PAGEANT Circle

Miss Kanagawa, Shiori Kojima, was named Miss Japan 2022 in a national final held on Friday, September 16 at Hotel Chinzanso Tokyo. The 27-year-old advertising agency employee triumphed over 41 other finalists to win her title. Rounding out the Top 5 finalists were Nanaha Takaoka of Ehime, Risa Kitano of Tokyo, Kanako Tamura of Kumamoto, and Akari Motojima of Nagano. For the first time, Miss Japan Premium 2022 Mari Uehara (for age 30 plus) was also crowned at the same event. She beat 15 other finalists in her division. Miss Japan first ran from 1952 until 1995 and was re-established in 2019 in addition to Mister Japan by HDR Corporation, the same organization which has in the past staged Miss Universe and Miss Earth Japan. From left to right: Miss Japan Premium Mari Uehara, Miss Japan Shiori Kojima, and Mister Japan Kaito Iwami Although the winner of Miss Japan does not compete in any international pageants, she will engage in official events and charity events during her reign. The new

Miss Universe Organization has just announced on social media that the 71st Miss Universe pageant will be held in New Orleans, Louisiana, USA on January 14, 2023. The highly anticipated announcement read: "The moment you’ve been waiting for… The #71stMISSUNIVERSE Competition is heading to… NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA!" This is the first time for Miss Universe to be hosted in Louisiana, a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. Further details on the upcoming competition were announced on the official Miss Universe mobile app. Situated in the "Pelican State," the city of New Orleans is world-renowned for its distinctive music, Creole cuisine, unique dialects, and its annual celebrations and festivals, most notably Mardi Gras. The historic heart of the city is the French Quarter, known for its French and Spanish Creole architecture and vibrant nightlife along Bourbon Street. Around 70 "beautifully confident" women have already been

Kaito Iwami was named Mister Japan 2022 during the conclusion of the national competition that took place on Friday, September 16 at Hotel Chinzanso Tokyo. The 28-year-old actor and fitness trainer representing a Japanese prefecture called Chiba will now prepare to represent Japan at the 14th Mister International competition in the Philippines this October. Completing the Top 5 finalists were Ryo Hattogo of Niigata, Okamoto Kotetsu of Okayama, Koji Sato of Fukuoka, and Takashi Akiyama of Hyogo. "I honestly feel that my efforts have paid off. Once again, I would like to thank everyone involved and those who have supported me," the new Mister Japan wrote in a statement on social media. "From now on, I would like to continue to work hard every day so that I can grow into an attractive human being as an actor," he added. The annual Mister Japan was founded in 2013 as the male version of Miss Japan. A total of 20 finalists were chosen to take part in this year's 10th

Victoria Kjær Theilvig has been officially announced as Miss Grand International Denmark 2022 and she will soon travel to Indonesia for the 10th Miss Grand International pageant. The 18-year-old former elite dancer from Søborg is a woman with great ambitions. She has already completed high school, where she studied marketing and economics, and is now taking a gap year, where she works full-time with her own company. Miss Denmark Organization headed by CEO Lisa Lents made the official announcement on social media early Monday morning. An official statement read: "The Miss Grand International pageant is one of the most prestigious events of its kind and millions of people from around the world will be watching the final competition. The contestants are going to have a memorable, once-in-a-lifetime experience." Miss Grand International 2022 will take place from October 4 to 25 in Bali and Jakarta, Indonesia. The new Miss Grand Denmark, who is also a passionate dancer and a trave

Virginia Stablum, representing Trentino Alto Adige, bested 19 other contestants to be crowned Miss Universe Italy 2022 on Sunday, September 18 at the Lo Smeraldo in Canosa di Puglia. The 24-year-old model and influencer is no stranger to the limelight, having joined the dating show "Uomini e Donne" in 2018. She will now prepare to represent Italy at the 71st Miss Universe pageant in January. Michela Russo of Sicilia and Chiara Davanzo of Friuli Venezia Giulia were the first and second runners-up, respectively, while Elena Izzo of Liguria and Sofia Ferraris of Lombardia rounded out the Top 5. The rest of the Top 10 finalists were the representatives of Abruzzo, Francesca Persiani, Calabria, Hiba Missaoui, Emilia Romagna, Domiziana Cappa, Piemonte, Manuela Noaro, and Puglia, Swani Dinoia. Meet the new Miss Universe Italy: View this post on Instagram A post shared by VIRGINIA STABLUM (@virginia.stablum) Photos: Miss Universe Italy , Luca Petretto / Virginia

