Nicaragua’s Sheynnis Palacios was crowned Miss Universe 2023 at the 72nd annual beauty pageant in San Salvador last night – making history as the first delegate from Nicaragua to win the title.
In addition to Sheynnis’ win, the event featured several other historic firsts, including two mother contestants, two transgender women and a plus-size person.
Sheynnis, 23, beat Anntonia Porsild of Thailand for the prestigious title and looked delighted to be crowned by last year’s winner, USA’s R’Bonney Nola Gabriel.
This year’s pageant featured two trans women. Rikkie Kollé, a 22-year-old LGBTQIA+ rights activist who was crowned Miss Netherlands in July, and Marina Machete, 23, Miss Portugal, who works as a cabin crew and was named as her country’s candidate in October.
Mothers, married women and divorcees were allowed to compete for the first time following a rule change in 2022, with Miss Colombia, Camila Avella, and Miss Guatemala, Michelle Cohn, becoming the first women with children to make it to the finals.
Elsewhere, Miss Nepal, Jane Dipika Garrett, who was tipped to win, became the first plus-size model to take part, although she was eliminated before the final round.
At the same time, Pakistan’s first participant in the competition, Erica Robin, who wore a burkini in the swimsuit round, was also eliminated.
Sheynnis Palacios from Nicaragua was crowned Miss Universe 2023 at the annual beauty pageant in San Salvador last night
National pageant winners from 84 countries took part in this year’s Miss Universe pageant. The jury included model Halima Aden and “Queer Eye” star Carson Kressley, TikTok influencer Avani Gregg and two former Miss Universe winners, Janelle Commissiong from Trinidad and Tobago (Miss Universe 1977) and Iris Mittenaere from France (Miss Universe 2016).
On coronation night, Sheynnis steadily advanced to the next rounds, with strong performances in both the swimsuit segment and the evening gown competition.
In the “Top 5” question and answer segment, she was asked about the qualities and values that guide her as a leader and role model for others.
Left: Rikkie Kollé, 22, is an LGBTQIA+ activist and transgender woman who was crowned Miss Netherlands in July. Right: The other trans contestant this year was Marina Machete, 23, Miss Portugal, who works as a cabin crew and was named her country’s contestant in October
Trans contestant Miss Portugal Marina Machete poses during the 72nd Miss Universe pageant
Rikkie Kollé, a trans woman representing the Netherlands in the competition, is using her platform to fight for LGBTQ+ rights
The competition featured the first “curvy” contestant to reach the semi-finals of the competition, Miss Nepal (right), and the first contestant to wear a burkini swimsuit, Miss Pakistan (left).
Sheyniss is a mental health activist and audiovisual producer from Managua, Nicaragua
Her answer was: “The quality that has inspired me and millions of women and girls is humility and the ability to appreciate the little things, because therein lies the most valuable thing: the essence of being human.”
After reaching the top three alongside Thailand’s Anntonia Porsild and Australia’s Moraya Wilson, Sheynnis was asked: “If you could live in another woman’s shoes for a year, who would you choose and why?”
Her convincing answer was: “I would choose Mary Wollstonecraft because she opened the gap to give many women a chance.”
“What I would do is open up that income gap so that women can work in whatever field they want to work in because there are no restrictions for women.” That was in 1750. Now, in 2023, we are making history. “
In the competition, Sheynnis chose mental health as her cause, drawing on her personal experiences with anxiety.
Coming from a country where this topic is rarely discussed, she started an initiative called “Understand Your Mind,” in which she interviews experts on the topic of emotional care in her television segments.
Sheynnis, 23, beat Anntonia Porsild of Thailand for the prestigious title
She looked thrilled as she was crowned by last year’s winner, USA’s R’Bonney Nola Gabriel
Nicaragua’s Sheynnis Palacios made history as the first delegate from Nicaragua to win the title
Sheynnis was presented with a huge bouquet of flowers to congratulate her on her win
The 23-year-old has also organized events and other audiovisual projects around the topic of mental health.
According to the Miss Universe Organization, Sheynnis’ goal in life is to “work in the service of humanity by leading a newsroom and producing content and commercials for international brands.”
Sheynnis outshone the 83 other contestants and made history as the first delegate from Nicaragua to win the Miss Universe title.
