The candidate Nadeen Ayoubrepresentative of Palestine, and Yamilex Hernandeznon-national candidate, debuted in Miss Universe Brazil 2025 and reached the top 30 of the competitionwhich is taking place in Bangkok, Thailand, this Thursday (20).
Nadeen was announced in the contest in August this year. “I am honored to announce that, for the first time, Palestine will be represented at Miss Universe. I will take the stage not just with a title, but with a truth. While Palestine suffers from pain — especially in Gaza —, I carry the voice of a people who refuse to be silenced”, wrote the miss when presenting herself for the 74th edition of the event.
The humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip remains critical, with the population facing widespread hunger and destruction.
“I represent every Palestinian woman and child whose strength the world needs to see. We are more than our suffering, we are resilience, hope and the pulse of a homeland that lives through us”, concluded Nadeen, who is an activist in humanitarian causes.
In addition to the national representatives, the contest included candidates from the Latin community in the United States. Dominican Yamilex Hernández won the spot after winning the Telemundo reality show “Miss Universe Latina El Reality”.
She became the first non-country contestant in Miss Universe history.
Last year, Denmark’s Victoria Kjaer Theilvig was crowned winner, although she was not among the strongest competitors during the campaign. At the time, Brazilian Luana Cavalcante was even classified by Natália Guimarães as a strong candidate for the title thanks to her authenticity and her “cinema diva” brilliance, but she did not take the crown.
Among the 122 competitors, the competition is organized into TOP 30, TOP 12, TOP 5 e TOP 3.
