Miss Universe 2023
| Miss Universe 2023 | |
|---|---|
_(cropped).jpg) Sheynnis Palacios | |
| Date | 18 November 2023 |
| Presenters | |
| Entertainment | |
| Theme | Hello, Universe! |
| Venue | Gimnasio Nacional José Adolfo Pineda, San Salvador, El Salvador |
| Broadcaster | |
| Entrants | 84 |
| Placements | 20 |
| Debuts |
|
| Withdrawals |
|
| Returns |
|
| Winner | Sheynnis Palacios Nicaragua |
| Congeniality | Athenea Pérez, Spain |
Best National Costume | Michelle Dee, Philippines |
Miss Universe 2023 was the 72nd Miss Universe pageant, held at the Gimnasio Nacional José Adolfo Pineda in San Salvador, El Salvador, on 18 November 2023.[1]
At the conclusion of the event, the winner, Sheynnis Palacios of Nicaragua was crowned as Miss Universe 2023 by R'Bonney Gabriel of the United States. This was Nicaragua's first win in the pageant's history, and the country's first ever victory in the Big Four international beauty pageants.[3] The 1st Runner-Up was Anntonia Porsild from Thailand, and the 2nd Runner-Up was Moraya Wilson from Australia.
Contestants from eighty-four countries and territories competed in this edition. The competition was presented by Jeannie Mai and Miss Universe 2012, Olivia Culpo for the second consecutive time, along with Maria Menounos.[4] Miss Universe 2018, Catriona Gray and Zuri Hall also served as backstage correspondents for the second time.[5][6] John Legend performed in this edition.[7]
Background
Location and date
On 14 January 2023, during the Miss Universe 2022 pageant, Salvadoran president Nayib Bukele announced that the 72nd edition will be held in El Salvador in late 2023, after having last hosted the pageant in 1975.[8][9] Later, on 27 July 2023, the Miss Universe Organization announced that the pageant will take place on 18 November 2023.[10]
The choice of El Salvador as the host country was met with criticism[11][12] due to the country's ongoing state of emergency amid the Salvadoran gang crackdown.[13][14] Protests were staged in the capital San Salvador following the allocation of public funds for the hosting of the pageant amid an economical crisis.[15][16][17]
To promote the pageant, the organization offered a "Hello Universe" travel package.[18][19]
Selection of participants
Contestants from eighty-four countries and territories were selected to compete in the pageant. Five of these delegates were appointed to the position after being runners-up in their national pageant, or being chosen through a casting process.[citation needed] For the first time since 1957,[20] the Miss Universe Organization allowed the participation of married women and women with children to compete in the pageant.[20][21]
This edition's roster of contestants was noted by media outlets for its diversity and inclusivity compared to past pageants.[22][23][24] Among the contestants in the edition were Rikkie Kollé of the Netherlands and Marina Machete of Portugal, who became the joint second transgender women to compete in the pageant, after Ángela Ponce of Spain in 2018.[25][26] Furthermore, the edition also saw the participation of the first married women and mothers to compete in the pageant since 1957, with the participation of Camila Avella of Colombia, Michelle Cohn of Guatemala, and Lorena Santen of Switzerland.[27] Jane Garrett of Nepal was also recognized by media outlets to be the "first plus-sized" delegate to compete in the pageant.[28] Erica Robin, the first delegate to be sent by Pakistan to the pageant, was also cited as another contestant who was "making the pageant more inclusive",[29] though her participation was met with mixed reactions within her country.[30]
Replacements
Namuunzul Batmagnai, the second runner-up of Miss Universe Mongolia 2023, was appointed to represent Mongolia after the original winner, Nominzul Zandangiin was deemed unable to compete due to undisclosed reasons.[31][32] Miss Mauritius 2022/2023 Nilmani Hurlall was supposed to compete in Miss Universe 2023, but it did not happen,[33] she was replaced by the second runner-up of Miss Mauritius 2022/2023, Tatiana Beauharnais.[34][35] Thảo Nhi Lê, the first runner-up of Miss Universe Vietnam 2022, was initially set to participate in this year's edition.[36] However, the Saigon Universe Joint Stock Company had lost the Miss Universe franchise back in February 2023, and the license was transferred to the Miss Universe Vietnam Trading Joint Stock Company.[37][38] After the negotiation process between the two companies failed, the latter decided to organize a new contest called Miss Universe Vietnam to choose the new representative of Vietnam at Miss Universe. The winner of the contest was Quỳnh Hoa Bùi.[39][40]
Debuts, returns and withdrawals
This edition marked the debut of Pakistan;[41] and the returns of Denmark, Egypt, Guyana, Hungary, Ireland, Kazakhstan, Latvia, Mongolia, Norway, and Zimbabwe. Zimbabwe, which last competed in 2001;[42] Latvia in 2006; Guyana in 2017;[43] Egypt and Mongolia in 2019;[44] and Denmark, Hungary, Ireland, Kazakhstan and Norway last competed in 2021.[45]
Armenia, Belize, Bhutan, Ghana, Haiti, Seychelles, Turkey, and Uruguay withdrew after their respective organizations failed to appoint a delegate, hold a national competition, or lost their national franchise.[46][45][47][48] Maya Turdalieva was appointed to represent Kyrgyzstan after Diami Almazbekova, the original representative of Kyrgyzstan, decided to withdraw from the competition due to lack of preparation.[49] Turdalieva was then replaced by Akylai Kalberdieva due to undisclosed reasons. However, Kalberdieva also decided to withdraw due to undisclosed reasons, leading to Kyrgyzstan's withdrawal from the competition. Miss Universe China 2023, Qi Jia withdrew due to logistical problems and competed at Miss Universe 2024, making the Top 30.[50][51] Nadeen Ayoub of Palestine was initially expected to compete, but she withdrew from the pageant, citing the ongoing conflict in Gaza as her reason.[52][53]
Results
Placements
| Placement | Contestant |
|---|---|
| Miss Universe 2023 |
|
| 1st Runner-Up |
|
| 2nd Runner-Up |
|
| Top 5 |
