The 21st edition of Miss Earth was held today, on 21st November 2021 virtually, where Destiny Wagner of Belize was crowned as Miss Earth 2021 as she bested 89 candidates from all over the world to win the coveted title. This is the first time that Belize won the Miss Earth pageant, one of the big four international pageants.
The coronation event was entirely virtual this year as beautiful candidates from all over the globe joined from the comfort of their country and at different time zones. What made it even more beautiful was the fact that the delegates could now show the beauty of their nation through live showcasing of the destinations. The virtual gala was executed smoothly through the digital interface of the Miss Earth organization and was live streamed effortlessly on their official YouTube channel.
The pre-pageant activities kick started on 20th September, 2021 and went till first two weeks of November, where delegates participated in preliminary contests that led to the finale. The show kick started with elemental queens of Miss Earth 2020 talking about their enriching experiences over the year and welcoming this year’s candidates warmly.
The competition followed the Top 20 – Top 8 – Top 4 format this year. Out of over 80 delegates from all across the world, the top 20 finalists were chosen by the judges, and then the top-8, followed by top-4, finally revealing the winner and her court at the end.
The first round was hosted by Karla Henry, Miss Earth 2008 where she asked the contestants,” What is the quality that makes a queen win the crown?” The winners of the round made it to the semi-finals aka the Top 20 of the competition. Meanwhile, the Eco-Videos of the various countries kept playing in beautiful symphony with the virtual backdrop of the contest. Then stunning shots of the Top 20 were shown in bikini and the winners of the pre-pageant events were announced simultaneously. After which, the announcement of Top 8 took place where Chile, USA, Thailand, Belize, Venezuela, Russia, Philippines and Netherlands earned their spots.
The Top 8 were made to elaborate a word, randomly picked by the host from a bowl full of chits, the contestants who won this round made it to the final four.
The last leg of the competition was the much-awaited question and answer round, which took place amongst the candidates of Belize, Thailand, Chile and USA, i.e., the Top 4. Destiny Wagner of Belize, the now reigning queen, gave a thorough answer and impressed the judges with her wits and humility.
Ms. Schuck, Executive Vice-President and Miss Earth co-founder, says that the virtual event is a way to show the global community to be resilient in the face of a crisis, and that it is possible to cope with the challenges through the creative use of technology. Staying true to her words, with the success of the virtual production under her leadership, the organization has set a prime example. We wish our heartiest congratulations to all the winners and event managers for holding such a blockbuster event in the face of a pandemic.