Miss Earth
Miss Earth is an annual international major beauty pageant based in the Philippines that advocates for environmental awareness, conservation and social responsibility. Along with Miss World, Miss Universe, and Miss International, it is one of the Big Four beauty pageants.
Miss Earth is a co-host of the United Nations Environment Programme's Champions of the Earth, an annual international environment awards established in 2005 by the United Nations to recognize outstanding environmental achievers and leaders at a policy level. Miss Earth and Greenpeace have also joined in the call for a ban on genetically-engineered food crops, promotion of organic farming and advancement of sustainable agriculture. The Miss Earth Foundation has also teamed up with The Climate Reality Project for the "Climate Reality Leadership Corps Training", conducted by its founder and chairman, environmentalist and former US Vice President Al Gore.
The Miss Earth Foundation works with the environmental departments and ministries of the participating countries, various private sector and corporations, as well as the World Wildlife Foundation.
Since 2002, the pageant has been mainly held in the Philippines, with live broadcasts in more than 80 countries via Fox Life, The Filipino Channel, and Metro Channel.
Titleholders spend their year promoting their specific projects and environmental causes through speaking engagements, roundtable discussions, school tours, tree planting activities, street campaigns, cleanups, shopping mall tours, media guesting, environmental fairs, storytelling programs to children, eco-fashion shows, and other environmentally oriented activities.
The current Miss Earth is Natálie Puškinová of the Czech Republic, who was crowned on November 5, 2025, in Parañaque, Philippines. Her Elemental Court includes:
- Miss Earth Air—Sóldís Ívarsdóttir of Iceland
- Miss Earth Water—Mỹ Anh Trịnh of Vietnam
- Miss Earth Fire—Waree Ngamkham of Thailand.
Inception and early history
In October 2001, Miss Earth adopted the slogan "Beauties For a Cause", with the first "Beauty for a Cause" prize awarded in 2003.
In 2003, Miss Earth surpassed Miss International to become the third largest international beauty pageant by number of participating countries. In the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, by 2020 and 2022, Miss Earth surpassed Miss Universe, the world's second oldest international beauty pageant, to become the second largest international beauty pageant by number of participating countries.
Programs and advocacy
The pageant has tie-ins with Philippine government agencies, such as the Philippine Department of Tourism, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, and the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority, most of the tourism and environment agencies, bureaus, and departments of participating countries, as well as international environmental groups such as the United Nations Environment Programme, Greenpeace, and ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity to further its environmental advocacy. The pageant winner and her elemental court travel to various countries, and are involved in projects with the environmental departments and ministries of participating countries. The delegates also take part in environmental preservation activities such as, but are not limited to, tree planting ceremonies, environmental and cultural immersion programs, sponsor visits and tours.In 2004, the Miss Earth Foundation was created to further the pageant's causes and to work with local and international groups and non-governmental organizations that are actively involved in conservation and the improvement of the environment. The Miss Earth Foundation campaign focuses on educating young people in environmental awareness. Its major project, "I Love Planet Earth School Tour", teaches and distributes educational aids for school children. Miss Earth also partnered with the Philippine Daily Inquirer's "Read-Along Storytelling Program" to educate children on taking care of the environment, awareness on renewable energy, and biodiversity. The Miss Earth Foundation also educates people to act against environmental degradation and environmental protection by following the "5Rs": rethink, reduce, reuse, recycle, and respect.
In 2006, the Miss Earth pageant started to co-host the United Nations Environment Programme's Champions of the Earth, annual international environment awards established in 2005 by the United Nations to recognize outstanding environmental achievers and leaders at a policy level. Miss Earth also joined with Greenpeace to call for a ban on genetically-engineered food crops, promotion of organic farming and advancement of sustainable agriculture.
The Miss Earth Foundation teamed up with The Climate Reality Project in 2016 for the "Climate Reality Leadership Corps Training" conducted by its founder and chairman, former US Vice President Al Gore to create an effective platform awareness on climate change.
In 2022, the ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity and the Miss Earth Foundation formally established their partnership by signing a Memorandum of Understanding during the "Beauties for Biodiversity" event held at ACB Headquarters in Laguna, Philippines. The MoU was signed by Miss Earth 2021, Destiny Wagner, and Atty. Genalyn Bagon-Soriano on behalf of their respective organizations. Following the signing, there was an interactive learning session in which Miss Earth 2022 candidates discussed various global issues related to fauna and flora. At the end of the event, the candidates expressed their commitment to biodiversity advocacy by issuing a manifesto. The event marked the beginning of activities leading up to the Miss Earth 2022 finale.
