Miss Universe is Latina! Nicaraguan Sheyniss Palacios has made history as the most beautiful woman in the universe.

Miss Nicaragua Sheynnis Palacios has been crowned Miss Universe 2023 late Saturday night in El Salvador, marking her country’s first win at the international beauty pageant.

Palacios is a 23-year-old communicologist and TV presenter, who said she wants to work to promote mental health after suffering debilitating bouts of anxiety herself.

Miss Thailand, Anntonia Porsild, was first runner-up and Miss Australia, Moraya Wilson, the second runner-up.

The President of the Miss Universe Organization, Paula Shugart, exits after 23 years

Paula Shugart has announced that she is stepping down as the President of the Miss Universe Organization (MUO).

She made the announcement after the National Costume show of Miss Universe 2023 at the National Gymnasium in San Salvador, El Salvador, Thursday night, November 16, 2023.

In her speech, Paula shared her initial apprehension about hosting Miss Universe in El Salvador.

Despite her reservations, she praised the host country for surpassing expectations.

She then announced that this would mark the end of her 22-year tenure as the President of MUO.

“I’ve decided that this Saturday will be my last show, and to be clear this decision has been months in the making and is not in response to recent events,” she said during her speech.

She continued: “I have always passionately believed Miss Universe is not about any one woman, it’s about community, our community. It’s about the passionate fans, the titleholders, the national directors who have remained dedicated to this brand through thick and thin, and because of them the Miss Universe brand is strong and will remain resilient.”

Paula also left a valuable message — “If I can leave you with anything, what I have learned as president is there is a critical difference between declaring the words transformational leadership and being a real transformational leader.”

“Transformational leadership is not about one person, it can and it must be about putting the needs of the team above all else in creating a vision for the future. It can and must be empathetic beyond self-interest, it can and must be committed to building confidence through inspiration and teamwork, not insecurity and chaos, it can and must be about motivation, not denigration, and above all, it must be about honesty, respect, integrity, and living by your word. One cannot just talk the talk, one must walk the walk,” she added.

“It has been my honor to work beside all of you. Miss Universe is a very, very special brand deserving of love, proper leadership, support, and investment. To our fans, you are the best in the world, and I am happy to be joining your ranks. To all of you, thank you for this incredible adventure, I have been truly blessed. And to all of the women claiming their place in the world, never ever be afraid to use your voice, use this platform we’ve been given and you can truly change the world.”

Paula joined MUO in 1998 as the Vice President of Production and was appointed President in 2001. Her role has included overseeing all business transactions and as well as production of the live, worldwide telecast each year.

Since starting at the organization, she transformed the competition into a powerful, year-round, international organization that advances and supports opportunities for women, as well as philanthropic initiatives around the world. During her tenure as president, she has been honored by numerous philanthropic organizations, including Smile Train and Gilda’s Club.

She has served as the Commissioner to Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s Latin Media and Entertainment Commission, and was previously a member of the Women’s Leadership Board at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government. Also, she sits on the Dean Advisory Council to Ohio University Scripps College of Communication, her alma mater, and is a recipient of the University’s prestigious Medal of Merit for Achievement in Entertainment and Television Production.

After Miss Universe, Paula plans to concentrate on several other projects that she has in the works, many focused on philanthropy, including Harnaaz Sandhu’s Global Menstrual Equity Accelerator, which launched last year at the Global Citizen Festival.

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Una publicación compartida de Paula Shugart (@realpaulashugart)

Many excited fans flocked to the airport to see the beauty queen before she boarded Turkish Airlines to El Salvador to capture her country’s third Miss Universe crown.

“No amount of words can explain how grateful I am to be able to stand here and represent not only our beautiful nation but each and every one of you as well,” Anntonia shared on social media.

“Thank you so much for coming to send me off to the Universe. I hope to make you all proud as I take you along this journey with me. Without all of you, today would not be possible,” she added.

Anntonia will compete with more than 80 empowered and well-accomplished young women from around the world in the 72nd Miss Universe (Miss Universe 2023) final on November 18.

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Una publicación compartida de Miss Universe Thailand (@missuniverse.in.th)

During the 71st edition of the competition, El Salvador President Nayib Bukele announced in a pre-recorded video that the competition will be held in his country at the end of 2023.

“I am grateful and honored to announce that El Salvador would be the host country of the next Miss Universe pageant at the end of this year. 

“El Salvador is a country that is full of beauty. We have the best surfing beaches in the world, magnificent volcanoes, exquisite coffee, and we now have become the safest country in Latin America,” he said.

Bukele thanked the Miss Universe Organization for “joining us in this historic process.”

“El Salvador is changing and we want you to come and see it for yourselves. See you soon,” he added.

The first runner-up was Miss Venezuela, Amanda Dudamel

R’Bonney Gabriel of the United States was crowned Miss Universe 2022 at a glittering ceremony held in New Orleans, Louisiana, on 14 January 2023. Gabriel, 28, created history as the oldest winner of the pageant.

Venezuela’s Amanda Dudamel was named the 1st runner-up, while Dominican Republic’s Andreína Martínez was the 2nd runner-up of the 71st Miss Universe competition.

As per tradition, Gabriel was crowned by India’s Harnaaz Sandhu, the previous winner of the title.

Gabriel grew up in Missouri City in her middle and high school years and later attended Elkins High School in Fort Bend ISD. She has collected numerous titles since she began competing in pageants in 2020. During her recent homecoming tour March 18, Gabriel sat down with Community Impact to discuss her road to Miss Universe and what she plans to do with her title. Answers have been edited for length and clarity.

Miss Universe hasn’t been won by Miss USA in a decade. What does that mean to win that title?

