PAGEANT Circle

Keno Manzur acquires Miss Universe license for Argentina, applications now open for Miss Universo Argentina 2023 After Indonesia, Malaysia, and Vietnam, Argentina has also entered a new era in pageantry with a new national director for Miss Universe Argentina and he is no other than Keno Manzur. A commercial engineer by profession, Keno has many years of experience in beauty pageants. He also holds licenses for Miss Earth, Miss World, and Miss Universe Chile, among others. Besides running prestigious national beauty pageants, he also established Escuela Supermiss, a training school for aspiring beauty queens in Chile and Argentina. Applications are now open for Miss Universo Argentina 2023. Argentinian nationals, 18 to 27 years, mothers, and pregnant women with any marital status are welcome to apply. The next Miss Universe Argentina will go to the Miss Universe 2023 edition in San Salvador, El Salvador later this year. Meet the new director: View this post on Instagram

Daniela Victoria Arroyo González becomes the first-ever transgender contestant at Miss Universe Puerto Rico pageant Miss Universe Puerto Rico 2023 pre-qualified contestants were recently announced and one of the most talked about is Daniela Victoria Arroyo González. The transgender beauty and advocate for the rights of her own community made history by qualifying as one of the contestants in one most prestigious national pageants in Puerto Rico. "Following my intuition most definitely and manifesting this is a start. I trust my heart and what the universe has written for me," she wrote on her social media. "I have felt your support and I know that your emotion is just as strong as mine. I thank you all for the unconditional love," she added. "Grateful and excited to take you with me on this journey. Let's make history together," she wrote in another post. If Daniela succeeds in winning Miss Universe Puerto Rico 2023, she will be the second transgender

India's first Miss Universe winner Sushmita Sen went to social media to share her ordeal with a heart attack earlier last week. In her post, she revealed undergoing angioplasty which is a procedure used to open blocked coronary arteries caused by coronary artery disease. Talking about the good news following her big heart's life-threatening experience, she said "all is well and I am ready for some life again." The former beauty queen turned famous actress also shared wise words from her father, "Keep your heart happy and courageous, and it’ll stand by you when you need it the most Shona." Thousands of fans and supporters stormed her social media with heartwarming messages that she had to post a video to thank them all. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Sushmita Sen (@sushmitasen47) Source: Sushmita Sen / Instagram

Following rounds of auditions, thirty-eight contestants have been pre-selected to take part in the Miss Universe Puerto Rico 2023 competition. This year's pageant will be the 67th edition whose winner will represent the Caribbean island later this year at Miss Universe 2023 in San Salvador, El Salvador. For the first time in history, a transgender contestant (Daniela Arroyo González) qualified to compete for the coveted national title. Miss Universe Puerto Rico 2022 and Miss Universe Top 5 finalist Ashley Cariño will crown her successor at the end of the competition with the final date and venue yet to be announced. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Ashley Cariño (@ashleyanncarino) Here are the pre-selected contestants: Andrea Sofía Collazo Molina Karina M. Rivera Camacho Natalia Elena Zayas Morales Gabriela Veguilla Cotto   Camila Yari Molina García Luisa A. Vázquez Fiorella Medina Angela Escalera Kiara Rivera Rocío del Mar Avilés Juanita Polanco Ir

The Miss Universe Philippines 2023 Top 40 contestants were officially announced last February 18 in Manila and one of them is former Mutya ng Pilipinas winner Klyza Castro. Klyza is 23 years old, pure Filipina beauty with indigenous Mandaya tribe roots, and born in Mati City, Davao Oriental. She is a graduate of Ateneo de Davao University with a degree in political science. No stranger to pageantry, the Miss Universe Philippines aspirant won the 51st Mutya ng Pilipinas while representing Davao del Sur and went on to compete in Miss Asia Pacific International 2019 where she placed in the Top 25 and bagged the Continental Queen of Asia title. Her advocacy is focused on supporting and sustaining the livelihood of her indigenous communities. She recently shared that in 2021, she started a charity drive using her own savings for the Mandaya tribe of Sangab Davao Oriental where she met the woman chieftain of one of the last remaining communities to fully preserve the Mandaya culture. "H

