Miss Venezuela (Spanish: ''Organización Miss Venezuela'') is a Venezuelan beauty pageant operated by the
Cisneros Group. Founded in 1952, it currently selects Venezuelan representatives to
Miss Universe
Miss Universe is an annual international major beauty pageant that is run by a Thailand and Mexican-based Miss Universe Organization.Natalie Tadena (July 2, 2015"Donald Trump's Miss USA Pageant Lands on Reelz Cable Channel". ''The Wall Stree ...
,
Miss World
Miss World is the oldest existing international beauty pageant. It was created in the United Kingdom by Eric Morley in 1951. Since his death in 2000, Morley's widow, Julia Morley, has co-chaired the pageant. Along with Miss Universe, Mi ...
, and
Miss International.
The current national director of Miss Venezuela is Miss Universe 2013
Gabriela Isler
María Gabriela de Jesús Isler (; born March 21, 1988) is a Venezuelan model, presenter, and former beauty queen who gained international recognition by winning the titles of Miss Venezuela 2012 and Miss Universe 2013.
She passed on her Miss ...
.
The current Miss Venezuela is
Stephany Abasali of
Anzoátegui
Anzoátegui State (, ) is one of the 23 states of Venezuela, states of Venezuela, located in the northeastern region of the country. Anzoátegui is well known for its beaches that attract many visitors. Its coast consists of a single beach approx ...
who was crowned on 5 December 2024 at the Centro Comercial Líder in Caracas, Venezuela.
History

On 7 May 1905, Manuela Victoria Mujica Antich of
Lara, was elected by popular vote as ''Miss Venezuela''. Many authors and scholars in the history of the Miss Venezuela contest consider her as the first Miss Venezuela ever, and its vote as a precursor of the current national pageant.
Miss Venezuela (1952 - 1981)
The Miss Venezuela pageant was officially founded in 1952 by
Pan Am
Pan American World Airways, originally founded as Pan American Airways and more commonly known as Pan Am, was an airline that was the principal and largest international air carrier and unofficial overseas flag carrier of the United States for ...
and businesswoman Gloria Sánchez, for selecting a Venezuelan representative for the
Miss Universe
Miss Universe is an annual international major beauty pageant that is run by a Thailand and Mexican-based Miss Universe Organization.Natalie Tadena (July 2, 2015"Donald Trump's Miss USA Pageant Lands on Reelz Cable Channel". ''The Wall Stree ...
pageant in
Long Beach, California
Long Beach is a coastal city in southeastern Los Angeles County, California, United States. It is the list of United States cities by population, 44th-most populous city in the United States, with a population of 451,307 as of 2022. A charter ci ...
.
The speed with which the contestants were chosen for that first contest would characterize its first editions, in which parades with different outfits were held over the course of a week or more in different locations in the country. Due to protests by religious organizations at the time, the swimsuit parades were held in private, witnessed by jurors only. Eventually, Venezuela's representatives to
Miss World
Miss World is the oldest existing international beauty pageant. It was created in the United Kingdom by Eric Morley in 1951. Since his death in 2000, Morley's widow, Julia Morley, has co-chaired the pageant. Along with Miss Universe, Mi ...
(since 1955) and
Miss International (since 1960) would also begin to be elected.
After a first interruption in 1954 during the
Marcos Pérez Jiménez dictatorship, Pan Am ceded the rights to the contest in 1955 to Venezuelan journalist and musicologist, Reinaldo Espinoza Hernández.
Hernández, who despite the triumph of
Susana Duijm
Carmen Susana Duijm Zubillaga (August 11, 1936 – June 18, 2016) was a Venezuelan actress, tv host, model and beauty queen who was crowned Miss Venezuela 1955 and competed at Miss Universe 1955, placing in the top 15. She then went to compete a ...
in
Miss World 1955 (first
Hispanic America
Hispanic America ( or ), historically known as Spanish America () or Castile (historical region), Castilian America (), is the Spanish-speaking countries and territories of the Americas. In all of these countries, Spanish language, Spanish is th ...
n to win at one of the
Big Four international beauty pageants), faced protests by the Venezuelan
Catholic Church
The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...
and feminist movements, which added to the lack of interest by the press of the time. In addition, a second interruption in 1959 caused by the
1958 Venezuelan coup d'état, led to the sale of the contest to Edwin E. Acosta-Rubio, a Cuban-Venezuelan businessman in 1962.
Business-minded, Acosta-Rubio immediately changed the format of the competition. Turning the semi-improvised tourist pageant into an organized annual institution. In order to choose the contestants with professional and responsible criteria, Acosta-Rubio created the so-called ''Venezuelan Beauty Committee''. Developed the publicity projection of the event and broadcast it for the first time on television in 1962, through the
RCTV
Radio Caracas Televisión (RCTV and sometimes referred to as the Canal de Bárcenas) is a Venezuelan over-the-top streaming service and formerly a free-to-air television Television network, network headquartered in the Caracas neighborhood of Q ...
network, began to charge for tickets for the finals. With all these changes accomplished in the late 1960s, the Miss Venezuela contest began to be a favorite and traditional reference among Venezuelans, in the
Venezuelan popular culture and more importantly, for Acosta-Rubio, as a profitable and appreciated business.
In 1968, the swimsuit and evening gown portions of the show were broadcast on television for the first time. Although it was not of great importance at the moment,
Osmel Sousa began to work in those years as a graphic and fashion designer for the contest.
In 1969, Ignacio Font Coll, brother-in-law of Edwin Acosta-Rubio, who was the creator and president of OPPA Publicidad, appointed him as director of the current Miss Venezuela Organization.
Already in the 1960s, the Acosta-Rubio Organization had begun to obtain excellent results with
Mercedes Revenga as first runner-up at the Miss Beauty Form 1964 contest and later on reaching the top 15 at
Miss Universe 1964. The choice of
Mariela Pérez and
Peggy Kopp as first and third runners-up at
Miss Universe 1967 and
Miss Universe 1968, respectively. Adriana López with the Miss Planet Resort 1967 won,
Judith Castillo, being first runner-up at
Miss Universe 1976, and Zully Guilarte winning the 1968 Miss Tourism of Central America and the Caribbean pageant.