Iliya Shahedi was named Mister International Netherlands 2022 on Saturday, September 17 in a competition held at Zalencentrum De Brug in Reeuwijk. The 23-year-old fitness enthusiast of Persian descent succeeds last year's winner Mike Van Doorn and he will now prepare to represent the Netherlands at the 14th Mister International pageant in the Philippines this October. At the same event, Franklin Lopes and Kenji Schoonderwoerd respectively clinched the titles Mister Senior and Junior Netherlands 2022. "Words can not describe how happy I am to win the title," the new Mister International Netherlands wrote in a statement on social media. Iliya is not a stranger to pageantry. Back in 2019, he was a finalist at the Misters of the Netherlands competition. Meet the new Mister International Netherlands: View this post on Instagram A post shared by MR. International Netherlands (@mr.internationalnetherlands) Photos:  René Rollema , Koch Productions / kochprod

Miss Guinea Ecuatorial 2022 (Miss Equatorial Guinea) final gala took place on Saturday, September 17 at Parque Nacional de Malabo (Malabo National Park). A total of 14 finalists representing various cities and districts of their country participated in the pageant where three winners emerged at the end of the show. View this post on Instagram A post shared by •Miss Guinea Ecuatorial (@missymisterguineaecuatorial) Miss Mbini, Alba Isabel Obama , was crowned Miss Guinea Ecuatorial 2022. The 20-year-old professional model and preuniversity student is expected to represent Ecuatorial Guinea at the 71st Miss Universe pageant in January. View this post on Instagram A post shared by •Miss Guinea Ecuatorial (@missymisterguineaecuatorial) The second place was Vanila Andeme , a 20-year-old hotel receptionist and preuniversity student representing the district of Ebibeyen. She will be competing in the 71st Miss World edition. View this post on I

Faith Torres was crowned Miss Gibraltar 2022 during the national competition held on Saturday, September 17 at the Alameda Open Air Theatre Gibraltar. The 21-year-old biomedical science graduate bested 11 other finalists to win the title. She also bagged the People's Choice and Miss Elegance awards. Michelle Lopez Desoisa and Jaylyn Cruz were named the first and second princesses, respectively. At the end of the show, last year's titleholder Janice Sampere crowned her successor who will now prepare to represent Gibraltar at the 71st Miss World pageant. The new Miss Gibraltar believes that pageants give women the perfect opportunity to show not only their physical beauty but their intelligence and potential. This year's Miss Gibraltar pageant was organized by No1 Models Gibraltar headed by Kevin Hewitt. Meet the new Miss Gibraltar: View this post on Instagram A post shared by Miss Gibraltar Official (@missgibraltarofficial) Photos: Josie Barcelo /  Miss

Petra Hämäläinen bested nine other finalists to be crowned Miss Suomi 2022 (Miss Finland) in a glittering show aired on AlfaTV on Saturday, September 17 at Valkoinen Sali in Helsinki. The 26-year-old model from Savonlinna is a student at the University of Eastern Finland pursuing a degree in education. She succeeds last year's winner Essi Unkuri and is expected to represent Finland at the 71st Miss Universe pageant in January. Crowd favorite Nana Partanen, 23, from Helsinki, and Adelaide Botty van den Bruele, 26, from Sonkajärvi were the first and second runners-up, respectively. Emilia Vuopala, 24, from Kirkkonummi bagged the Media Favorite award. Meet the new Miss Suomi: View this post on Instagram A post shared by Petra Hämäläinen (@petra_jasmiina) Photos: Juho Tirkkonen / Miss Suomi

Filipino-Danish beauty Michelle Thorlund will represent the United States of America in the upcoming 50th Miss Intercontinental pageant. The 25-year-old professional model from Orange County, California was born in the US to a Danish father and a Filipina mother. She is no stranger to pageantry, having joined Mutya Pilipinas in 2016 where she was one of the Top 3, and Miss World Philippines 2019 where she placed in the Top 12. As a US-born mixed-race woman, Michelle takes pride in both her heritage and nationality. "To me, it is so beautiful to represent the United States of America where people from all backgrounds and cultures live together while also celebrating their roots," she said in her bio for Miss Intercontinental . Fun facts about her include a special talent for playing classical piano. She loves classical music and two of her favorite composers are Beethoven and Tchaikovsky. At the age of 18, she pursued a modeling career, traveled around for it, and appeared on