PAGEANT Circle

Halima Hoy was crowned Miss Universe Belize 2024 in a national competition held on Saturday, April 13 at Belize Civic Centre in Belize City. The 29-year-old certified personal trainer and fitness coach from Port Loyola will represent her country at the 73rd Miss Universe (Miss Universe 2024) in Mexico later this year. Maryam Abdul-Qawiyy was named first runner-up while Myra Sibrian was announced as the second runner-up. Former Miss Earth Destiny Wagner, the first Miss Earth winner from Belize, graced the event as part of the esteemed panel of judges. Belize's last representative at Miss Universe was Ashley Lightburn, Miss Universe Belize 2022. She participated in the 71st Miss Universe in New Orleans, Louisiana, USA last January 2023. The newly crowned Miss Universe Belize is currently pursuing her bachelor's degree in kinesiology allied health. Halima advocates for health and fitness and hopes to provide knowledge and aid to Belizeans in less fortunate situations on physiolog...

Reyna Choj was crowned Miss Earth Belize 2023 in a special coronation ceremony held on Monday, September 25 in San Ignacio, Belize.   The 21-year-old wildlife advocate and student currently pursuing a degree in biology at the University of Belize will represent her country at Miss Earth 2023 in Vietnam this December. Former Miss Earth Destiny Wagner, also from Belize, graced the event as a special guest. She wrote on social media: "Wishing Reyna the best of luck as she embarks on her journey to Vietnam this year." The new Miss Earth Belize succeeds last year's titleholder Simone Sleeuw who participated in Miss Earth 2022 last November in the Philippines. Road to the 23rd Miss Earth: View this post on Instagram A post shared by Miss Earth Belize Official (@missearthbelizeofficial) Photos: Miss Earth Belize / Instagram

Romeo Escobar, the national director of Miss Universe Belize for the past five years, announced his withdrawal from the Miss Universe Organization in an official statement released on Thursday, February 16. He mentioned MUO's recent "changes and implementations on its business model including franchise bidding under JKN Global Group's ownership" as the reason for his decision to give up his national franchise. The three-time Emmy Award winner and "Survivor 42" runner-up added, "This does not align with the way I conduct business and I believe it is not a sustainable way to keep a partnership long-term with its directors." He also confessed to struggling to get the financial backing needed to run the national pageant organization because, according to his statement, "no one cared or wanted to be associated with pageants in Belize at all." His message for the next national director: "I hope the next person who takes on the Miss Univers...

Elise-Gayonne Mariliz Vernon was crowned Miss World Belize 2022 on Saturday, October 29 at the Ramada Princess Hotel in Belize City. The 21-year-old farmer and beekeeper from the village of Biscayne in Belize District received the national crown from last year's titleholder Markeisha Young. "Thank you to everyone who played a significant part in my pageant journey. I could not have done this without your support," Elise wrote in a statement on social media. The new Miss World Belize will now prepare to represent the “Hidden Jewel” of the Caribbean and Central America, Belize, at the 71st Miss World pageant whose date and venue are yet to be announced. Business science student Paris Cawich was named Miss Global Belize 2022 and is expected to go to the international Miss Global 2023 pageant in Vietnam. Tori Hazel Chaplin, a business management and environmental science student, was announced as the first runner-up. Meet the new Miss World Belize: View this post on I...

Miss Earth organization has officially confirmed today that Destiny Wagner will be in Miami, Florida, USA from October 14 to 16 for the Latinx Travel Summit 2022. The reigning Miss Earth from Belize will attend the summit as a guest speaker during their celebration of Latinx Heritage Month. She is also expected to promote will her advocacy and Belize tourism to the Latin community. Latinx Summit gathers one of the youngest, most diverse, and fastest-growing populations in the world to celebrate the ingenuity and innovation of Latinx entrepreneurs in travel, tech, media, and startup investing. The event presented by the Latinx Travel Club provides a platform that brings the Latinx community together to gain insights, network, and uplift their Latin culture. Past speakers have included award-winning travel and TV Journalist, members of the United Nations, industry leaders, and accomplished entrepreneurs. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Latinx Travel S...