Maritza Sayalero won
Miss Universe 1979, being the first edition of Miss Universe to be televised in color in Venezuela. With her win, began what is considered the 'Golden age of Miss Venezuela'.
Since 1972, the
Cisneros Organization acquired the rights to start producing and broadcasting the beauty contest on its channel,
Venevisión.
María Antonieta Cámpoli,
Miss Venezuela 1972 at
Miss Universe 1972 was second runner-up, and later at Miss Intercontinental 1974, María Emilia de los Ríos of
Bolívar state.
Miss Venezuela Organization (1981 -)
In 1981,
Irene Sáez won
Miss Universe 1981,
Pilín León won
Miss World 1981, in addition to the death of Coll. Finally, in 1982, the Cisneros Group was placed at the helm of the beauty contest and the ''Miss Venezuela Organization'' was officially structured. After this, in February 1982, Cisneros and Acosta-Rubio appointed Osmel Sousa (a long time-worker at the empress) as Coll's successor, taking the charge of President. Besides, Joaquín Riviera, María Kallay and Mery Cortez, were appointed as official producer, coordinator and choreographer of the event, respectively.
Starting in 1984, the crowns used in the organization's pageants were made by jewelry designer, George Wittels. Until July 2018, Wittels was in charge of making the goldsmith pieces for the contest. George was succeeded by Mila Toledo, Miss Federal District in 1980.
In 1996, the beauty pageant launched its website, missvenezuela.com. Also, in the same year, the
Mister Venezuela competition was founded, as well as, Miss Venezuela Mundo in 2000. In both cases, at the request of the Miss World Organization
In 2009, Venezuela entered the
Guinness World Records
''Guinness World Records'', known from its inception in 1955 until 1999 as ''The Guinness Book of Records'' and in previous United States editions as ''The Guinness Book of World Records'', is a British reference book published annually, list ...
for being the first and so far only representation in Miss Universe to be crowned by another winner from the same nation.
In 2010, the pageant acquired the
Miss Earth franchise, which it maintained until 2015, obtaining
Alyz Henrich a second crown for this contest as
Miss Earth 2013.
Joaquín Riviera, Miss Venezuela executive producer, would be in charge of the event until his death in 2012. After María Kallay's death in 2013, the production of the event was realized by Peggy Navarro, Ricardo Di Salvatore, Vicente Alvarado and Erick Simonato, who were part of the original production team along with Riviera as General Producer. In 2015, Peggy left office, leaving three managers, who to date are still part of the Miss Venezuela Organization.
In 2016, Mery Cortez, announced her departure from the contest and from Venevisión network, after almost 45 years as the choreographic producer of the contest.
On 6 February 2018, Osmel Sousa, announced his retirement as President of the Miss Venezuela Organization, after being in charge of the contest for more than 40 years, leaving the presidency vacant.
On 17 April 2018, the organization announced that the contest would it be run by an executive committee, not a president. The next day, the committee members were announced:
Gabriela Isler
María Gabriela de Jesús Isler (; born March 21, 1988) is a Venezuelan model, presenter, and former beauty queen who gained international recognition by winning the titles of Miss Venezuela 2012 and Miss Universe 2013.
She passed on her Miss ...
,
Miss Universe 2013,
Jacqueline Aguilera,
Miss World 1995
Miss World 1995, the 45th edition of the Miss World pageant, was held on 18 November 1995 for the fourth straight year at the Sun City Entertainment Centre in Sun City, South Africa. The 1995 pageant attracted 84 delegates. The pageant was hos ...
and
Nina Sicilia,
Miss International 1985.
Contestant selection
List of state titles
There is an unofficial formula to determine the states and regions represented in Venezuela. The base number of contestants over the last decade has been 26–28, which can be increased or decreased by the contest management.
Official states (23)
* Denotes that state has a preliminary pageant – which may or may not still be held – as of 2005 only Táchira, Zulia-Falcón, Lara, Aragua and Sucre held preliminaries.
Official regions (3)
*
Costa Oriental (Eastern shore of Lake Maracaibo)
*
Distrito Capital (Capital District)
*
Federal Dependencies
The Federal Dependencies of Venezuela () encompass most of Venezuela's offshore islands in the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Venezuela, excluding those islands that form the states of Venezuela, State of Nueva Esparta and some Caribbean coastal ...
("Federal Dependencies" Venezuelan islands)
Together, these 26 regions form the "base" of the Miss Venezuela contest. However, at times other regions and territories have been represented. If there are 27 sashes, the 27th candidate is Miss Peninsula Goajira. If there are 28 sashes, either Canaima (a national park in Bolivar state) or
Paraguaná Peninsula (a region of Falcon state) is represented. In 2003, additional titles of
Araya Peninsula (a region of Sucre State) and
Roraima
Roraima ( ) is one of the 26 states of Brazil. Located in the country's North Region, it is the northernmost and most geographically and logistically isolated state in Brazil. It is bordered by the state of Pará to the southeast, Amazonas t ...
(a national park in Bolivar State) were created to bring the pageant to its highest ever number of contestants: 32. Surprisingly, in 2008 Península de Araya was used again, and there was no Miss Península Goajira or Miss Costa Oriental that year. In the mid-1990s, the districts of Municipio Libertador and Municipio San Francisco were also represented, the last one only in 1997 and 1998. Also, only in 2003,
Guayana Esequiba
Guyana is a country in the Guianas, South America.
Guyana, Guiana, or Guayana may refer to:
* British Guiana, a British colony until 1966, now independent and known as Guyana
* French Guiana, an overseas department of France in the Guianas
* The ...
(part of Guyana that historically Venezuela claims as its own) was represented. Vargas State, the most recent modification to Venezuela's map (1999) was always present in the pageant, but with other names: Departamento Vargas (until 1986), Municipio Vargas (1987 to 1997), Territorio Federal Vargas (1998), and
Vargas State since 1999. In 2009, only 20 delegates competed for the crown, the same number that competed on the final night in 2003, so some "traditional" states didn't have a representative.
