Miss Ecuador 2021, the 2021 edition of Miss Ecuador, was held on 11th September 2021 on the Malecón de Quevedo, Los Ríos where Susy Sacoto was crowned Miss Universe Ecuador 2021 as she became the official representative of Ecuador at Miss Universe 2021. Susy Sacoto succeeds Miss Universe Ecuador 2020 Leyla Espinoza who placed the crown on Sacoto along with María del Carmen Aguayo, director of the Miss Ecuador organization. The winning crown was made with 18 karat gold and is valued at USD 50,000.
Susy Sacoto is 24-years-old and hails from Portoviejo. Not new to the pageantry, Susy was Miss Panamerican Ecuador 2018 and represented Ecuador and competed against 15 other candidates at Miss Panamerican International 2018 in Anaheim, California, United States. She was unplaced. She was the third runner-up in the Miss Jewel of the World 2019 pageant, which was held in the Philippines.
Susy graduated from La Universidad Catolica de Santiago de Guayaquil with a law degree. After her graduation, she enrolled at the Universidad de Especialidades Espíritu Santo (UEES) in Guayaquil, Ecuador to pursue a bachelor’s degree in medicine and is expected to graduate in 2026. Currently, she works as a lawyer. Sacoto also studied English in Cambridge, UK and also speaks French.
Apart from the winner, Valeria Gutiérrez Mendoza became the first runner-up (Miss Ecuador International 2021), while Karla Romero Fuentes was chosen as the second runner-up at the end of the event finale. Artists Maykel and Gianpiero performed. In addition, a tribute to Quevedo was held by local singers such as Danilo Zambrano and María Belén Kahil.
Susy's finale question was, "The concept of the traditional family is changing, what do you think of the new family models?" to which the beauty queen replied that the most important thing is that children are taught to love, respect and accept themselves.
The 24-year-old beauty ambassador aspires to carry out her campaign dedicated to protecting the health of the country's elderly and children with visual problems, especially due to glaucoma. On winning the national crown, Sacoto exclaimed, "It is a dream come true, since I was a child I wanted to be Miss Ecuador and thus be an ambassador for the integral Ecuadorian woman. Now that I have achieved it, at the moment in which I proposed it, I plan to carry out all personal activities for the benefit of the elderly and children, as well as the projects of the Miss Ecuador organization."
In 2020, Miss Universe Ecuador 2020 Leyla Espinoza represented her country at Miss Universe 2020 where she gave a stellar performance but unfortunately remained unplaced. Ecuador is yet to pioneer its win at Miss Universe.