The lovely María José Lora was declared the new queen of Miss Grand International 2017 yesterday after a tuff battle from her fellow contenders. Before the much awaited crowning moment, the Top 10 contenders in the race gave some awe-inspiring speeches on Peace, in line with the 'Stop the War and Violence' mission of Miss Grand International organisation.

Miss Grand International platform has a unique concept where the Top 10 contestants share their views on 'peace' and 'stop the war' through a speech. In a way, it’s a test for the queens to judge them on their thoughts about the Miss Grand International’s campaign ‘Stop the War and Violence’.

The beautiful queens walked with white lanterns in their hands to signify the message of peace and harmony before the Top 10 contenders entered the stage in similar looking white gowns to deliver their speeches on peace.

Talking about various issues that hold special place in their hearts, the Top 10 contestants also talked about what they can offer for the betterment of the world peace. Here are some of the most incitement things shared in this round that touched our hearts:

Nikola Uhlírová from Czech Republic said, “Violence is not something our world needs, and the world be a better place without war, gangs, druggies and tyrants. Life is not a competition; we should enjoy this life with people who we love.”

Brenda Azaria Jiménez from Puerto Rico said, “War - three letters that have the impact to overpower the beauty of life. I speak here not only about the war of guns, but the war of our daily lives. With the voice of my people that have passed a huge adversity in the name of hurricane ‘Maria’, that has left huge devastation, same way in a war, we have people scared, afraid, devastated, and without a home to live in. But nothing can break us if we are together. Together we can fight for freedom, fight for love, fight for our children, fight for who we are. Let’s make a better world with our hands together.”

Dea Rizkita from Indonesia said, “Children are like white paper. The colour on their paper depends on their family and society. Parents can educate their children about tolerance. So, let’s colour and educate our new generation about how to love, care, share and respect each other.”

The night’s winner, María José Lora from Peru said, “Peace is indeed the most important thing in the world but unfortunately not the most talked about. I speak hear on behalf of every parent that had to grow through the hardest thing a parent can go through, burry their child. Peace, Tolerance, Compassion and Respect should be the key foundations of how we lead our lives.”