Winners by state/region
;Venezuelan representation
Venezuela's international titleholders represented the following states during their Miss Venezuela competition (indicates year of international victory):
*
Miss Universe
Miss Universe is an annual international major beauty pageant that is run by a Thailand and Mexican-based Miss Universe Organization.Natalie Tadena (July 2, 2015"Donald Trump's Miss USA Pageant Lands on Reelz Cable Channel". ''The Wall Stree ...
:
Departamento Vargas (1979),
Miranda (1981),
Trujillo (1986; 2009),
Yaracuy
Yaracuy (, ;) is one of the 23 States of Venezuela, states of Venezuela. Yaracuy is located in the Central-Western Region, Venezuela. It is bordered by Falcón State, Falcón in the north, in the west by Lara State, Lara, in the south by Portug ...
(1996),
Amazonas (2008) and
Guárico
Guárico State (, ) is one of the 23 states of Venezuela. The state capital is San Juan de Los Morros and the largest city is Calabozo, other important city centers include Valle de la Pascua and Zaraza. Guárico State covers a total surface ...
(2013).
*
Miss World
Miss World is the oldest existing international beauty pageant. It was created in the United Kingdom by Eric Morley in 1951. Since his death in 2000, Morley's widow, Julia Morley, has co-chaired the pageant. Along with Miss Universe, Mi ...
:
Miranda (1955; 1984),
Aragua (1981),
Zulia
Zulia State (, ; Wayuu: ''Mma’ipakat Suuria'') is one of the 23 states of Venezuela. The state capital is Maracaibo. As of the 2011 census, it has a population of 3,704,404, the largest population among Venezuela's states. It is also one of t ...
(1991),
Nueva Esparta
The Nueva Esparta State (in Spanish: ''Estado Nueva Esparta'', ) is one of the 23 states of Venezuela, states of Venezuela. It comprises Margarita Island, Coche, Venezuela, Coche, and the lightly inhabited Cubagua.
The state is located off the ...
(1995) and
Amazonas (2011).
*
Miss International:
Monagas
Monagas State (, ) is one of the 23 states of Venezuela.
Monagas State covers a total surface area of and, as of the 2011 census, had a population of 905,443.
Monagas State is surrounded by Sucre State in the north, Anzoátegui State in the ...
(1985),
Miranda (1997),
Costa Oriental (2000),
Carabobo
Carabobo State (, ) is one of the 23 states of Venezuela, located in the north of the country, about two hours by car from Caracas. The state capital city is Valencia, which is also the country's main industrial center. The state's area is and ...
(2003),
Barinas (2006; 2018),
Trujillo (2010),
Anzoátegui
Anzoátegui State (, ) is one of the 23 states of Venezuela, states of Venezuela, located in the northeastern region of the country. Anzoátegui is well known for its beaches that attract many visitors. Its coast consists of a single beach approx ...
(2015) and
Portuguesa (2023).
*
Miss Earth:
Nueva Esparta
The Nueva Esparta State (in Spanish: ''Estado Nueva Esparta'', ) is one of the 23 states of Venezuela, states of Venezuela. It comprises Margarita Island, Coche, Venezuela, Coche, and the lightly inhabited Cubagua.
The state is located off the ...
(2005),
Falcón
Falcón State (, ) is one of the 23 States of Venezuela, states of Venezuela. The state capital is Coro, Venezuela, Coro.
The state was named after Juan Crisóstomo Falcón.
History
Early history
Present day Falcón State was first explored ...
(2013).
Main pageant
Training
There are Miss Venezuela schools and "beauty factories" in which girls as young as 5 years old are trained to be the next potential Miss Venezuela. At both the schools and factories the young girls and women are taught how to walk properly, given beauty tips, and given lessons in proper etiquette.
Once a candidate is shortlisted for the pageant, she begins an intensive training program which can last for six months. She receives coaching in speech, physical fitness, make-up, modelling, and all the other skills required for the competition.
Plastic surgery and cosmetic dentistry are optional, and some delegates elect to use padding. As the Miss Venezuela broadcast lasts up to four hours long, with countless musical numbers and dances, rehearsals require weeks of preparation. Contestants also participate in official photo-shoots and also fittings by fashion designers.
The evening gowns worn by candidates are a major source of politicking by Venezuela's domestic fashion houses, with top designers such as Mayela Camacho, Ángel Sanchez, Durant & Diego, Jose María Almeida, and Gionni Straccia selecting candidates that they will dress for the final night, while other, newer designers compete to present designs for the pageant. As a general rule the evening gowns are always custom-designed for each of the candidates on the final night, and always by a Venezuelan designer. By tradition, Nidal Nouaihed dresses the representatives of his home state of
Zulia
Zulia State (, ; Wayuu: ''Mma’ipakat Suuria'') is one of the 23 states of Venezuela. The state capital is Maracaibo. As of the 2011 census, it has a population of 3,704,404, the largest population among Venezuela's states. It is also one of t ...
(Miss Costa Oriental, Miss Peninsula Goajira, Miss Zulia); Ángel Sanchez designs the gown for Miss Trujillo; Jose María Almeida designs the dress for Miss Mérida and the national costume for Miss Venezuela to Miss Universe. In 1999, 26 different designers took part in the evening gown competition, one candidate for each one. Also, in 2006, for the first time ever, the designers appeared on stage with the delegates, showing their fabulous creations. For the first time, in
Miss Venezuela 2008, a "best evening gown" prize was given to a designer; the winner was Gionni Straccia for Miss Monagas' dress. He also made the gown for
Dayana Mendoza in the Miss Universe finals.
The winners chosen to represent Venezuela in the major pageants undergo continuous preparation before they compete internationally. These efforts are funded by corporate sponsors like
Pepsi-Cola
Pepsi is a Carbonated water, carbonated soft drink with a cola flavor, manufactured by PepsiCo which serves as its flagship product. In 2023, Pepsi was the second most valuable soft drink brand worldwide behind Coca-Cola; the two share a long ...
,
Palmolive,
Colgate, Ebel and
Lux who were attracted to the pageant by its high ratings.
Participation in international pageants
As of , Venezuela has a total of 24 wins at
Big Four international beauty pageants, the most by any country in the world, and consisting of seven Miss Universe titles, six Miss World titles, nine Miss International titles, and two Miss Earth titles.
