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With Miss Universe 2024 just days away, meet the Latina contestants competing in the world’s most famous beauty pageant. The event will take place on November 16th at Mexico City’s Arena Ciudad de México, where a new beauty queen will be crowned as the successor to Sheynnis Palacios.
This year’s Miss Universe 2024 competition will be historic and groundbreaking, featuring a record 130 contestants. Notably, Cuba returns to the Miss Universe stage for the first time in 57 years, while Uruguay rejoins the lineup after last year’s absence.
The competition’s commitment to inclusivity brings a vibrant range of diversity to the 2024 Miss Universe stage. This year’s contestants include proud mothers from countries like Venezuela, Honduras, Costa Rica, Brazil, and Puerto Rico, as well as others, like Miss Colombia, who are entering the pageant engaged to their partners.
Latina contestants competing for Miss Universe 2024
Miss Universe 2024: Miss Argentina, Magalí Benejam
Magalí Benejam, 29, is representing Argentina in Miss Universe 2024. Originally from Córdoba, she launched her modeling career as a teenager and later moved to Chile, where she worked for several years before relocating to Mexico to advance her career. In addition to modeling, Magalí has studied coaching and astrology and is fluent in English and Italian.
Miss Universe 2024: Miss Bolivia, Juliana Barrientos
Juliana Barrientos, 27, hails from Cochabamba and boasts an impressive resume. Besides being considered the most beautiful woman in her country, she is a biochemist specializing in molecular biology, speaks five languages, and is an accomplished pianist.One of her biggest dreams is for Bolivia to shine in the field of scientific research, hoping major projects will develop in her country.
Miss Universe 2024: Miss Brazil, Luana Cavalcante
Luana Cavalcante, 25 years old, is the proud representative of Brazil. She is not only an international model but also a mother. She welcomed her son, Peter, at the age of 19. Luana made history in her country by being the first mother to be crowned Miss Universe Brazil.
Miss Universe 2024: Miss Chile, Emilia Dides
Emilia Dides, 25, is Chile’s representative. She is a model, composer, and professional singer. She studied at the Escuela Moderna de Música y Canto, the Alicia Puccio Academy, and the Conservatory of Music at the Universidad Mayor.Her musical repertoire includes songs such as Inevitable and Alter Ego, which she has released on various platforms. She is also known as “Emi D” and began her career in entertainment on the TV show Rojo: El color del talento (TVN) in 2019.
Miss Universe 2024: Miss Colombia, Daniela Toloza
Daniela Toloza, 30 years old, represents Colombia, specifically the Valle de Cauca region. The model has become an inspiration by sharing her personal journey with the world.A few years ago, Toloza weighed 233 pounds (106 kilograms), and her health was at risk. After making a life-changing decision, she underwent gastric bypass surgery at 22 years old. Thanks to this, along with a healthy regimen and attention to her mental health, she turned her life around, becoming a beacon of resilience.
“It has been a process and Miss Universe has encouraged me to always seek the best version of myself. It’s an invitation for all of us to remember that if we can feel good about our health and physical appearance, why not do it?”
Miss Universe 2024: Miss Costa Rica, Elena Hidalgo
Elena Hidalgo, 32 years old, represents Costa Rica. She has a background in digital marketing and is the mother of a six-year-old daughter named Mila Sofía.Hidalgo made history by being the first mother representing a Central American country in a beauty pageant.
Miss Universe 2024: Miss Cuba, Marianela Ancheta
Marianela Ancheta, 31, is making history as the first Cuban representative to participate in Miss Universe in 57 years. Originally from Ranchuelo, Villa Clara, she is a model and was crowned a few months ago in Miami.To achieve her dreams, Marianela and her mother left Cuba, journeyed through Mexico, and eventually settled in the United States. While working two jobs and studying, she washed bathrooms, cleaned banks, and worked as a salesperson, among other jobs. But each sacrifice was worth it.
“They say tough times create strong people,” she told HOLA! in an interview.
Miss Universe 2024: Miss Ecuador, Mara Topic
Mara Topic, 29, is Ecuador’s representative. She is originally from Guayaquil and has Croatian heritage through her father. Mara is no stranger to beauty pageants, representing her country in competitions such as Miss Grand International 2019 and Miss World Ecuador 2019.She has also excelled as a film director, producer, and international model.
Miss Universe 2024: Miss El Salvador, Florence García
Florence García, 25, proudly represents El Salvador. She is a model and T.V. host and resides in Miami, Florida.She has participated in competitions such as Miss Grand USA and Miss United Continents. Interestingly, in 2023, she traveled to El Salvador for the pageant held in her country, where she expressed her desire to represent her country on the international stage. Now, that dream has become a reality.
Miss Universe 2024: Miss Spain, Michelle Jiménez
At just 21 years old, Michelle Jiménez is a true example of resilience. Of Dominican descent, she was born in Barcelona and represents Spain in this year's beauty pageant.She spent six years—almost her entire adolescence—in foster care due to growing up in a toxic environment. While in care, she developed her potential, completed her studies, and now wears the crown as the queen she has become.