Eco-fashion design competition
On November 4, 2008, the first Miss Earth Eco-Fashion Design Competition was launched by the Miss Earth Foundation as an annual event for professional and non-professional fashion designers to come up with designs that are eco-friendly. The outfit designs are made from recyclable, natural materials, organic materials, and eco-chic designs or patterns that can be worn in everyday life or are runway worthy.Participating countries
The pageant has attracted delegates from countries and territories that typically frown upon beauty pageants.In 2003, Vida Samadzai, an Afghan, now residing in the United States, received press attention after she competed in a red bikini. Samadzai was the first Afghan to compete in an international beauty pageant in almost three decades, but the fact that she wore a bikini caused an uproar in her native country. Her involvement in the pageant was condemned by the Afghan Supreme Court, saying such a display of the female body goes against Islamic law and Afghan culture.
In 2005, a Pakistani beauty queen, Naomi Zaman, was the first Miss Pakistan World winner to participate in Miss Earth, and is the first delegate from Pakistan to compete in any major international pageant; beauty pageants are frowned upon in Pakistan.
Miss Tibet Earth 2006, Tsering Chungtak, the first Tibetan to represent Tibet in any major international beauty pageant, made headlines when she drew international attention towards the Tibetan struggle for freedom. She also advocated for the boundaries of acceptable social etiquette towards the 21st century, in a traditionally conservative Tibetan culture, where most grown women wear ankle-length dresses. Nevertheless, her participation in the pageant received approval from the Dalai Lama.
Carousel Productions licensed the Miss Cuba organization in 2007 to select the first Cuban representative at Miss Earth. Ariana Barouk won; she became the first Miss Cuba in several decades, and competed at the Miss Earth pageant. Also in 2007 pageant, Miss Earth made history when delegates from China, Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan, and Tibet all competed together for the first time in an international pageant in spite of political sensitivities.
In 2008, the Buddhist Kingdom of Bhutan, one of the world's most isolated nations, sent its first Miss Bhutan, Tsokye Tsomo Karchun. Rwanda also sent its first ever Miss Rwanda national winner, Cynthia Akazuba; both of them competed at the Miss Earth 2008 pageant.
In 2009, Beauties of Africa, Inc., the franchise holder of Miss Earth South Sudan sent Aheu Kidum Deng, Miss South Sudan 2009, who stands 196 cm, and is the tallest documented beauty queen ever to take part in any international beauty pageants.
Palestine debuted in one of the Big Four pageants in 2016 via Miss Earth when Natali Rantissi represented Palestine with the approval of Mahmoud Abbas, the President of the State of Palestine and Palestinian National Authority, where she made a courtesy call at the Moukata Palace prior to her departure to participate in the pageant. Miss Palestine refused to wear a bikini but was allowed to partake in the events including in the Miss Earth 2016 finale.
Also in the 2016 pageant, the Miss Iraq Organization sent Susan Amer Sulaimani as Iraq's first representative since 1972 in Big Four pageants to participate in Miss Earth 2016. She was the only one who wore a dress instead of a bikini during the pageant's press-conference.
In the 2017 pageant, Miss Rwanda Honorine Hirwa Uwase appeared in the swimsuit competition wearing a gown, maintaining a long-held Rwanda tradition of not wearing bikinis in public.
Miss Lebanon 2018 Salwa Akar received international press attention when she was stripped of her title in Lebanon, while participating in Miss Earth 2018 pageant after she posted a photo in Facebook with her arm around Miss Israel's Dana Zerik and gestured the peace sign. Lebanon and Israel are in a long-standing state of war. As a result, she was unable to continue her participation in the Miss Earth pageant. In a press release, Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's spokesman Ofir Gendelman, reacted on Akar's dethronement and condemned the "Lebanese apartheid".
Papua New Guinea sent its first representative in the Miss Earth 2019 pageant with Pauline Tibola, becoming the first representative in the Big Four international beauty pageants since Miss World 1990.
In 2020, the 20th edition of Miss Earth marked the entrant of countries such as Bangladesh, Burkina Faso and Syria. It was the second time Burkina Faso participated in the Big Four pageants after Miss International 2019 and first for Syria to participate in major international pageant in several decades after Miss World 1966.
The Miss Iran Organization crowned Hami Zaker in 2021 as its first Miss Earth Iran in which she competed in the Miss Earth 2021 and became the first Iranian woman to participate in the Big Four international pageant. She participated in the swimsuit competition, albeit in a conservative outfit that recognized her nation's cultural background.
At Miss Earth 2022, Burundi participated in their first Big Four pageant with Lauria Nishimwe. Cabo Verde and Senegal also debuted at this event.
In 2024, the Arab nations of Algeria and the United Arab Emirates competed in the pageant for the first time. This marked the United Arab Emirates' debut in any major international pageant.