Miss Venezuela reached the semifinals of Miss Universe each year from 1983 to 2003, and reached the question-and-answer round consistently from 1991 to 2003 (winning in
1986 and
1996
1996 was designated as:
* International Year for the Eradication of Poverty
Events January
* January 8 – A Zairean cargo plane crashes into a crowded market in the center of the capital city of the Democratic Republic of the Congo ...
), constituting the longest streak of Miss Universe finalists by any country. This streak was ended in 2004, when Ana Karina Áñez was not included in the semifinals at
Miss Universe 2004. Venezuela has also held Miss Universe and Miss World titles simultaneously in 1981 (
Irene Saez and
Pilin Leon), and Miss Universe and Miss Earth titles simultaneously in 2013 (
Gabriela Isler
María Gabriela de Jesús Isler (; born March 21, 1988) is a Venezuelan model, presenter, and former beauty queen who gained international recognition by winning the titles of Miss Venezuela 2012 and Miss Universe 2013.
She passed on her Miss ...
and
Alyz Henrich). Henrich's Miss Earth victory made Venezuela the only country in the world to have won each of the Big Four pageants multiple times.
Venezuela also holds the distinction of being the first, and so far only, country to win back-to-back Miss Universe titles when
Dayana Mendoza, outgoing
Miss Universe 2008, crowned
Stefania Fernandez as
Miss Universe 2009.
Success in other fields

Competing in the pageant can get a contestant noticed and launched on a successful television or print career. At least a dozen well-sought models come out of the pageant. Virtually all of Venezuela's female top models and television personalities are alumni of the pageant, including
Maite Delgado (who competed in 1986 against future Miss Universe
Bárbara Palacios and became the primary annual emcee of Miss Venezuela's live shows in recent decades), and
Dominika van Santen (
Top Model of the World
The Top Model of the World is an
international search for the ultimate model. The event started in 1993 in Miami, organised by the Globana Group.Gaby Espino
María Gabriela Espino Rugero (born November 15, 1977), better known as Gaby Espino, is a Venezuelan actress, model and presenter. She is best known for her main roles in telenovelas in Venezuela, Colombia and Mexico.
Early life and career
Born ...
and several other entertainment figures stand out as never having competed in the pageant. Many of today's top young models, such as Onelises Brochero and Wendy Medina, have repeatedly been rejected by Miss Venezuela; on the other hand,
Goizeder Azua and Desiree Pallotta, who have variously been considered the top domestic supermodels in the country, joined the pageant after establishing their careers.
Nowadays, familiar faces on Spanish TV networks around the world, from Venezuela, include
Ruddy Rodríguez,
Catherine Fulop, Carolina Perpetuo,
Norkys Batista, Daniela Kosán,
Viviana Gibelli,
Marjorie de Sousa,
Chiquinquirá Delgado,
Alicia Machado and
Natalia Streignard. Two of the Latin world's best known people, supermodel
Patricia Velásquez and singer/actress
María Conchita Alonso, also participated, in 1989 and 1975, respectively.
Miss Universe 1981,
Irene Sáez, became mayor of
Chacao (Caracas), governor of
Nueva Esparta State, and then a candidate in the
1998 Venezuelan presidential election. ''
The Times
''The Times'' is a British Newspaper#Daily, daily Newspaper#National, national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its modern name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its si ...
'' of London ranked her 13th in its list of the 100 most powerful women in the world.
Alexandra Braun,
Miss Earth 2005 became the most decorated international actress from Venezuela with the most acting awards when she won four international best actress awards in various film festivals all over the world for her portrayal of the lead role in the movie, "Uma" at the
London Film Festival
The BFI London Film Festival is an annual film festival held in London, England, in collaboration with the British Film Institute. Founded in 1957, the festival runs for two weeks every October.
In 2016, the British Film Institute, BFI estim ...
,
Monaco International Film Festival, the
Milan International Film Festival and the Georgia Latino Film Festival in Atlanta; the film also won recognition in the "Film of the World" category at the
International Film Festival of India
The International Film Festival of India (IFFI), founded in 1952, is an annual film festival currently held in Goa, on the western coast of India. The festival aims at providing a common platform for the cinemas of the world to project the excel ...
and won best foreign film at the
Burbank International Film Festival in the United States.
Miss Venezuela and other countries
Some delegates in the pageant went on to win other national pageants. Natascha Börger became the first Venezuelan to switch countries, when she won the
Miss Germany title in 2002 after placing 14th at Miss Venezuela 2000. She went on to place in the Top 10 at
Miss Universe 2002 in
Puerto Rico
; abbreviated PR), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, is a Government of Puerto Rico, self-governing Caribbean Geography of Puerto Rico, archipelago and island organized as an Territories of the United States, unincorporated territo ...
while
Cynthia Lander,
Miss Venezuela 2001, placed fifth in the same competition. Miss Trujillo 2005 Angelika Hernandez Dorendorf also placed fourth at Miss Germany 2007 and cancelled her participation at the Miss Intercontinental of that same year in order to continue her master's degree. In 2006,
Francys Sudnicka, who placed in the Top 10 representing Trujillo in Miss Venezuela 2003, won the Miss Poland Universe title. She represented Poland at
Miss Universe 2006
Miss Universe 2006 was the 55th Miss Universe pageant, held at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, California, United States on July 23, 2006.
At the end of the event, Natalie Glebova of Canada crowned Zuleyka Rivera of Puerto Rico as Miss U ...
, and later represented Poland in
Miss Earth 2006
Miss Earth 2006 was the sixth edition of the Miss Earth pageant, held at the grounds of the National Museum of the Philippines in Manila, Philippines, on 26 November 2006.
At the end of the event, Alexandra Braun of Venezuela crowned Hil Hern� ...
, taking a place in the Top 8. The following Venezuelans who have won the
Miss Italia nel Mondo (Miss World Italy) pageant placed in the final five of Miss Venezuela:
Barbara Clara (Miss Amazonas 2004),
Valentina Patruno (Miss Miranda 2003) and
Silvana Santaella (Miss Península de Paraguaná 2003). Patruno, though born Venezuelan, represented the United States.
