Reigning Miss Universe Sheynnis Palacios of Nicaragua will crown her successor later this year, as the beauty pageant returns to Mexico on September 28. The country will be hosting for the first time since 2007.
This year's pageant will feature the return of Belize, Botswana, China, Cuba, Kenya, Kyrgyzstan, New Zealand and Samoa. Iran is also meant to send a representative for the first time, but under the title of “Miss Persia”.
Although there is plenty of time before the finale, some competing countries have already selected their representatives, including pageant powerhouse Venezuela.
Here’s a list of who has been crowned so far.
Miss Universe China: Jia Qi
Crowned Miss Universe China 2023, Jia Qi could not attend the Miss Universe competition that year in El Salvador because of visa issues. She will instead compete in this year’s contest. The 23-year-old won her crown after beating 31 other finalists in October last year.
Hailing from Chengdu, in the Sichuan province of China, Qi is a former track and field athlete, as well as a fitness enthusiast.
Miss Universe Kazakhstan: Madina Almukhanova
The model, 23, was crowned Miss Kazakhstan after beating 24 other contestants at the Republic Palace in Almaty in December. Before that, she also held the title of First Vice Miss Almaty 2023.
Outside of beauty pageants, she has been modelling for five years, but is also a choirmaster conductor, who sings professionally and plays the piano.
Miss Universe France: Indira Ampiot
French model Indira Ampiot, 20, has previously been crowned Miss Basse-Terre and Miss Guadeloupe in 2022. She is the fourth woman from Guadeloupe to win Miss France.
Ampiot is of Indian descent through her maternal grandfather and is the niece of French footballer Frederic Tejou. She beat 29 other contestants in the competition held in December.
Miss Universe Kyrgyzstan: Maya Turdalieva
The 25-year-old is from Bishkek, the capital of Kyrgyzstan. Although she was crowned last year, Turdalieva could not make the Miss Universe pageant due to an undisclosed reason and will instead participate this year.
Posting on Instagram, she vowed to “work hard and strive to make Kyrgyzstan proud”, adding: “Our culture, our nature and our people are my inspiration”.
Miss Universe New Zealand: Franki Russell
The Filipino-Kiwi actress and model, 29, was crowned Miss Universe New Zealand 2024, making her the country’s first representative to the pageant since 2019.
She focused her campaign on cyberbullying. She previously competed in the Miss Universe UAE pageant in 2021, finishing in the top 30.
Miss Universe Venezuela: Ileana Marquez
The model, 28, is the first mother to win the Miss Venezuela title. She beat 24 other contestants to the crown in December, becoming the third winner from the Amazonas.
Her hobbies include singing, dancing and acting. She says she put herself forward after organisers allowed mothers as well as married and divorced women to compete for the first time.
Miss Universe Germany: Pia Theissen
Hailing from Cologne, the 25-year-old is fluent in German, Spanish and English. A trained occupational therapist, she is also a yoga instructor and currently training to be a DJ.
She beat 14 other contestants to the Miss Universe Germany title. “Words can’t describe how grateful I am,” she posted on Instagram after her win. “Representing my country is an honour.”
Miss Universe Greece: Christianna Katsieri
A model by profession, Katsieri already has pageant experience, representing her country at Miss Earth 2023 in Vietnam.
She won Miss GS Hellas 2022, which sends Greece's representative to top global pageants. She will be the first Greek woman to participate in two top global pageants.
Miss Universe Dominican Republic: Celinee Santos Frias
Hailing from Distrito Nacional, the 24-year-old beat 18 other hopefuls to the Miss Universe Dominican Republic 2024 title.
The student is an experienced pageant queen, having represented her country at Miss Intercontinental 2019 and Miss International in 2022. She's currently pursuing a law degree at the Universidad del Caribe in Santo Domingo.
Miss Universe Croatia: Zrinka Coric
The 22-year-old is from the coastal town of Dubrovnik. Through her participation, the medical student hopes to raise awareness of mental health and to reduce the stigma associated with it.
She also wants empower young girls and encourage them to realise their full potential. Croatia has yet to win a Miss Universe crown and held its first national pageant in 1997.