The Cayman Islands Minister for Tourism and Transport, Hon. Kenneth Bryan officially announced the government's decision to drop the national license for Miss Universe Cayman Islands. According to the minister, the local committee was consulted before notifying the Miss Universe Organization. Future uncertainties due to the changes being implemented by MUO were hinted at as the reasons for their decision. While first runner-up and 70th Miss Universe representative Chloe Powery-Doxey is expected to be officially crowned as Miss Universe Cayman Islands this March, it is still unknown who will take over the franchise or when the country will be back to the Miss Universe pageant. "I am hopeful that a private sector entity will step up and take over the franchise, because, in addition to offering tremendous empowerment opportunities for young women, it also allows them to act as positive role models for other young women, and represent the Cayman Islands as a cultural ambassador,&q

The 71st Miss Universe R'Bonney Gabriel will have her special homecoming celebration in her hometown of Houston, Texas on Saturday, March 18. Fans and supporters can get the chance to meet and celebrate with the beauty queen at the Hilton Houston Post Oak at 7 p.m. CST (local time). The Miss Texas USA organizers made the official announcement on social media late last week. Don't miss your chance to meet the queen in person. Tickets for the upcoming homecoming event will go on sale starting this Monday, February 27 at Miss Texas USA's official website . R'Bonney was born in Houston to a Filipino father and an American mother. She grew up in Missouri City and later in Friendswood, with her three older brothers. Last January 14, she became the ninth Miss USA to win Miss Universe. She was crowned at the New Orleans Morial Convention Center in New Orleans, Louisiana. Her success also made history as she became the first ever Filipino-American to win Miss Texas USA, Miss USA

The new national director for Miss Universe Vietnam, Quỳnh Nga, was officially announced on Friday, February 24 in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. Moving forward, the news anchor and former pageant contestant will head the national competition that will select Vietnam's next representative at Miss Universe, starting with the 72nd edition (Miss Universe 2023) later this year in El Salvador. Miss Universe 2022 R'Bonney Gabriel of the USA and second runner-up Andreína Martínez Founier of the Dominican Republic were special guests during the official license signing ceremony that took place at the spectacular The Reverie Saigon. The newly formed partnership between the Vietnamese licensee and the Miss Universe Organization under JKN Global Group's Anne Jakrajutatip is just one of the series of changes (after Miss Universe Indonesia and Malaysia) made public since the Thai business mogul acquired full ownership. "This momentous occasion marks the beginning of an exciting new era

Unicorp, the organizer of Hoa Hậu Hoàn Vũ Việt Nam (Miss Universe Vietnam) announced its continuation of the national pageant despite losing the national license for Miss Universe. Affirming its ownership rights to the brand, the important details for the upcoming Hoa Hậu Hoàn Vũ Việt Nam 2023 competition will soon be announced together with Unimedia. The new license holder for Miss Universe Vietnam is a media personality and former aspiring beauty queen Quỳnh Nga. She was officially announced in a license signing ceremony held on Friday, February 24 at The Reverie Saigon in Ho Chi Minh City. In an official statement, the former licensee also announced a week ago its decision to "suspend cooperation with Miss Universe Organization" and said, "After a period of careful consideration on many factors ... the new business orientations of Miss Universe were no longer consistent with the strategy and long-term development goals of Hoa Hậu Hoàn Vũ Việt Nam. Under Unicorp, Vietn

Miss Universe 2022 R'Bonney Gabriel and her second runner-up Andreína Martínez Founier touched down at Tan Son Nhat International Airport in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam on Thursday, February 23. They received a heartwarming welcome from Vietnamese fans who eagerly waited for their arrival at the airport to see them in person, take photos, or ask for autographs. "What a welcome! How exciting it is to see my beautiful flag all the way on the side of the world. So grateful to be an ambassador for my country, thank you to all the fans who came to the airport to welcome us," said Andreína. The queens were invited to the country to attend the unveiling of the new national director for Miss Universe Vietnam this Friday, February 24 at The Reverie Saigon Hotel. Fresh from their successful trip to Bali, Indonesia, the Miss Universe Organization delegation headed by JKN Global Group's Anne Jakrajutatip will also be present during the forthcoming official signing ceremony. Curacao