In the past, other countries have sent their titleholders to be trained by Osmel Sousa and the Miss Venezuela Organization. In 1999,
Miriam Quiambao of the
Philippines
The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of List of islands of the Philippines, 7,641 islands, with a tot ...
trained in Venezuela before competing at
Miss Universe 1999
Miss Universe 1999 was the 48th Miss Universe pageant, held on 26 May 1999 at the Chaguaramas Convention Centre in Chaguaramas, Trinidad and Tobago. Mpule Kwelagobe of Botswana was crowned by Wendy Fitzwilliam of Trinidad and Tobago at the e ...
in Trinidad and Tobago and eventually placing second to
Botswana
Botswana, officially the Republic of Botswana, is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. Botswana is topographically flat, with approximately 70 percent of its territory part of the Kalahari Desert. It is bordered by South Africa to the sou ...
, while
Carolina Indriago,
Miss Venezuela 1998, appeared in the Top 5. The Miss Venezuela Organization, however, ended its policy allowing training of foreign candidates after
Amelia Vega
Amelia Vega Polanco (; born 7 November 1984) is a List of people from the Dominican Republic, Dominican actress, model, author, singer and beauty queen. At the age of 18, she won the Miss Universe 2003 pageant, becoming the first ever Miss Univ ...
of the
Dominican Republic
The Dominican Republic is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles of the Caribbean Sea in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean. It shares a Maritime boundary, maritime border with Puerto Rico to the east and ...
received training from them before eventually winning
Miss Universe 2003 in Panama, while
Mariangel Ruiz,
Miss Venezuela 2002, placed second behind her.
In recent years the pageant organization has begun to "import" expatriates who have been working as international models. Miami has produced
Valentina Patruno (Miss World Venezuela 2003),
Andrea Gómez (Miss International Venezuela 2004),
Mónica Spear
Mónica Spear Mootz (1 October 1984 – 6 January 2014) was a Venezuelan actress, model and beauty pageant titleholder who won Miss Venezuela 2004. She represented Venezuela at Miss Universe 2005 in Bangkok, Thailand and finished as 4th runne ...
(
Miss Venezuela 2004 and 4th runner-up at
Miss Universe 2005), Ileana Jiménez (Miss Portuguesa 2005), and María Alessandra Villegas (Miss Península de Paraguaná 2008).
Order of succession
There has been considerable controversy in a number of major national pageants as to how to direct their contestants to Miss Universe, Miss World, and the other international contests. The reason for this issue is the dispute between the international pageants, who generally desire that the winner of a national contest be sent. Although many nations such as Italy and Germany have completely separate pageants for Miss Universe and Miss World, in the case of Miss Venezuela the national pageant organization must field candidates to almost all of the major world contests.
Between 2000 and 2002, the Miss Venezuela pageant was split into two contests: the Miss World Venezuela pageant, to elect the representative to Miss World, from which a reduced group of contestants would go on to compete in Miss Venezuela to go to the Miss Universe contest. In 2002, the organization merged the Miss World Venezuela contest with the Gala de Belleza, making the final "state cut" before the election of the Miss World representative. The two pageants were rejoined in 2003. Using the most prominent format used in Miss Venezuela's entire run, the winners of the Miss Venezuela title (who goes to Miss Universe) and Miss World Venezuela are equal in rank. Nevertheless, the representative to Miss Universe is still announced last, and she is still considered the holder of the one single Miss Venezuela title. Nowadays, the final five finalists are announced during the telecast, followed by the elimination of the second and first runners-up, then Miss Venezuela to Miss International, Miss Venezuela to Miss World, and Miss Venezuela to Miss Universe. Since 2010, yet another new system has been introduced, with the fifth-place finisher as the 1st. runner-up, fourth place being designated as a "representative" to Miss Earth, the third place as a "representative" to Miss International and two 'equal' crowned winners—Miss Venezuela World and Miss Venezuela Universe.
While this system is similar to that of Mexico and India, in Mexico the first runner-up is known as the "substitute" and in the order of succession automatically fills into any title above her that is emptied. For example, if "Nuestra Belleza Mexico Mundo" (Miss Mexico to Miss World) is unable to fulfill her duties, the first runner-up assumes her title. While the Miss Universe representative is similarly considered the "greater of the two equals", if her position is vacated, the first runner-up ascends to her crown, instead of Miss Mexico-World becoming Miss Mexico-Universe and the first runner-up going to Miss World. In India, however, the succession does follow the other option: the top three titles go Earth->Universe->World in rising order of importance (although they are also emphasized as "equals").
In Venezuela, neither policy of succession is explicitly laid down.
Osmel Sousa made the final decisions as to who is appointed when a vacancy arises; ''i.e.'' in 2003, there were significant rumors that
Mariangel Ruiz might be replaced by Amara Barroeta, the first runner-up, to Miss Universe (and not
Goizeder Azua, who was Miss World Venezuela). In fact, in 2003, the Miss International Pageant was concurrent with Miss Venezuela, meaning that it would be impossible to send a "fresh" contestant, and Osmel actually opted not to send Amara, who should have gone (as the first runner-up then was almost always automatically titled Miss Venezuela International) and instead replaced her with
Goizeder Azua, who won
Miss International 2003. Due to scheduling conflicts between Miss International and Miss Venezuela, a similar situation occurred in 2002 when
Cynthia Lander, Miss Venezuela (Universe), gave up her crown to the next Miss Venezuela and immediately boarded a flight for Japan to participate in Miss International. The reasoning was that her first runner-up had already participated the year before, and it would have been ridiculous to crown a Miss Venezuela (International) and immediately send her on a plane to her contest with no specific preparation whatsoever. Incidentally in 2006 the Miss World pageant shifted its pageant date from its usual November–December timeframe to September when the organization announced Poland as the competition venue. Due to the change in dates; it resulted to a timing conflict with the Miss Venezuela pageant. The Miss Venezuela organization decided to hold a snap pageant called "Miss Venezuela Mundo" to elect a representative for
Miss World 2006. The said competition was composed of former Miss Venezuela contestants from previous editions. At the end of the night
Federica Guzman who represented the state of Miranda in 2001 was the winner. Thus, all four winners, Miss Earth Venezuela, Miss Venezuela International, Miss Venezuela World and Miss Venezuela Universe now compete in the year after their coronation.
