Businesswoman Debanjali Kamstra, who narrowly missed the crown at the Mrs World 2022 pageant in Las Vegas, has won the Mrs Earth UAE 2023 competition.
Kamstra, originally from India, is a mother-of-two who has lived in the UAE for 15 years. She beat 20 other contestants to the title at an event held in Dubai on Thursday. She will be the first beauty queen to represent the UAE at the global Mrs Earth 2023 competition, which will be held from Tuesday until July 23 in Manila.
The environmental-focused Mrs Earth contest is not affiliated with Miss Earth, which has been held since 2001.
Kamstra, 36, made waves last year when she became the first woman to represent the UAE at the Mrs World contest, which the organisation says “celebrates the uniqueness of married women”.
She was among 72 contestants vying for the crown, and was named second runner-up. Mrs America Shaylyn Ford won the contest, followed by Mrs Jordan Jaclyn Stapp as first runner-up.
“Everyone deserves a second chance. And because I worked so hard for the Mrs UAE contest and came so close to the crown, I want to make one more attempt at Mrs Earth,” Kamstra tells The National.
Since she only has a few days to prepare for the event, she says she's going to wear the same national costume she wore for Mrs World at Mrs Earth 2023.
Filipino designer Cary Santiago, who created the falcon-inspired dress, earlier told The National it was a nod to the UAE's national bird as well as Dubai's reputation as a “city of gold”.
The dress was named Most Exotic Costume at the Mrs World 2022 pageant.
“The dress perfectly represents the UAE and because I spent a fortune on it, I thought it would be great to showcase it once again,” Kamstra says.
“Also it has already received an award and it is made by a Filipino designer so I hope to it will be well-received at the Mrs Earth contest in Manila.”
Kamstra married her husband, Christiaan, in 2012, and the couple live in Dubai with their two daughters, Victoria, 7, and Tiffany, 6.
“I want the UAE to shine,” she told The National last year ahead of the Mrs World contest. “This is a competition not of an individual, but a nation. So I need support from my country to stand beside me, to cheer for me and for the UAE.”
