Miss Grand International 2023 was the eleventh edition of the Miss Grand International pageant, held on October 25, 2023 at the Phú Thọ Indoor Stadium in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.
At the end of the event, Isabella Menin of Brazil crowned Luciana Fuster of Peru as Miss Grand International 2023, marking the country's second victory in the pageant's history.
Contestants from sixty-nine countries and territories competed in this year's pageant. The pageant's grand final round was hosted by Thai television personality Matthew Deane, and featured a live performance by Miss Grand International 2022 first runner-up, Engfa Waraha.
Background
Location and date
On 25 June 2022, the organizer of the Miss Grand International pageant, MGI PCL, announced on their official social media that the 11th edition of the contest was scheduled to be held in Vietnam on 25 October 2023. This will be the second time for Vietnam to host the contest; the first was in 2017 at the Vinpearl Convention Center on Phú Quốc island. The memorandum of understanding signing ceremony between the MGI PCL and the local organizer Sen Vàng Entertainment for the agreement to organize the contest later took place during the press conference of the inaugural edition of Miss Grand Vietnam contest at Sofitel Saigon plaza in Ho Chi Minh City on 7 June 2022, with an international press release at the Saigon South Marina Club on 5 July.
At an additional press conference held on February 5, 2023, it was announced that the pageant would consist of six main sub-events; a best in swimsuit contest, the Vietnam Beauty Fashion Fest, a closed-door interview, a national costume contest, the preliminary competition, and the grand final coronation night, with eventsin cities including Hanoi, Hạ Long, Da Nang, Hội An, Huế, and Ho Chi Minh City, from October 3–25.
Selection of participants
Contestants from sixty-nine countries and territories were selected to compete in the competition. Forty-three of these were selected through their respective national pageants, four were appointed having being runners-up in their national pageant, or were selected through a casting process, twenty-three were appointed to the title without participating in any national pageant. The original representatives of Ecuador, India, Portugal, and Trinidad and Tobago were unable to compete for various reasons, which caused their national directors to promote the runners-up to the title or assign other participants as replacements.
At this competition, six countries were expected to debut, Eleven countries that competed at Miss Grand International 2022 withdrew due to a lack of national licensees, and eight countries returned to the competition after being absent in previous contests. Initially, seventy-four country and territory franchises confirmed that they would send their candidates to Vietnam. Those that did not compete were Equatorial Guinea (failed to appoint a delegate), Miss Grand Guadeloupe (unknown reasons), Miss Grand South Sudan (visa problems), Miss Grand Sri Lanka (family death), and (refused to participate).
Results
Placements
Miss Grand International 2023 competition result
Color key:
Winner
Top 10 (5th runners-up)
1st runner-up
Top 20
2nd runner-up
Unplaced
3rd runner-up
Withdrew
4th runner-up
No representative
Special awards
Award Contestant Best in Evening Gown
- Russia – Anastasiia Volkonskaia Best in Swimsuit
- Dominican Republic – Skarxi Marte Best National Costume
- Japan – Yayoi Machida
- Nigeria – Boma Dokubo
- Vietnam – Lê Hoàng Phương Country's Power of the Year
- Myanmar – Ni Ni Lin Eain Grand Voice Award
- Ghana – Kitava-Yvettlana Fosuwaa-Amankwaa Miss Popular Vote
- Myanmar – Ni Ni Lin Eain
Ancillary events
Fan vote
On September 28, 2023, one week before the pageant schedule, pre-arrival voting on the organizer's Facebook and Instagram pages was launched. The five contestants with the most scores, calculated by the number of likes and shares on their portrait photos posted on the mentioned social media platforms, acquired the right to be present at the exclusive dinner with the pageant president, Nawat Itsaragrisil, and the vice president, Teresa Chaivisut, on October 4, at the Grand K Hotel Suites Hanoi.
Another voting challenge with the same strategy, Best in Áo dài, was started after the end of the first voting event, in which the contestants were divided into three geographical groups namely Asia & Oceania, Europe & Africa, and America & Latin America. Two winners of each group obtained the right to have a special talk with the pageant's director at the Citadines Marina Halong, Hạ Long, on October 8.
Winning countries
Country's Power of the Year challenge
The Country's Power of the Year award returned after being introduced for the first time in 2020, with fans able to vote for delegates to advance to the Top 20 through Instagram and Facebook. All candidates were divided into ten groups for the first round. The voting took place on the pageant's Instagram and Facebook accounts where the photos to vote for were presented for one group per day. The Top 2 of each group advanced to the second round, in which the qualified candidates were randomly categorized into four groups of five and the vote was launched again with the same procedure. The winner of each group in the second round qualified for the third round where they were divided into two groups of two. The winner of each of these two groups will have competed against each other in the final voting round and the winner automatically be part of the Top 20.