Ironically, the only time in the "modern" pageant that the famous "if the winner should not fulfill her duties, the first runner-up will take over" statement was made for Miss Venezuela was in 1999. The decision was made to send whoever won to Miss World first, and then to Miss Universe if she did not win. This policy was adopted after the consecutive eliminations of
Christina Dieckmann and
Veronica Schneider in 1997 and 1998, both of whom were considered amongst the strongest Miss World Venezuelas in history and whose eliminations were seen by the organization as a signal that it needed to send its winner to Miss World. Therefore, in 1999, there were no Miss World Venezuela or Miss Venezuela International titles, only an official Miss Venezuela, who was
Martina Thorogood. Her first runner-up,
Norkys Batista, was told that she would become Miss Venezuela to Miss Universe only if Martina won the Miss World crown outright. Martina came in second at Miss World and she was expected continue on to Miss Universe 2000 the next year. However, due to a number of major controversies, she was barred from Miss Universe 2000 on the grounds that as the first runner-up to Miss World, Osmel also declared that Miss Universe demanded a winner from Venezuela, thereby barring
Norkys Batista from succeeding to the title. The only option for Norkys to go was for Martina to renounce the Miss Venezuela title, which neither she or the organization was willing to do. Therefore, a new emergency (and temporary) pageant was held, called Miss Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, which was conducted among ten former contestants (some semi-finalists and other non-finalists) from the previous five years. The winner,
Claudia Moreno, had placed as seventh in the semi-finals behind Martina and Norkys in Miss Venezuela 1999, and she ended up performing excellently and becoming first runner-up to
Miss Universe 2000. In years to come, 2002's first runner-up Amara Barroeta would join
Norkys Batista as one of several runners-ups to be "denied" the chance to compete at a "big three" pageant.
In the US and many other countries, an occasion when the order of succession comes into play is when the reigning titleholder wins her international contest, ''e.g.'' in 1997 when
Brook Mahealani Lee became Miss Universe and her first runner-up
Brandi Sherwood became Miss USA. However, Venezuela does not have this official provision, even when the two "equal" winners both win Miss Universe and Miss World. In 1981, Miriam Quintana was considered somewhat unofficially as the serving Miss Venezuela, because both
Irene Saez and
Pilin Leon had won their respective pageants. However, in 1995–1996, when
Alicia Machado took the Miss Universe title and
Jacqueline Aguilera the Miss World crown, no new "Miss Venezuela" was appointed to hold the crown while they reigned internationally, though some newspapers said that
Carla Steinkopf, Miss International Venezuela 1995, would give the crown to the 1996 winner. In general, all the times Venezuela has won the Miss Universe Pageant, it's Miss Universe herself who returns to crown the new Miss Venezuela, not Miss World Venezuela from the previous year or another finalist. Since 2013, the Miss World delegate is no longer crowned at the Miss Venezuela final but is crowned in a separate Miss Venezuela World pageant, and competes in the same year of her coronation. In 2014, Maira Alexandra Rodriguez was crowned as Miss Earth Venezuela to compete in the 2015 edition, but due to the destitution of her predecessor, Stephanie de Zorzi, she was sent to Miss Earth 2014, in which she ended as Miss Water (2nd runner-up).
From 2015 onwards, Miss Earth Venezuela will compete in the same year of her coronation. In 2017, the announcing was made as it was years before: Top 5 consisting of 2nd and 1st runners-up, then Miss Venezuela International, Miss World Venezuela and Miss Venezuela Universe, all three competing in 2018. This avoids the rumors of major pageants not allowing contestants to participate if they weren't in their current reign year. However, in 2018, Osmel's resignation coincided with the same year Miss Venezuela sent their winner,
Isabella Rodríguez, to Miss World. As a result, since 2019, the organization switched to a separate Miss World Venezuela national pageant while retaining the Miss Universe and Miss International national titles under the main Miss Venezuela pageant for all succeeding candidates.
Controversies
Objectification
Esther Pineda, a Venezuelan women's studies expert, stated that the popularity of Miss Venezuela and other pageants in Venezuela reveals how the country is "deeply sexist". Despite controversies facing Miss Venezuela, the
Me Too movement
#MeToo is a social movement and Consciousness raising, awareness campaign against sexual abuse, sexual harassment and rape culture, in which women publicize their experiences of sexual abuse or sexual harassment. The phrase "Me Too" was init ...
has not carried any significance in Venezuela. According to Pineda, in Venezuela "
ysical beauty is seen as a value. ... And it's given more importance than any other attribute".
Sexual exploitation
Miss Venezuela contestants are often subject to prostitution and sexual exploitation. Young contestants are passed to powerful individuals in Venezuelan society for sexual favors. In a poverty-filled country, vulnerable women turn to wealthy individuals for funds. With participation often costing tens of thousands of United States dollars, these participants perform sexual favors for their wardrobe, cosmetic surgery, photo shoots and for sponsorships in order to "create the illusion of 'perfect' beauty" that is held in esteem in Venezuelan culture. Some contestants allegedly involved in such acts include
Miss Venezuela 1989 participant
Patricia Velásquez and
Miss Venezuela 2006
Miss Venezuela (Spanish: ''Organización Miss Venezuela'') is a Venezuelan beauty pageant operated by the Cisneros Group. Founded in 1952, it currently selects Venezuelan representatives to Miss Universe, Miss World, and Miss International. ...
runner-up
Claudia Suárez.
Recent titleholders
Miss Venezuela
The following women have been recently crowned Miss Venezuela:
Miss World Venezuela
The following women have been recently crowned Miss World Venezuela:
Miss International Venezuela
The following women have been recently crowned Miss International Venezuela:
Minor pageants representatives
The following are minor pageants in which Venezuela has participated.
Big Four pageants representatives
The following women have represented
Venezuela
Venezuela, officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many Federal Dependencies of Venezuela, islands and islets in the Caribbean Sea. It com ...
in the
Big Four beauty pageants.