Ashley Lightburn was crowned Miss Belize 2022 (Miss Universe Belize) on Saturday, August 13 at the Bliss Center for Performing Arts in Belize City. The 25-year-old mathematician is an adjunct math lecturer at the University of Belize and a project management officer at a bank. She holds a degree in pure mathematics and currently pursuing her master's in international business administration. Alina Scott and Samantha Singh were the first and second runners-up, respectively. A total of six finalists participated in this year's Miss Belize competition. Last year's titleholder Iris Salguero crowned her successor at the end of the event. The new Miss Belize will represent her country at the Miss Universe 2022 pageant. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Ashley Lightburn (@ashleyklightburn) Photos: Miss Universe Belize, Vanessa Edwards Photography

After days of guessing game, the secret is officially out - the reigning Miss Earth Destiny Wagner has arrived in Vietnam. The 26-year-old Belizean beauty queen was invited to be the special guest at the grand launch and press conference of the Hoa hậu các Dân tộc Việt Nam 2022 (Miss Vietnam Ethnicity 2022) pageant at Caravelle Hotel Saigon. Destiny was also announced as one of the judges in the upcoming national competition organized by Nova Entertainment, whose winner will represent Vietnam at the Miss Earth 2022 pageant later this year. "I am very thankful and appreciative. Thus far the experience has been amazing. When Anh first brought it up in LA, I was so excited and overwhelmed, and all of a sudden it has happened so quickly," she said in an interview. "I'm very excited to be here, very blessed, and I'm taking it all in. Everyone has been very amazing," she added. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Miss Earth (@missearth...

Reigning Miss Earth from Belize, Destiny Wagner, made her New York Fashion Week runway debut during the weekend after getting invited by VIP Pageantry. The 25-year-old beauty queen met with her fans on the streets of the "Big Apple" and successfully completed three shows for some brands like BeMade, Kirsten Regalado, and Vizcaya Swimwear. New York Fashion Week is a semi-annual series of events when international fashion collections are shown to buyers, the press, and the general public. It is one of four major fashion weeks in the world, collectively known as the "Big 4", along with those in Paris, London, and Milan. Here are some of Destiny's NYFW runway debut photos from NYC-based photographer Bonita Rodriguez:

Miss Earth 2021 Destiny Wagner has been named as Sustainable Tourism Ambassador by the Belize Tourism Board (BTB), the governing body of Belize’s Tourism Industry that focuses on progressive and sustainable developments. The beauty queen will work alongside BTB in promoting the ecotourism of her country and protecting its natural resources. "Thank you Ministry of Tourism for making this possible and I look forward to working closely with you throughout the year to highlight and amplify the voices of nonprofits who continuously fight for a better Belize and a better planet," Destiny shared on her social media page. "With that being said I would like to thank Apamo Belize for their continuous efforts in conservation and I’m very happy to have witnessed and assisted with handing over a check of $75,000 to support their cause on behalf of BTB," she added. After being crowned Miss Earth 2021 last November, the reigning queen has traveled to Orlando, Florida for Miss Eart...

Miss Earth 2021 Destiny Wagner took to social media to speak out against the racist post from a Thailand pageant page comparing her natural hair to cow's feces. "As the first queen with locs to ever win an international pageant I knew I would be subject to ridicule and criticism because women like me are often underrepresented in this industry," the 25-year-old shared on her Instagram story. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Destiny Wagner (@destinyewagner) The Belizean beauty further talked about it on her official page and shared photos highlighting some natural queens from her country who are serving natural hair and representing "Black Girl Magic." "People are often intimated by things they do not understand," she wrote. "Many do not associate natural hair (dreadlocks/locs) with the word 'beautiful'. "For years black women around the world have been policed for their hair and the history of having ...

Following her trip to the United States of America as a special guest at Miss Earth USA, the reigning Miss Earth Destiny Wagner has been announced to visit Puerto Rico this January 30. The Belizean beauty was invited to grace the Miss Earth Puerto Rico 2022 finale and coronation in the Caribbean island's capital city of San Juan. This will be Destiny's second official trip abroad since winning the Miss Earth 2021 title last November. Source: Miss Earth

The reigning Miss Earth, Destiny Wagner, has arrived in Orlando, Florida to grace the Miss Earth USA 2022 final competition this Saturday, January 8. Joining her are former Miss Earth winners Katherine Espín (Miss Earth 2016) from Ecuador, Nellys Pimentel (Miss Earth 2019) from Puerto Rico, and Lindsey Coffey (Miss Earth 2020) from the United States. Destiny was crowned Miss Earth 2021 in November last year while representing Belize. She is the first-ever woman from her country to win the Miss Earth title in history. Here's a sneak peek from the photoshoot with the Earth queens in one frame: View this post on Instagram A post shared by Miss Earth (@missearth) Official photos will soon be released. Source: Miss Earth