Vietnam's Emoura Pham joins contestants from Ecuador, Tanzania and seven other countries among the most closely watched contenders ahead of the Miss Grand International 2026 final in Bangkok on October 10.
The race for the Miss Grand International 2026 crown is entering its final stage, with several standout contestants emerging ahead of Saturday night's grand finale. Among them is Vietnam's Emoura Pham, who has attracted attention alongside representatives from Ecuador, Tanzania and other countries, many bringing extensive pageant experience and strong performances to the competition.
Emoura Pham (Vietnam): A Vietnamese-British beauty with diverse experience
Emoura Pham, 26, stands 1.70 meters tall and is of Vietnamese-British heritage, with a Vietnamese mother and British father. Her Vietnamese name is Pham Chan Phuong.
Emoura Pham.
She attended international schools in Vietnam before moving to the United States to study at the age of 15. Returning to Vietnam in 2025, she competed in Vietnam's Next Top Model before being crowned Miss Grand Vietnam 2026.
Beyond beauty pageants, Emoura is pursuing a community project to build pedestrian bridges for residents in Vietnam's Mekong Delta.
At Miss Grand International 2026, she reached the Top 15 in the Grand Talent competition with a singing and dancing performance to Espresso. She also placed in the Top 10 of the Pre-Arrival voting round and the Top 3 of Country's Power of the Year.
Ahead of the semifinals, pageant website Sash Factor ranked her third among its predicted frontrunners.
Following the semifinals, Pageanthology ranked her evening gown performance first, highlighting her striking "Fire Phoenix" design.
Her national costume, Vinh quy bai to, inspired by the traditional craft of making paper horses, was also recognized as one of the standout designs by Philippine newspaper Philstar and Ecuadorian publication El Universo.
Shyare Andrade (Ecuador): The short-haired beauty who overcame adversity
Shyare Andrade
Shyare Andrade, 23, comes from Portoviejo, Ecuador. She is a law student at the Technical University of Manabi, as well as a model, content creator and small business owner selling pastries.
Raised by a single mother under difficult financial circumstances, Shyare has been involved in charity work since 2021.
She founded Mundo Lienzo, a community project that uses painting, music and dance to help children build confidence.
Her pageant journey includes winning Reina del Comercio de Portoviejo 2021, reaching the final of the reality television competition La Supermodelo in 2024 and being crowned Señorita Manabi 2026.
After finishing in the Top 5 at Miss Universo Ecuador 2026, she was appointed Miss Grand Ecuador 2026.
Her short hairstyle and androgynous fashion sense have become defining features of her image.
Sash Factor placed Shyare at the top of its predictions before the semifinals. She also reached the Top 15 in Grand Talent and the Top 2 of Country's Power of the Year.
According to Ecuadorian newspaper Extra, her team was still considering several evening gown options for the final.
Jihan Dimack (Tanzania): A comeback after 10 years
Jihan Dimack
Jihan Dimack, whose full name is Jihan Mohin Dimachk, is a professional model who has appeared in numerous advertising campaigns and fashion magazines.
Before entering the modeling industry, she worked in administration.
Her pageant career began more than a decade ago. She was named second runner-up at Miss Tanzania 2014 before becoming Miss Universe Tanzania 2016 and representing her country at Miss Universe.
Ten years later, Jihan returned to the pageant stage and was crowned Miss Grand Tanzania 2026.
Sash Factor ranked her second in its pre-semifinal predictions.
Jihan led the Country's Power of the Year voting ahead of the semifinals and is competing directly against Ecuador in the final round. At the time of reporting, she held a narrow lead over the Ecuadorian representative and was also leading the Miss Popular Vote category.
Her national costume, inspired by the African savanna, was highlighted by Philstar as one of the competition's notable designs.
Patthama Jitsawat (Thailand): A singer with home advantage
Patthama Jitsawat
Patthama Jitsawat, also known as Ning, is 33 years old and holds bachelor's and master's degrees from Rangsit University.
She is a professional singer who gained public recognition in 2015 through a televised singing competition on Thailand's One 31 channel.
In 2025, she won Miss Universe Chonburi but later relinquished the title to focus on her music career.
She returned to pageantry in 2026, winning Miss Grand Chonburi before claiming the Miss Grand Thailand 2026 crown.
She also broke a sales record in the competition's Best Seller category.
At Miss Grand International 2026, Patthama secured a place in the Top 15 of Grand Talent.
