The 23rd edition of Miss Earth witnessed history being made as Drita Ziri became the first ever Albanian woman to be crowned Miss Earth. The finale was held on 22nd December 2023, at Van Phuc City, Hiep Binh Phuoc, Thu Duc, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.
The 2023 edition began with the National Costume competition held on 2nd December 2023 after the arrival of delegates which served as the welcoming event of Miss Earth. After that, the Best Eco Presentation, Swimsuit, Evening Gown and Talent Competition were held before the finale night culminated.
The finale night started with Ao Dai/ Opening Presentations where the delegates introduced themselves and their country. The hosts for the evening James Deakin and Huynh Thi Thuy Dung did a wonderful job in hosting the finale as they cheered on the audience to keep the delegates spirits high as well.
The Top 20 announcement was made as the delegates paraded in their swimsuits and the finale night saw its first cut made where Netherlands, Thailand, Belgium, South Africa, Philippines, Bulgaria, India, Puerto Rico, Albania, Zimbabwe, Brazil, Canada, England, Mauritius, Russia, USA, Kazakhstan, Venezuela, Vietnam made it to the cut. Along with them, Indonesia joined the Top 20 as the People’s Choice award winner.
The Top 20 cut was swiftly moved on to the announcement of the Top 12 who went through the Beauty of Face & Poise Round and the panel of jury made their decision further. The performances from Shontelle, Jaykii, MONO and Sara Luu kept the audiences entertained throughout.
The Top 8 announcement was then made who went through the Q/A round. They were asked to pick chits for the selection of the question and although the delegates sounded confident, a few could not comprehend and be as eloquent as is expected from a final cut. The Top 8 cut was shot down to Top 4 final cut as the remaining four were announced as the runners-up including Netherlands, Kazakhstan, Brazil and Russia.
The final Top 4 Q/A round was a tough one to crack; all the final delegates gave their best answers and then the jury announced their results. Miss Earth 2023 crown went to Drita Ziri of Albania while Miss Earth-Air 2023 was awarded to Yllana Aduana of Philippines. Notably, Philippines was the most prepared, most eloquent and confident of the group. Miss Earth-Water 2023 went to Do Thi Lan Anh of Vietnam and Miss Earth-Fire 2023 went to Cora Bliault of Thailand.
Mina Sue Choi of Korea took her final walk as Miss Earth 2022 as she reminisced about her journey on stage and congratulated all the winners. She travelled all over the world through the year as Miss Earth. Being the first Korean winner to win an international pageant was a huge responsibility for her and she shined through!
All in all, the 2023 production of Miss Earth under TNA Entertainment and Carousel Productions was commendable on all levels with almost no glitches, strong sound and lighting and the audience making it up for small errors with their support and enthusiasm. Vietnam will now prepare to host another edition of Miss Earth next year!