Miss Venezuela Universe
; Color key
::''The winner of Miss Venezuela represents her country at
Miss Universe
Miss Universe is an annual international major beauty pageant that is run by a Thailand and Mexican-based Miss Universe Organization.Natalie Tadena (July 2, 2015"Donald Trump's Miss USA Pageant Lands on Reelz Cable Channel". ''The Wall Stree ...
. On occasion, when the winner does not qualify (due to age) for either contest, a runner-up is sent.''
Miss Venezuela World
; Color key
::''In recent years Miss Venezuela Mundo under Miss Venezuela Organization holds a separate contest to select its winner to Miss World pageant.''
;Miss World Venezuela gallery
File:Maria Conchita Alonso LA Pride 2011.jpg,
File:HILDA ABRAHAMZ.jpg,
File:Ruddy Rodríguez.jpg,
File:Emma Rabbe.jpg,
File:Miss Mundo 1995, Jacqueline Aguilera.jpg,
File:Miss Venezuela 2007 Claudia Suarez.jpg,
File:Miss Venezuela 08 Hannelly Quintero.jpg,
File:Adriana Vasini.png,
File:Ivian sar. (cropped).jpg,
File:Gabriella Ferrari.jpg,
Miss Venezuela International
; Color key
::''The 2nd Runner-Up of Miss Venezuela traditionally represented her country at
Miss International. In recent years Miss Venezuela selects a runner-up or second position at Miss Venezuela pageant as Miss Venezuela Internacional winner. The winner goes to Miss International.''
;Miss International Venezuela gallery
File:Hilda Elvira Carrero de Abreu.jpg,
File:MILKA24.jpg,
File:Daniela Kosán.jpg,
File:Edymar Martinez por Belankazar.jpg,
Miss Venezuela Tierra
; Color key
::''Since its establishment in 2001 Miss Earth Venezuela is chosen by another organization, called Sambil Model Organization. From 2010 to 2015 Miss Earth Venezuela was chosen by the beauty czar
Osmel Sousa. In 2010, Miss Venezuela Organization acquired the franchise for Miss Earth Venezuela and the organization declared that Miss Earth, along with Miss Universe and Miss World contests, is one of the three largest beauty pageants in the world in terms of the number of participating countries. The organization conducted a selection process which attended by several former beauty queens and runners up to qualify for participation.
Mariángela Bonanni who competed in the
Miss Venezuela 2009 (placed as first runner up) representing the state of Táchira, was chosen by the organization to participate in
Miss Earth 2010. Since 2016, Venezuela representatives at the Miss Earth are chosen in a separate pageant
Miss Earth Venezuela. Although Miss Venezuela Organization is not related to Sambil Model Organization, here are Venezuela's Miss Earth representatives sent by the Sambil Model Organization, Miss Venezuela Organization and Miss Earth Venezuela Organization .''
;Gallery of Miss Earth Venezuela
File:Alexandra Braun at her Farewell walk .jpg,
File:VenezEarth06.jpg,
File:SilvanaSantaella.jpg,
File:Daniela Torrealba.jpg,
File:Bonanni portrait.jpg,
File:Osmariel Villalobos en ConCafe Tv.jpg,
;Notes
Big Seven pageants historial
This is a list of
Venezuela
Venezuela, officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many Federal Dependencies of Venezuela, islands and islets in the Caribbean Sea. It com ...
's representatives and their placements at the
Big Seven international beauty pageants. Venezuela, widely considered a beauty pageant powerhouse with an extensive and successful history in beauty pageants, is also referred as the most powerful country in beauty pageants, winning multiple times, with a total of and , counting:
* Seven —
Miss Universe
Miss Universe is an annual international major beauty pageant that is run by a Thailand and Mexican-based Miss Universe Organization.Natalie Tadena (July 2, 2015"Donald Trump's Miss USA Pageant Lands on Reelz Cable Channel". ''The Wall Stree ...
titles (
1979
Events
January
* January 1
** United Nations Secretary-General Kurt Waldheim heralds the start of the ''International Year of the Child''. Many musicians donate to the ''Music for UNICEF Concert'' fund, among them ABBA, who write the song ...
•
1981
Events January
* January 1
** Greece enters the European Economic Community, predecessor of the European Union.
** Palau becomes a self-governing territory.
* January 6 – A funeral service is held in West Germany for Nazi Grand Admiral ...
•
1986 •
1996
1996 was designated as:
* International Year for the Eradication of Poverty
Events January
* January 8 – A Zairean cargo plane crashes into a crowded market in the center of the capital city of the Democratic Republic of the Congo ...
•
2008
2008 was designated as:
*International Year of Languages
*International Year of Planet Earth
*International Year of the Potato
*International Year of Sanitation
The Great Recession, a worldwide recession which began in 2007, continued throu ...
•
2009
2009 was designated as the International Year of Astronomy by the United Nations to coincide with the 400th anniversary of Galileo Galilei's first known astronomical studies with a telescope and the publication of Astronomia Nova by Joha ...
•
2013
2013 was the first year since 1987 to contain four unique digits (a span of 26 years).
2013 was designated as:
*International Year of Water Cooperation
*International Year of Quinoa
Events
January
* January 5 – 2013 Craig, Alask ...
)
* Six —
Miss World
Miss World is the oldest existing international beauty pageant. It was created in the United Kingdom by Eric Morley in 1951. Since his death in 2000, Morley's widow, Julia Morley, has co-chaired the pageant. Along with Miss Universe, Mi ...
titles (
1955 •
1981
Events January
* January 1
** Greece enters the European Economic Community, predecessor of the European Union.
** Palau becomes a self-governing territory.
* January 6 – A funeral service is held in West Germany for Nazi Grand Admiral ...
•
1984
Events
January
* January 1 – The Bornean Sultanate of Brunei gains full independence from the United Kingdom, having become a British protectorate in 1888.
* January 7 – Brunei becomes the sixth member of the Association of Southeas ...
•
1991
It was the final year of the Cold War, which had begun in 1947. During the year, the Soviet Union Dissolution of the Soviet Union, collapsed, leaving Post-soviet states, fifteen sovereign republics and the Commonwealth of Independent State ...
