Three Emiratis among UAE Miss Universe hopefuls as finalists announced

Three Emirati models are among the 25 hopes unveiled so far for the first United Arab Emirates Miss Universe contest, the final of which will take place on November 7 in Dubai.

A total of 30 names will be announced prior to the main event, with the eventual winner representing the Emirates in the global Miss Universe contest.

Models Ameera Alawadhi, Marwa Al Hashemi and Reem will join other UAE residents for the chance to make history and become the country’s first representative in the competition, now in its 70th year. It will be held in December in Eilat, Israel.

“I am shaking. I am delighted to announce that I am one of the first Emirati women to make the Top 30 in the first-ever UAE Miss Universe,” Alawadhi said on Instagram. “I really want to use this platform and this opportunity to redefine what ‘beauty’ should mean to us as women, and most importantly to represent Khaleeji women. My mission is to show the world what we really have to do. offer, and that we never have to hide. “

Another prospect, Reem, also shared his joy at being shortlisted.

“So honored and honored to announce that I am one of the first Emiratis to feature in the UAE Miss Universe Top 30,” said Reem.

Entry to the contest was not limited to citizens of the United Arab Emirates only, with Josh Yugen, president and national director of Miss Universe United Arab Emirates, declaring The National earlier that the Miss Universe Organization had changed the rules specially “to give everyone an opportunity”.

“So many of us live in this country and it will be a great pride to be able to represent it on the world stage. It just makes sense, ”he said.

The Miss Universe UAE website crashed hours after it went live, with a record 15,000 entries, said Yugen, whose company Yugen Events was chosen to select the UAE’s first representative for the contest. world of beauty.

On October 15, the applicants were shortlisted from 300 applicants at an audition in Dubai. The cast was split into two rounds, the first being a parade where the judges searched for the “X factor”. Candidates who impressed were then invited again for a second round and asked to answer a single question: “Why do you deserve to be a part of UAE history?” “

Entrance to the competition was open to all residents between the ages of 18 and 28 who had lived in the UAE for more than three years.

After the audition, 30 candidates will go to the event on Sunday, November 7. There, the number will be reduced to the top 15 applicants, which will then be reduced to just five. For the first five, there will be a round of questions and answers, then the first three will be announced, followed by the crowning of the winner.

At the UAE pageant as well as the main Miss Universe event, contestants are free to “wear any dress” they want, Yugen said.

“Miss Universe is very welcoming and open-minded and no contestant will be forced to wear outfits in which they are not comfortable,” he said. “We just want to present a different kind of pageantry and focus on their personalities and not just make it a beauty show. It’s more about kindness, kindness and purpose. “

The location of the UAE final has not been revealed.

Scroll through the gallery below for behind-the-scenes photos from the Miss Universe UAE auditions:

Miss Universe contestants in the United Arab Emirates at the Bagatelle restaurant at the Fairmont Dubai. All photos: Antonie Robertson / The National

Update: October 24, 2021, 7:21 a.m.