia Dos Santos and will now prepare to represent her country at Miss Universe 2022 whose date and venue have yet to be announced. Photos: Miss Universe Portugal

Soraya Kohlmann was crowned Miss Universe Germany 2022 in a casting event held on Saturday, July 2 at Holiday Inn Hotel Düsseldorf-Neuss. The 24-year-old former Miss Germany (2017) and business owner who hails from Leipzig succeeds last year's titleholder Hannah Seifer. She will now prepare to represent her country at Miss Universe 2022. Mona Schafnitzl and Roxanna Saiedeh were the rest of the Top 3 finalists while Jelena Tontic and Maren Tschinkel completed the Top 5. "So proud and thankful to represent my country at the Miss Universe competition this year. I still can’t believe it. It’s like a dream come true having the opportunity to raise my voice on such a huge platform," the new Miss Universe Germany shared on social media. Germany has yet to win its second Miss Universe title next to Marlene Schmidt (Miss Universe 1961). The country's last placement was Top 10 with Natascha Börger in 2002. View this post on Instagram A post shared by SORAYA

US-based beauty Sofia Depassier was crowned Miss Universe Chile 2022 at the Santa Cruz hotel in Colchagua on Saturday, June 25. The Comunidad Extranjera representative is a 24-year-old model, entertainer, and stylist. She is passionate about acting, makeup, and fashion. Sofia will now prepare to represent her country at Miss Universe 2022, possibly later this year. She succeeded last year's titleholder Antonia Figueroa, who has just been proclaimed Reina Hispanoamericana Chile 2022. Chile has yet to win its second Miss Universe title next to Miss Universe 1987 Cecilia Bolocco. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Sofia Depassier (@sofiadepassier) Photos: Miss Universo Chile, Catalina Haro / Sofia Depassier / Instagram

Nguyen Thi Ngoc Chau bested 40 other contestants to win Miss Universe Vietnam 2022 on Saturday, June 25 at Saigon Exhibition and Convention Center in Ho Chi Minh City. Le Thao Nhi and Huynh Pham Thuy Tien were the first and second runners-up, respectively, while Le Hoang Phuong and Nguyen Thi Huong Ly completed the Top 5 finalists. Reining Miss Universe Harnaaz Sandhu together with former queens Catriona Gray and Natalie Glebova graced the competition as international judges. Miss Universe Organization President Paula Shugart and CEO Amy Emmerich were also present to witness the glittering show. The new Miss Universe Vietnam is a 28-year-old model from Tay Ninh. She was a winner of Vietnam's Next Top Model, crowned Miss Supranational Vietnam, and placed in the Top 10 at Miss Supranational 2019 in Poland where she earned the title of Miss Supranational Asia. Ngoc Chau will now prepare to represent her country at the 71st Miss Universe pageant (Miss Universe 2022), possibly later thi

Ahead of the Miss Universe Vietnam 2022 final competition this Saturday, reigning Miss Universe Harnaaz Sandhu together with former queens Catriona Gray and Natalie Glebova attended a special conference organized for them on Friday, June 25 at Lotte Hotel Saigon in Ho Chi Minh City. This is the first time for the three Miss Universe beauties together in Vietnam as they were invited to be part of the panel of judges for the national competition. During the conference, they were asked questions related to their experience in the country, their valuable pieces of advice to the contestants, and of course, for Harnaaz, her weight-gain issue, which has already been revealed as due to an autoimmune disorder. These outspoken women, dignified as ever, are true representatives of what Miss Universe is all about, "an inclusive organization that celebrates women of all cultures and backgrounds, women who are forward-thinking and motivated to not just talk about change, but to initiate it.&quo

Miss Universe 2021 Harnaaz Sandhu arrived in Vietnam together with Miss Universe Organization executives Paula Shugart and Amy Emmerich on Wednesday evening, June 22. Vietnamese fans flocked to the Tan Son Nhat International Airport in Ho Chi Minh City to welcome the reigning queen for the first time in the country. The Indian beauty was also welcomed by her Miss Universe sister, Miss Universe Vietnam 2021 Nguyen Huynh Kim Duyen together with the Miss Universe Vietnam organizers. Harnaaz will join former Miss Universe Catriona Gray, who arrived the day after, and Natalie Glebova to judge the final of Miss Universe Vietnam 2022 this Saturday, June 25. During her first day in the Southeast Asian country, she engaged in official meetings, gave media interviews, and met with the Vietnamese contestants who are vying for the national title. Here's her stunning look as she kicked off the first day of her official visit: View this post on Instagram A post shared by Miss