Miss Nicaragua Secures Victory at the 2023 Miss Universe Pageant

The annual beauty pageant concluded on Saturday night in San Salvador, the capital of El Salvador, with Sheynnis Palacios of Nicaragua emerging as the 2023 Miss Universe. Thailand’s Anntonia Porsild finished as first runner-up.

This year’s Miss Universe featured contestants from 84 different national pageants. The judges consisted of model Halima Aden, Carson Kressley from “Queer Eye,” Avani Gregg, a TikTok influencer, and two previous Miss Universe winners: Janelle Commissiong from Trinidad & Tobago (Miss Universe 1977) and Iris Mittenaere from France (Miss Universe 2016).

At the start of the competition on Saturday night, twenty semi-finalists were revealed based on the outcomes of the preliminary round (as well as an international fan poll). Following the swimsuit phase, the number of competitors was reduced to 10, with the removal of Miss Nepal, the first “curvy” woman to go to the semi-finals of the pageant, and Miss Pakistan, the first contestant to wear a burkini as their swimwear. The number of participants was once again halved for the evening gown round.

After two rounds of hot subject Q&As, Palacios, Porsild, and Australian Moraya Wilson, the second runner-up, were the only three women still in the running.

In the last round, when asked to describe her ideal persona to spend a day with, Palacios selected the British feminist and philosopher Mary Wollstonecraft, who lived in the eighteenth century and broke down barriers to “give an opportunity to many women.”

“There are no limitations for women today,” she continued through a translator.

Miss Colombia, Camila Avella, and Miss Puerto Rico, Karla Guilfú, completed the top five, while Athenea Pérez of Spain, who was also in the top 10, was named Miss Congenial.

Palacios replaces USA’s R’Bonney Gabriel, the 2022 Miss Universe.