Palacios comes from Managua, the capital of Nicaragua, studied communications and is a mental health advocate. She is the first winner of the Miss Universe pageant from Central America.
This year, for the first time, married women and mothers were able to participate in the beauty contest, which has been held since 1952. Among the applicants were two women with children from Colombia and Guatemala.
Inclusion and diversity were hallmarks of this edition. A trans woman already participated in 2018, but this time there were two: Miss Netherlands and Miss Portugal. Furthermore, the Nepal representative was a curvy model who advocated a positive attitude towards her own body.