Placement Contestant Winner
- Myanmar - Ni Ni Lin Eain Runner-up
- Vietnam - Lê Hoàng Phương Top 4
- Peru - Luciana Fuster
- Thailand - Thaweeporn Phingchamrat Top 20
- Brazil - Adriana Yanca
- Cambodia - Phoem Sreyno
- Colombia - María Alejandra López
- Czech Republic - Sophia Osako
- El Salvador - Fátima Calderón
- Ghana - Kitava-Yvettlana Fosuwaa-Amankwaa
- India - Arshina Sumbul
- Indonesia - Ritassya Wellgreat
- Malaysia - Kash Bhullar
- Mexico - María Fernanda Beltrán
- Nigeria - Boma Dokubo
- Panama - Julia Leong
- Paraguay - Maelia Salcines
- Puerto Rico - María Cristina Ramos
- United States - Sthephanie Miranda
- Venezuela - Valentina Martínez
Grand Voice contest
The audition round of the Grand Voice Award singing contest is scheduled for October 14, 2023, at the Nami Beach Club – Mikazuki Japanese Resort and Spa in Da Nang. About 40 delegates applied for the audition round, and 18 of them qualified for the second round, in which the final-five candidates were elected through an event held on October 17, 2023, at the Kobi Onsen Resort in Huế. The last five contestants competed again on the preliminary night held on October 22 at the Phú Thọ Indoor Stadium, Ho Chi Minh City, and the winner was announced on the grand final stage on October 25.
Placement Contestant Winner
- Ghana - Kitava-Yvettlana Fosuwaa-Amankwaa Top 5
- Germany - Marie Tavitha Kilonzo
- Japan - Yayoi Machida
- Nigeria - Boma Dokubo
- Singapore - Jiahui Jade Wu Top 18
- Angola - Eugénia das Neves
- Chile - Paula Henríquez
- Czech Republic - Sophia Osako
- Indonesia - Ritassya Wellgreat
- Ireland - Rachel Slawson
- Laos - Phetmany Philakhong
- Myanmar - Ni Ni Lin Eain
- Netherlands - Melissa Bottema
- Peru - Luciana Fuster
- Poland - Kornelia Golebiewska
- South Africa - Gugulethu Mayisela
- Thailand - Thaweeporn Phingchamrat
- Vietnam - Lê Hoàng Phương
Best in Swimsuit
The Best in Swimsuit contest was organized at the Da Nang Mikazuki Japanese Resorts & Spa on October 12, 2023; however, due to contestants falling due to wearing high heels in a rainstorm, the contest was held again as the indoor event on October 14, 2023. The challenge's qualified finalists were elected through both the public vote and directly chosen by the panel of judges. The winner of which was announced in the pageant grand final held on October 25.
Results Contestant Best in Swimsuit
- Dominican Republic - Skarxi Marte Top 10
- Bolivia - Victoria Olguín
- Brazil - Adriana Yanca
- Cambodia - Phoem Sreyno
- Colombia - María Alejandra López
- Guatemala - Raschel Paz
- Indonesia - Ritassya Wellgreat
- Myanmar - Ni Ni Lin Eain
- Peru - Luciana Fuster
- Thailand - Thaweeporn Phingchamrat
- Vietnam - Lê Hoàng Phương
Best National Costume
The Best National Costume Contest was organized at the Phú Thọ Indoor Stadium, Ho Chi Minh City, on October 20, 2023. The top 20, top 10, and top 6 qualified costumes were determined through both public vote and the judges' selection; however, the winning costumes was directly elected by the panel of judges from the top 6 final costumes and was later announced on the grand final stage on October 25.
The event was hosted by Mister Eco International Thailand 2018, Sakul Limpapanon, and Miss Grand Philippines 2022, Roberta Tamondong. The panel of judges includes the president of Miss Grand International Nawat Itsaragrisil, vice president of Miss Grand International Teresa Chaivisut, Miss Grand International 2022 Isabella Menin, and Miss Grand International 2021 Nguyễn Thúc Thùy Tiên.
Results Selection Contestant Best National Costume
- Japan - Yayoi Machida
- Nigeria - Boma Dokubo
- Vietnam - Lê Hoàng Phương Top 10 Vote
- Cambodia - Phoem Sreyno
- Indonesia - Ritassya Wellgreat
- Myanmar - Ni Ni Lin Eain
- Thailand - Thaweeporn Phingchamrat Judges
- Honduras - Britthany Marroquín
- Puerto Rico - Cristina Ramos
- Russia - Anastasiia Volkonskaia Top 20 Vote
- Bolivia - Victoria Olguín
- Guatemala - Raschel Paz
- Panama - Julia Leong
- Peru - Luciana Fuster
- Philippines - Nikki de Moura Judges
- Ecuador - Andrea Ojeda Fernández
- India - Arshina Sumbul
- Paraguay - Maelia Salcines
- Trinidad and Tobago - Rebekah Hislop
- Turkey - Beyhan Kubra
Pageant
Format
As previously done in 2022, twenty semi-finalists were selected to continue in the competition. The results of the preliminary competition — which consisted of the swimsuit competition, the evening gown competition, the closed-door interviews, and other pageant activities determined the nineteen semi-finalists who advanced in the first cut. The winner of the Country of the Year award, determined through public voting, completed the twenty semi-finalists, who then competed at the swimsuit competition. Afterward, nine semi-finalists, including the winner of the Miss Popular vote which was determined through public voting, completed the ten semi-finalists that later competed at the evening gown and speech competitions. Then, five finalists were chosen to compete at the question and answer portion where the winner and the first to fourth runners-up were determined. The remainder of the ten semi-finalists were enthroned as fifth runners-up.