However, she is no stranger to beauty pageants as she began participating in national pageants at the age of 16.
Sheynnis won the title of Miss Teen Nicaragua in 2016 and achieved a top 10 placing in the Miss Teen Universe pageant. In 2020, she secured victory at the Miss World Nicaragua pageant and represented her country again at the Miss World 2021 edition, where she secured a place in the top 40.
Her extensive beauty pageant experience made her one of the top contenders for the Miss Universe 2023 pageant, with numerous beauty sites and experts including Nicaraguan beauty queen among her top favorites.
Ahead of the Miss Universe 2023 coronation night, Sheynnis took to Instagram to reflect on her journey.
“Tonight I dedicate it to my inner girl and to each of the girls who long to fulfill that dream, even the sky itself is the limit, a dream so big that people think it is impossible to achieve “Because here you know that your dreams and goals will overcome all obstacles and remember to follow them with determination, perseverance and passion,” she wrote.
The beauty queen impressed with her enchanting appearance in the swimsuit segment
The mental health advocate wore a stunning silver gown and tiara
Sheynnis welcomed last year’s winner to the stage to present him with the crown
The final three candidates: Anntonia Porsild from Thailand, Moraya Wilson from Australia and Sheynnis Palacios from Nicaragua
Miss Nicaragua couldn’t believe it when she was crowned Miss Universe
The new beauty queen was crowned by last year’s winner, American R’Bonney Nola Gabriel
Miss Nicaragua wins Miss Universe 2023 in a beauty pageant full of historic firsts
Miss Nicaragua sheds tears of joy as she is crowned Miss Universe
Sheynnis beamed as she looked at the cheering audience
Miss Nicaragua Sheynnis Palacios will be crowned Miss Universe 2023 during the 72nd Miss Universe Pageant
Sheynnis Palacios looked stunning as she took the stage during the event
Her evening dress glittered in the lights as she waved to the audience
Miss Nicaragua Sheynnis Palacios competed with several other countries
Miss Nicaragua reacts after being named to the top 20 finalists during the Miss Universe coronation ceremony in San Salvador
John Legend performed during the coronation ceremony on November 18th
Top 10 finalist Miss Spain Athenea Perez parades during the Miss Universe coronation ceremony in San Salvador
The newly elected Miss Universe 2023 Sheynnis Palacio from Nicaragua then took part in a press conference
In the preliminary round, the beauty queen impressed the audience with her stunning dress and her charming appearance in the swimsuit.
But it was her national costume – a purple and black ensemble inspired by the Nicaraguan grackle bird El Zanate – that attracted attention online.
Aside from the elaborate costume, which included wings and a headpiece, Sheynnis made a lasting impression on the runway by kneeling and gracefully flapping the wings of her costume.
Sheynnis, who has a degree in mass communications from Universidad Centroamericana, serves as a television anchor for a local station. She speaks three languages: Spanish, Portuguese and English.
Her favorite sport is volleyball and she is happiest when watching the sunset. The beauty queen also noted that she cannot live without her family or pets.
Within an hour of Saturday night’s event, 20 semi-finalists were announced based on preliminary round results and a global fan vote.
Then, after the swimsuit segment, the group was whittled down to 10 – including competitors from Colombia, El Salvador, Peru, the Philippines, Puerto Rico, Spain and Venezuela, as well as the final three.
The evening dress round halved the number of participants again.
After two rounds of hot questions from the selection committee, the top three Miss Universe were announced: Sheynnis, Anntonia and runner-up Moraya Wilson from Australia.
After the eligibility requirements were updated last year, married women and mothers were allowed to take part in the Miss Universe pageant for the first time, which took place at the José Adolfo Pineda Arena.
For the past 70 years, the beauty pageant has only been open to women who have never married or had children. However, today both mothers and married women can take part in the beauty pageant.
“We all believe that women should have control over their lives and that a person’s personal choices should not be a barrier to their success,” said an internal memo obtained by The National.
Josh Yugen, national director of Miss Universe, said: “Always the largest and most innovative platform of its kind, the Miss Universe Organization will now be more inclusive and welcoming to mothers and married women.”
“For me, this is in line with what I fought for: breaking stereotypes and unlearning the stigma that the old society forced on us many, many decades ago.”