Júlia Horta was crowned Miss Brasil Be Emotion 2019 (Miss Universe Brazil 2019) on 9th March 2019 at São Paulo Expo Exhibition & Convention Center in the city of São Paulo, Brazil by the outgoing queen Mayra Dias of Amazonas at the end of the event finale. She represented Brazil at Miss Universe 2019 on 8th December 2019 at Tyler Perry Studios in Atlanta, Georgia, United States where she was placed at the Top 20 at the end of the event finale. As she prepares to crown her successor i.e., Miss Universe Brazil 2020, the diva bids goodbye to her crown with an emotional post on social media.

Júlia earned her Journalism degree from the Federal University of Juiz de Fora in 2016 and works as a speaker and a digital influencer who has also created a project called, ‘ÒActive Voice.Ó’. Through this project, Júlia seeks to share knowledge about oration, meditation, feminism, self-awareness, and empowerment through social media and lectures. She is also an ambassador for ÒPlano de MeninaÓ (Girl Plan), which empowers and educates women in Brazil to take on new opportunities and expand their voices. Júlia fights for women’s rights, diversity, and the environment, and she has become Smile Train Brazils ambassador.

Prior to winning the title of Miss Universe Brazil 2019, Júlia held the title of Miss Mundo Juiz de Fora 2014 about which she explained that even though it was her first ever beauty pageant and she had no idea how will she perform, she did her best and learned a lot from the divas and everyone who were around during at the competition that she fell in love with the beauty pageant world. She later participated in Mundo Minas Gerais 2015 which she explained was very different from the previous competition but she was thrilled to be a part of it and stayed calm throughout. She was finally crowned as the Mundo Minas Gerais 2015 which earned her a chance to represent Minas Gerais at Miss World Brazil 2015. During one of her interviews she had stated, “I am already starting to prepare myself. I am looking for a personal trainer, stores related to the gym to have sponsorship and I to prepare physically. I will elaborate my own social project and go back to doing English to improve the language.” She was placed at the Top 10 of the Miss Mundo Brazil 2015 competition. In 2016, she represented Brazil at 'Reinado Internacional del Café 2016' pageant and was adjudged as the first runner-up and then she representing the region of Zona da Mata at Miss Mundo Brazil 2017 and was adjudged as the second runner-up and then represented Brazil at Miss Tourism International 2017 where she was adjudged as the fourth runner-up at the end of the event finale.

Júlia’s desire and dream to represent Brazil at international level brought her back at Miss Brasil Be Emotion 2019 competition where she represented the state of Minas Gerais and was crowned at the end of the finale night defeating the two contenders; the representatives of São Paulo and Ceará at the finale round for the title. Júlia in her post has mentioned that even though she had submitted her application for the competition she wasn’t sure that she should participate or not because she couldn’t win in her previous attempts and after a lot of contemplations, she finally moved ahead with her application and started to prepare herself for the competition where she never thought her life would change. She stated, “It was the most beautiful experience I've ever had, the certainty of living my purpose, of doing something I loved with all my heart and the proof that with a lot of determination, everything happens at the right time.” She became an official representative of Brazil for Miss Universe 2019 stage and was appreciated for her strong performance. On social media, she was compared to British singer Dua Lipa for her short haircut.

Even though she couldn’t win the title of Miss Universe 2019 and lost it to Miss South Africa 2019 Zozibini Tunzi, Júlia was very firm and happy for her to win it. She had mentioned, “My work is just beginning. This is a start for me, and you will see a lot of things still to come. I just want to thank and congratulate our wonder Miss Universe; I am very happy for her.” Júlia who is an advocate for women empowerment was extremely thrilled at the competition and witness so many incredible strong and empowered women on-stage under a single roof. “I had talked to them for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, but I didn’t imagine that it would be so beautiful. I think this Miss Universe will go down in history; it was very strong!” the diva stated.

Júlia has always worked and warned about the alarming rates of violence suffered by women, the records of femicide, machismo, besides raising the flag of sorority, which represents the union of women in favor of common goals. During Miss Universe 2019, Júlia presented to the world a fantasy inspired by the soccer player Marta, elected six times the best in the world. She had shared a picture of her National Costume on social media and mentioned, “I think this simple tribute is still close to the recognition our players deserve. We, women, deserve to be valued for our work! Marta used this year’s World Cup to make her call for gender equality and now I’m here at Miss Universe, the largest platform I’ve had the opportunity to use today.” Writing about gender equality and women’s rights, Júlia added, “We want rights and opportunities, respect, space. We do not want, we do not deserve, and we will not tolerate being violated, assaulted, [and] harassed.”

In addition to interviews or traditional arguments during competitions, Júlia used the power of social media to empower women. After winning Miss Brasil Be Emotion 2019 (now Miss Universe Brazil) she stated, "We have the potential to cause the greatest sorority revolution in this world. I didn't win this title just for me. I really want to make a difference.” After her stint at Miss Universe 2019, Júlia mentioned that she feels like her mission is complete; "I did what I came here to do, I sent my message to the world and I hope it has touched many people." She is a fighter for women's rights and against discrimination and violence. She may have not won the title, but has surely printed her name in the history of beauty contests, and differently.

In her farewell post, Júlia has mentioned; “God honored me and I loaded these three tracks with a lot of love. And now it's time to start saying goodbye. I am immensely grateful to have continued to write my story in the miss world. For believing in me, for having the courage to “slap my face” again and for finally showing who the real Júlia Horta is.”

We are grateful for a beauty queen like Júlia Horta who has stood up for the rights of a woman and continues to make a difference in the society. She is a journalist and digital influencer, was among the 20 most beautiful women in a contest that brought together 90 models from around the world.