The 2023 Miss Universe pageant will take place tonight in El Salvador’s capital, San Salvador. (It will air in the United States from 8 p.m. ET on the Roku Channel.) Eighty-four contestants — each representing their home countries — will be in contention, but most only briefly: at the beginning of the competition, the field will be narrowed to 20 semi-finalists, selected based on their performance in the pageant’s preliminary stage and, in one case, a global fan vote.
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Contestants on stage during the evening gown portion of the 2023 Miss Universe pageant's preliminary competition.
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Miss Angola, Ana Coimbra.
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Miss Bolivia, Estefany Rivero.
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Miss Brazil, Maria Brechane.
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Miss Bulgaria, Yuliia Pavlikova.
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Miss Cameroon, Issie Princesse.
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Miss Canada, Madison Kvaltin.
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Miss Cayman Islands, Ileann Powery.
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Miss Curacao, Kim Rossen.
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Miss Czech Republic, Vanesa Švédová.
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Miss El Salvador, Isabella García-Manzo.
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Miss France, Diane Leyre.
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Miss Great Britain, Jessica Page.
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Miss India, Shweta Sharda.
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Miss Ireland, Aishah Akorede.
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Miss Jamaica, Jordanne Levy.
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Miss Japan, Rio Miyazaki.
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Miss Kazakhstan, Tomiris Zair.
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Miss Laos, Phaimany Lathsabanthao.
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Miss Lebanon, Maya Aboul Hosn.
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Miss Mauritius, Tatiana Beauharnais.
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Miss Myanmar, Amara Bo.
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Miss Nepal, Jane Garrett.
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Miss Netherlands, Rikkie Kollé.
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Miss Nicaragua, Sheynnis Palacios.
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Miss Pakistan, Erica Robin.
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Miss Panama, Natasha Vargas.
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Miss Peru, Camila Escribens.
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Miss Portugal, Marina Machete.
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Miss Singapore, Priyanka Annuncia.
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Miss Slovakia, Kinga Puhová
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Miss South Africa, Bryoni Govender.
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Miss Spain, Athenea Pérez.
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Miss Ukraine, Angelina Usanova.
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Miss USA, Noelia Voigt.
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Miss Venezuela, Diana Silva.
As the night progresses, the field will be further winnowed; by the time the pageant’s evening gown round plays out, only 10 contestants will still be in the running for the Miss Universe title (and tiara, of course). While it is tradition for the eliminated beauty queens to walk the stage, en masse, to show off their looks at this point, it’s usually just a brief — and tightly-choreographed — glimpse at all the sequins, corsetry and fishtail trains.
All that fashion finery is not lost entirely in the blink of an eye, however: each contestant had their runway moment during the aforementioned preliminary proceedings. In the gallery above, see some of the sartorial highlights.
Those competing at the pageant include two transgender women, Rikkie Kollé of the Netherlands and Marina Machete of Portugal, as well as two married women, Camila Avella of Colombia and Michelle Cohn of Guatemala. Nepal’s Jane Garrett, who has competed in the preliminary rounds to much applause from the audience, is also breaking boundaries as the first plus-size model in contention.
The 2023 Miss Universe pageant also marks longtime Miss Universe Organization President Paula Shugart’s last year. After 23 years in the role, Shugart announced on Thursday that she was stepping down, a decision she said had been “been months in the making, and not in a response to recent events.” Last week, the pageant’s owners, JKN Global Group, filed for bankruptcy — or “business rehabilitation” — in Thailand, though said the move would not affect this year’s pageant or organization moving forward.
I have always passionately believed Miss Universe is not about any one woman, it’s about community,” Shugart said in her resignation speech. “Our community: the passionate fans, the titleholders, the national directors who have remained dedicated to this brand through thick and thin.