Miss Universe 2024: Miss Guatemala, Ana Gabriela Villanueva
Ana Gabriela Villanueva, 22, is originally from the Santa Rosa department. The young woman, the daughter of a Mexican father and Guatemalan mother is studying to get a Law and Social Sciences degree.She was the first runner-up in her country’s pageant, but after the winner’s resignation, Ana Gabriela stepped in and now carries the great responsibility of representing her country.
Miss Universe 2024: Miss Honduras, Stephanie Cam
Stephanie Cam, 31 years old, is the first Miss Universe Honduras beauty queen to be a mother. She is a model and dancer of Peruvian and Honduran descent. She lives in the United States and has a seven-year-old daughter, with whom she occasionally collaborates in modeling for U.S. brands.Stephanie is skilled in ballet, tap, and urban dance, which has been her passion since her teenage years.
Miss Universe 2024: Miss Mexico, María Fernanda Beltrán
María Fernanda Beltrán Figueroa, 24, is from the state of Sinaloa in northwestern Mexico. Besides being crowned as the most beautiful woman in the host country of this Miss Universe edition, she holds degrees in Marketing and Social Communication.She has worked with the MARBE Foundation, a project through which she has supported over 500 families. Additionally, she is the founder of her own cosmetics line called Glaze.
Miss Universe 2024: Miss Nicaragua, Geyssell García
In this year’s Miss Universe competition, 29-year-old Geyssell García proudly represents Nicaragua. With a degree in tourism, Geyssell is no stranger to pageants—she won the Miss Teen Tourism crown as a teenager and was the runner-up in Miss World Nicaragua in 2018.
At the beginning of October, she was crowned by Sheynnis Palacios, the current Miss Universe 2023. Sheynnis gave her this valuable advice upon handing over the new title: “I want to tell her to believe in herself, that this dream has come true. Today, she has the blessing, fortune, and responsibility of representing Nicaragua.”
Miss Universe 2024: Miss Panama, Italy Mora
Italy Mora, 19, is from the capital of Panama. In 2023, she already aspired to win her country’s pageant, but she succeeded in this year’s edition.In August, Sheynnis Palacios was invited to Italy’s coronation, where she passed the crown to her.
Miss Universe 2024: Miss Paraguay, Naomi Méndez
Naomi Méndez, 32, was born in Argentina but is now a naturalized Paraguayan and proud to represent the country in the 73rd edition of the competition. In addition to being a model, she is also the co-founder of Storm Cycling, the number one indoor cycling studio in Dubai and second in the world, which combines physical, mental, and spiritual activity in a 45-minute workout focused on mental health through movement.
Naomi has extended her services as a social mission to women’s prisons in Paraguay and now plans to do the same in Mexico and the rest of Latin America.
Miss Universe 2024: Miss Peru, Tatiana Calmell
Tatiana Calmell is a Peruvian model, actress, and influencer who won Miss Peru. She is 30 years old and, besides being a model, has worked hard to build a career in the entertainment industry. In 2019, she debuted in telenovelas with Princesas on América Televisión.
She competed in Miss Peru 2022, and although she did not win, she had another opportunity to represent her country in Miss International 2022. Recently, she debuted in the movie Bienvenidos al Paraíso. In the midst of this series of successes, she was given the chance to represent her country in Miss Universe 2024.
Miss Universe 2024: Miss Puerto Rico, Jennifer Colón
Jennifer Colón has made history as the first mother to win the beauty pageant of her beloved Puerto Rico. The 36-year-old Puerto Rican is divorced and a proud mother of María Valentina, Fernando José, and Cataleya. A medical esthetician by profession, she competed for the title of Miss Universe Puerto Rico, representing Orocovis.
In a statement to ¡HOLA! Américas, Jennifer shared: “Being the first is never easy. Breaking the mold, reshaping, and redefining what it means to be a beauty queen isn’t easy either.”
Miss Universe 2024: Miss Dominican Republic, Celinee Santos
Celinee Santos, 24, will represent the Dominican Republic in Miss Universe 2024. She is currently studying law at Universidad del Caribe in Santo Domingo.Celinee has extensive experience in beauty pageants, having participated in Miss República Dominicana 2019, Miss Intercontinental 2019, Miss Mundo Dominicana 2021, Miss International 2022, and most recently, Miss República Dominicana 2024, where she won the title to compete in Miss Universe.
Miss Universe 2024: Miss Uruguay, Yanina Lucas
Yanina Lucas, 28, is from Montevideo and represents the department of Lavalleja. She studied computer science at the Faculty of Engineering, specializing in software engineering.
Miss Universe 2024: Miss Venezuela, Ileana Márquez Pedroza
Ileana Márquez Pedroza is Venezuela’s representative. She became a mother at the age of 16. While she always had her family’s support, this experience was undoubtedly challenging.
Today, her 12-year-old daughter Guadalupe, who stood by her during her win as Miss Venezuela, is one of her main inspirations in life.With this experience, Ileana aims to be a beacon for young girls and teenagers facing similar situations through her work with a foundation called Niña Madre.