For me, it was about time Miss USA won Miss Universe. It has been 10 years, so I think it’s a really momentous time to win after a decade. It’s not only a win for USA and our country, but my community, the Asian American community, Filipino American community, as well as my state and my hometown, Houston. When I won, it wasn’t just me; it was all my trainers and the people that have supported me and the places I’ve grown up.

What does training look like for these kind of major high-stakes pageants?

I trained every day for the last two and a half years, and it’s like a sport. It’s very demanding. It’s really intense, and it takes a lot of discipline if you want to go far—or for me, that was my formula. It was a lot of watching the news and just being up to date on current events. You need to speak about that to understand how you can make a difference in your community and understand what’s going on. I’m a designer, so I would be designing my pieces. I would always make outfits for the competition, and that took a long time. Outfit planning, hair lessons, makeup lessons. It all didn’t sound like a lot when I first started, and then I realized the dedication it really took and the team behind me and coaches that have really helped me get here.

Missouri City is a smaller town. How did that affect you growing up?

Missouri City is a suburb of Houston, so I feel like even though I grew up in Missouri City, it was very diverse, like how Houston is diverse. We had somebody from every culture in our class, and everybody hung out with everybody. I think that’s a reflection of Houston as well. We’re so diverse, and I think it really shaped me to be who I am. We have a lot of successful people from Houston, which is very inspiring.

The night of Miss Universe, what’s going through your mind before they announced you won?

It’s all happening so fast, right? Top three, and then one of the girls gets out. So then it’s top two, and I’m thinking, ‘Oh my gosh, I really made it here.’ I was so thankful to even just be in top five. It was the most euphoric feeling before they even called my name. I was so happy on stage, and then when they actually called my name, it was just complete shock. I feel like I blacked out.

What are your goals for this year as Miss Universe?

We’re focused on women empowerment, but I’ve always known that I want to use my passion for fashion design and how I’ve been sewing for years and use that for the greater good in this world. That looks like promoting sustainability, expanding on my sewing workshops and working with underserved communities to teach them sewing skills, because when you plant those seeds of education, that’s really unique, and it fosters growth.

Unlike some contestants, R’Bonney Gabriel only started competing in pageants during the last few years, starting in 2020 after a hairstylist on a photo shoot was convinced she would be great at them.

At the end of the event, Paraguay’s Nadia Ferreira was also crowned as the first runner-up to Miss Universe 2021 after a successful and highly appreciated journey at the competition and giving her country the highest placement at Miss Universe in history.

Welcomed by a massive crowd at the airport arrival Nadia joined some traditional dancers to celebrate her achievement and was overwhelmed with emotions looking at the sea of people present to receive the queen with warm hearts, cheering her name out loud.

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Una publicación compartida de Miss Universe Paraguay (@paraguayuniverse)

The model then headed to a small ceremony organized for her homecoming where she was honoured and presented with some gifts including a large portrait of the stunning queen. She also interacted with the media and shared her gratitude towards all the love and support.

“What advice would you give to young women watching on how to deal with the pressures they face today?” Nadia answered, “I have been through so many hard situations in my life, but I overcame them, so I want all women, all people who are watching in this moment to join forces and do what you are meant to do, because you can do it. No matter the situation, you can overcome it and always be victorious.”

Nadia’s performance throughout the competition was highly commendable and was definitely a strong contender for the crown since the beginning of the competition. For the final question round, the model gave a strong answer as the finalists were asked, “What advice would you give to young women watching on how to deal with the pressures they face today?”

Nadia answered, “I have been through so many hard situations in my life, but I overcame them, so I want all women, all people who are watching in this moment to join forces and do what you are meant to do, because you can do it. No matter the situation, you can overcome it and always be victorious.”

Andrea Meza told Steve Harvey, who is hosting the international beauty pageant, she is looking forward to this new life-changing opportunity.

“I am very happy to announce that I am a new host of Telemundo. I am very grateful to the organization of Miss Universe because all the incredible things that have happened to me in my life is thanks to this decision I made a few years ago to participate”, Meza said.

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It was in May 2021 when Andrea Meza was crowned Miss Universe, becoming the winner with the shortest reign, since the contest had to be postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“I am a little moved. It was only seven months, but it was something very intense in my life, which changed me completely”, said the Mexican beauty queen, who also indicated what stood out to her the most during her reign.

“I would say that it was being able to work with vulnerable groups of women, because you realize that you have the power to inspire others with your actions, and that is a great responsibility. I think what gives me the most satisfaction is that”, Meza assured.

India’s Harnaaz Sandhu is the new Miss Universe, 21 years after Lara Dutta won the title in 2000.

The 21-year-old from Punjab claimed the crown edging out Paraguay’s Nadia Ferreira and South Africa’s Lalela Mswane.

The new Miss Universe is…India!!!! #MISSUNIVERSE pic.twitter.com/DTiOKzTHl4

— Miss Universe (@MissUniverse) December 13, 2021

Before the Chandigarh-based model, only two Indians have won the title of Miss Universe – actors Sushmita Sen in 1994 and Lara Dutta in 2000.

On being asked what advice she would give to young women on how to deal with the pressures they face, a composed Ms Sandhu said, “The biggest pressure the youth of today is facing is to believe in themselves, to know that you are unique and that’s what makes you beautiful. Stop comparing yourselves with others and let’s talk about more important things that’s happening worldwide.”

FINAL STATEMENT: India. #MISSUNIVERSE

The 70th MISS UNIVERSE Competition is airing LIVE around the world from Eilat, Israel on @foxtv pic.twitter.com/wwyMhsAyvd

— Miss Universe (@MissUniverse) December 13, 2021

“This is what you need to understand. Come out, speak for yourselves because you are the leader of your life, you are the voice of your own. I believed in myself and that’s why I am standing here today,” Sandhu said with aplomb.