Alexandra Braun was crowned as the winner at the conclusion of Miss Earth 2005 pageant. Braun, who was then 22, also won the Best in Swimsuit Special Award. She became the first Venezuelan to win the title. During her Miss Earth reign, she met the President of the Philippines Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo at the Malacañan Palace, which she considered as one of her most memorable experiences. During the finale of Miss Earth, when Alexandra Barun was asked, “If you are to save only one of the two elements of Mother Nature, water or air, which would you choose and why?” Alexandra replied, “The four elements are important but air is the most significant because it gives us life and it’s what we breathe.”