The winner of the Miss World 2026 beauty pageant is 24-year-old Joherry Mola from the Dominican Republic. The final took place in Nha Trang, Vietnam, and was timed to coincide with the pageant's 75th anniversary, reports infohub.kz.
According to the official pageant website, Mola works as a teacher and journalist, and is actively involved in community projects. The crown was presented to the winner by last year's titleholder, Thailand's Opal Suchata Chuangsri.
First runner-up was Spain's Elizabeth Reynes, and second runner-up was Malaysia's Taanusia Chetti. This is the Dominican Republic's second victory in the history of the pageant: the first was in 1982, when Mariasela Alvarez took the title.
Kazakhstan was represented at the pageant by Bagym Baltabayeva, the winner of Miss Qazaqstan 2024. The 23-year-old contestant hails from Ust-Kamenogorsk and graduated from Sarsen Amanzholov East Kazakhstan University with a degree in primary education. For the international competition, Baltabayeva prepared a national look centered around a swan, symbolizing the beauty, tenderness, wisdom, and inner strength of Kazakh women. However, the Kazakh contestant did not make it into the final top 40.
This year, 111 contestants competed for the title. The final was held for the first time in Vietnam, with the show taking place on an open-air stage by the sea in Nha Trang. The pageant events lasted four weeks. One of the key stages was the Beauty With a Purpose program, where contestants presented social and charitable projects. The main award in this category went to Malaysia's Taanusia Chetti, who also placed second overall.