•
1995
1995 was designated as:
* United Nations Year for Tolerance
* World Year of Peoples' Commemoration of the Victims of the Second World War
This was the first year that the Internet was entirely privatized, with the United States government ...
•
2011
The year marked the start of a Arab Spring, series of protests and revolutions throughout the Arab world advocating for democracy, reform, and economic recovery, later leading to the depositions of world leaders in Tunisia, Egypt, and Yemen ...
)
* Nine —
Miss International titles (
1985
The year 1985 was designated as the International Youth Year by the United Nations.
Events January
* January 1
** The Internet's Domain Name System is created.
** Greenland withdraws from the European Economic Community as a result of a n ...
•
1997
Events January
* January 1 – The Emergency Alert System is introduced in the United States.
* January 11 – Turkey threatens Cyprus on account of a deal to buy Russian S-300 missiles, prompting the Cypriot Missile Crisis.
* January 1 ...
•
2000
2000 was designated as the International Year for the Culture of Peace and the World Mathematics, Mathematical Year.
Popular culture holds the year 2000 as the first year of the 21st century and the 3rd millennium, because of a tende ...
• Goizeder Azúa, 2003 • Daniela di Giacomo, 2006 • Elizabeth Mosquera, 2010 • Edymar Martínez, 2015 • Mariem Velazco, 2018 • Andrea Rubio, 2023)
* Five — Miss Intercontinental titles (1974 • 2001 • Emmarys Pinto, 2005 • Hannelly Quintero, 2009 • 2012)
* Two —
Miss Earth titles (Alexandra Braun, 2005 • Alyz Henrich, 2013)
* One — Miss Grand International title (Valentina Figuera, 2019)
Hundreds of beauty pageants are conducted yearly, but the Big Seven are considered the most prestigious, widely covered and broadcast by media. Various News agency, news agencies collectively refer to the seven major pageants as "Big Seven" namely: the original (
Miss Universe
Miss Universe is an annual international major beauty pageant that is run by a Thailand and Mexican-based Miss Universe Organization.Natalie Tadena (July 2, 2015"Donald Trump's Miss USA Pageant Lands on Reelz Cable Channel". ''The Wall Stree ...
,
Miss World
Miss World is the oldest existing international beauty pageant. It was created in the United Kingdom by Eric Morley in 1951. Since his death in 2000, Morley's widow, Julia Morley, has co-chaired the pageant. Along with Miss Universe, Mi ...
,
Miss International,
Miss Earth); the sub-major competitions, aside the Big Four as the (Miss Supranational and Miss Grand International); and the competition (Miss Intercontinental).
Summary
With Andrea Rubio's win on October 26, 2023 as Miss International 2023 there have been from Venezuela in the Big Seven international beauty pageants by a total of 303 titleholders from around the world.
The following table details the placing of the Venezuela's representatives in the Big Seven pageants.
;Color key
× ''Did not compete''
↑ ''No pageant held''
;Notes
*Margarita Island competed in Miss Intercontinental twice. Inés Mujica Díaz placed as Top 12 in 2002 and Emily Fernández ended as 2nd Runner-Up in 2007.
Placements
Historic placement positions
;Absences
Hosting
Venezuela first hosted its major international pageant in 1980 for Miss Intercontinental. It has also hosted Miss Grand International 2019, Miss Grand International once.
Miss Venezuela Organization
The Miss Venezuela Organization is the organization that currently owns and runs the Miss Venezuela, Miss World Venezuela, Miss International Venezuela and Mister Venezuela beauty pageant competitions.
Based in Caracas, the organization is currently owned by the Venezuelan holding and conglomerate Grupo Cisneros, Cisneros Group since 1972. The current president is Gustavo Cisneros and Adriana Cisneros as CEO, co-directed by Jonathan Blum,
Gabriela Isler
María Gabriela de Jesús Isler (; born March 21, 1988) is a Venezuelan model, presenter, and former beauty queen who gained international recognition by winning the titles of Miss Venezuela 2012 and Miss Universe 2013.
She passed on her Miss ...
,
Jacqueline Aguilera and
Nina Sicilia. The organization sells television rights mostly to Latin American countries and the US.
Current Miss Venezuela Organization titleholders
Since 1985, the Venezuelan representative chosen for
Miss Universe
Miss Universe is an annual international major beauty pageant that is run by a Thailand and Mexican-based Miss Universe Organization.Natalie Tadena (July 2, 2015"Donald Trump's Miss USA Pageant Lands on Reelz Cable Channel". ''The Wall Stree ...
and
Miss World
Miss World is the oldest existing international beauty pageant. It was created in the United Kingdom by Eric Morley in 1951. Since his death in 2000, Morley's widow, Julia Morley, has co-chaired the pageant. Along with Miss Universe, Mi ...
are titled individually, as well, since 1987 for
Miss International. For this reason, since those editions, any finalist or other contestant who is selected to represent the country in said competitions without having initially the mentioned titles achieved in a competition run by the Miss Venezuela Organization is taken into account as a designation.
The following is a list of all Miss Venezuela Organization titleholders from the founding of each pageant.
;Key
Past Miss Venezuela Organization titleholders
The following is a list of all past Miss Venezuela Organization titleholders from the founding of each pageant.
;Key
;Other titleholders
Until 1984, all the candidates who qualified below the 'Miss Venezuela' position were announced as 'runners-up' and officially are recognized as such. However, in a few editions, the same finalists were given saches (with the name or prefixing the preposition 'to') of the international contest they had to attend or in other cases it was simply announced by the presenter. In such cases we have:
See also
*
Mister Venezuela
* List of Miss Venezuela titleholders
* List of Miss Venezuela editions
* List of beauty contests
Notes
References
External links
Miss Venezuela Official WebsiteMiss Venezuela La Nueva Era MB
{{Miss International countries and territories
Miss Venezuela,
Venevisión original programming
Recurring events established in 1952
1962 Venezuelan television series debuts
Beauty pageants in Venezuela, Venezuela
1952 establishments in Venezuela
Culture of Venezuela
Venezuelan awards
Miss Universe by country, Venezuela