Miss International 2025 Crowns Catalina Duque from Colombia as Winner

Miss International has a new queen.

On Thursday, Nov. 27, the international competition hosted its pageant at Yoyogi National Stadium in Tokyo, Japan, eventually crowning Catalina Duque, who was there representing Colombia, as its new winner.

80 contestants from across the globe competed for the crown in the pageant, which was originally founded in Long Beach, Calif., in 1960.

Venezuela’s ninth Miss International winner, Andrea Rubio from 2023, returned to the pageant this year as host and was joined by 2019 Miss International Japan Momi Okada and Max Powers.

The run of show for the pageant included the top 20 contestants competing in both swimsuit and evening gown, with the top 10 competing in public speaking by sharing their sustainable development goal initiatives.

Last year, Vietnam’s Huỳnh Thị Thanh Thủy took home the crown, marking the country’s first-ever winner.

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This year’s competition comes after the world of pageantry has been featured in the headlines.

The Miss Universe pageant was awash with controversy in the lead-up to the pageant, which took place on Nov. 21, following a confrontation between Miss Mexico (who ultimately went on to be crowned Miss Universe) and a pageant executive, Nawat Itsaragrisil.

Later, the pageant made headlines after multiple judges resigned, including judge Omar Harfouch, who claimed a lack of transparency as well as the alleged formation of an “impromptu jury” in his reasoning for resigning. The pageant refuted Harfouch’s claims in a statement posted shortly after his resignation announcement.

In the following days, some Miss Universe contestants also relinquished their titles, including Miss Côte d’Ivoire Olivia Yace, who wrote of her resignation that she “must remain true to my values: respect, dignity, excellence, and equal opportunity the strongest pillars that guide me.”

She also clarified that her resignation includes “any future affiliation with the Miss Universe Committee.”

Brigitta Schaback also stepped down from the title of Miss Universe Estonia days after representing the country at Miss Universe 2025.

The former titleholder, 28, announced the news with an Instagram post shared on Sunday, Nov. 23, writing, “My values and work ethics do not align with those of the National Director, Natalie Korneitsik.”