Contestants representing the Middle East at Miss Universe 2024, from Lebanon to Egypt

Participants from 130 countries are in Mexico for the long-running competition, including a strong regional representation

Logina Salah, a model with vitiligo, will represent Egypt at the Miss Universe pageant. Photo: Yugen Group

Beauty queens representing 130 countries are competing for the Miss Universe 2024 crown. The event will be held in Mexico City from November 14 to 16 at Arena CDMX, where reigning Miss Universe Sheynnis Palacios of Nicaragua will crown her successor on the final day.

Contestants are steadily arriving in the Mexican capital for what is set to be the long-running competition's most momentous event yet in its 73-year history. This year, many previous limitations have been scrapped, including age, marital status and body type for all contestants. Last year, for the first time, mothers were also allowed to participate.

The UAE, Somalia and Uzbekistan are making their Miss Universe debuts. Iran is sending a representative for the first time, under the title of Miss Universe Persia.

Here are the six contestants representing the Middle East at this year's Miss Universe.

Miss Universe Egypt: Logina Salah

Salah, 34, is a Dubai resident and model, who says she was bullied throughout her childhood due to a skin condition called vitiligo, which causes patches to lose pigment. Now, she is looking forward to representing her country on the world stage.

“I am excited to represent Egypt, women with vitiligo, and anyone who has ever felt that they don't belong,” she previously told The National. “After enduring bullying throughout my childhood because of my skin condition, it took me 15 years to embrace self-love. My mission is to empower those who feel marginalised, letting them know they are not alone and I aspire to make a significant impact on the global Miss Universe stage.”

Miss Universe Bahrain: Shereen Ahmed

The Filipino-Bahraini beauty queen, 29, finished second in the Miss Universe Bahrain competition in 2022. Ahmed has a background in journalism and advocates for single mothers and mental health awareness.

“This pageant journey has always been about more than just a crown – it’s about creating impact, giving hope, and showing single mothers that they are not alone. Together, we can make a difference, and I am so excited to see the change we’ll create on this global platform,” she posted on Instagram.

Miss Universe UAE: Emilia Dobreva

Dobreva is a fashion model and a mother of three. The Dubai resident will be the first UAE representative at the Miss Universe pageant. The model is not new to beauty competitions, having been crowned Miss Friendship International in 2019. During the coronation, Dobreva beat four other finalists to be crowned.

The UAE was first announced as part of the international competition in September. In an Instagram post by the Miss Universe Organisation, Indonesian businesswoman Poppy Capella was named as the national director for the UAE franchise, as well as for Cyprus. She was formerly the national director of Miss Universe Indonesia and Miss Universe Malaysia.

Miss Universe Lebanon: Nada Koussa

Clinical psychologist Koussa, 26, beat 14 other contestants to the Miss Universe Lebanon title at a star-studded event held at Beirut's waterfront. She was crowned by her Miss Lebanon 2022 predecessor Yasmina Zaytoun, the runner-up in Miss World last year.

Eight women made up the judging panel, including Nour Arida, a women's rights activist and model. “On my platform, I always talk about being natural, being true to yourself, I talk about accepting yourself, about not having beauty stereotypes,” Arida told The National.

“For me, I wanted to be here today and share this message, this reminder that each girl has something that is different, she's beautiful in her own way and that we should stop stereotyping women in general.”

Miss Universe Persia: Ava Vahneshan

A first for Miss Universe, Iran's unofficial entry to the global pageant will be Vahneshan, a singer and Chinese medicine specialist. Vahneshan was named as the replacement for Fay Asghari, the first winner of the title, who earlier this year beat 20 other women of Iranian descent to the Miss Universe Persia title at an event in Rome.

Miss Universe Persia said it and Asghari, the sister of Britney Spears's ex-husband Sam Asghari, had mutually agreed to part ways, with the title going to second-place Vahneshan. The daughter of an Iranian immigrant in Portugal, Vahneshan said that at the Miss Universe contest, she will represent “the weight of its history, its culture and the heart of my people".

She posted on Instagram: “But my mission is larger than just representing my country. I stand for every voice, for all those who have never had the chance to be heard, for every story that has been forgotten, for every heart that yearns to be understood. I will stand tall, and I will speak for you."

Miss Universe Israel: Ofir Korsia

The participation of Korsia, 23, an actress and dancer, will mark Israel's return to Miss Universe after a two-year hiatus. In 2022, the Miss Israel organisation – founded in 1952 and which sends representatives to international pageants – said it would no longer do so.

The announcement was made a year after the Israeli city Eilat hosted the pageant, where Miss India Harnaaz Sandhu took the crown.

The competition was revived after American entrepreneur Edgar Saakyan bought the rights to the Miss Universe Israel pageant. Korsia was among eight contestants in the competition, which was held in Florida in the US.