Her national costume, The Royal Buffalo of Siam, draws inspiration from the traditional buffalo racing festival in Chonburi.
The elaborate design was named among the competition's impressive national costumes by Ecuadorian newspaper El Universo.
Angelica Lopez (Philippines): Seeking a third consecutive crown
Angelica Lopez
Angelica Lopez, 25, comes from Bataraza in the Philippine province of Palawan and is studying psychology at Palawan State University.
She finished in the Top 16 at Miss Universe Philippines 2022, won the Binibining Pilipinas International 2023 title and represented her country at Miss International 2024.
On August 7, 2026, she became the inaugural winner of Reina Filipinas Grand International.
Angelica promotes self-love and confidence in her natural appearance, particularly her brown skin.
"I used to doubt my own beauty, especially my skin color, but now I enjoy every moment," she shared.
The Philippines has claimed two consecutive Miss Grand International titles, with CJ Opiaza succeeding to the 2024 crown and Emma Tiglao winning in 2025.
Angelica now carries the country's hopes of securing a third consecutive title.
She also placed in the Top 10 of the Pre-Arrival voting round.
Her national costume, designed by Patrick Isorena and depicting a traditional Filipino folk sorceress, was included among the standout designs recognized by El Universo.
Ximena Carrillo (Guatemala): A familiar face to Vietnamese pageant fans
Ximena Carrillo
Ximena Carrillo, 22, is a marketing student, model and content creator who previously competed as a national-level athlete.
She is already familiar to Vietnamese pageant audiences, having reached the Top 21 at Miss Cosmo 2024, which was held in Vietnam.
She later became Miss Grand Guatemala 2026.
Her advocacy focuses on ending war and violence.
At Miss Grand International 2026, Ximena reached the Top 10 of the Pre-Arrival voting round and the Top 8 of Country's Power of the Year.
Honduran newspaper La Prensa also included her among 10 contestants attracting attention this year.
Lady Di Mosquera (Venezuela): The 1.83-meter-tall contender
Lady Di Mosquera
Lady Di Mosquera, who stands 1.83 meters tall, comes from Carora, Venezuela. She is a communications student and professional model.
She previously finished as runner-up in the second season of the reality television show El Concurso and reached the Top 6 at Miss Charm 2023, held in Vietnam.
She also won Reina Internacional del Café 2026 in Colombia.
On April 29, 2026, Lady Di was crowned Miss Grand Venezuela 2026.
During the semifinals, she attracted attention in a crystal-embellished evening gown with a flowing white cape designed by Nidal Nouaihed.
Venezuelan newspaper Meridiano reported that her performance strengthened her standing as a contender for the crown.
Lady Di hopes to secure Venezuela's second Miss Grand International title, following Valentina Figuera's victory in 2019.
Alyanni Gómez (Cuba): Bringing Latin flair to the stage
Alyanni Gómez
Alyanni Gómez, 25, was born in Guanajay, Cuba, and currently lives in the United States.
She is a model and pre-dental student at Florida International University.
During the Grand Talent competition, Alyanni showcased her Latin heritage through an energetic salsa performance paying tribute to legendary Cuban singer Celia Cruz.
Her performance helped distinguish her from other contestants, while Honduran newspaper La Prensa included her among its 10 notable contenders for Miss Grand International 2026.
Victoria Oluwakotanmi (United States): From military service to pageantry
Victoria Oluwakotanmi
Victoria Oluwakotanmi, 25, comes from San Antonio, Texas, and is an American of Nigerian descent.
Before pursuing her pageant career, she served as a logistics specialist in the US Navy Reserve.
Victoria previously held the Miss Texas USA 2023 title, finished as second runner-up at Miss Grand USA 2024 and first runner-up at Miss Grand USA 2026.
She subsequently assumed the Miss Grand USA title on August 21, 2026.
At Miss Grand International 2026, Victoria reached the Top 15 of the Grand Talent competition.
She was also included in La Prensa's list of contestants to watch.
Vicky Carbonell (Puerto Rico): A singer with reality television experience
Vicky Carbonell
Vicky Carbonell is a singer who previously reached the semifinals of the television talent competition Objetivo Fama.
She also competed at Miss Universe Puerto Rico 2026 before being selected by the Nuestra Belleza Puerto Rico organization to represent the territory at Miss Grand International.
Vicky earned a place in the Top 15 of the Grand Talent competition with her singing performance.
For the national costume round, she presented a design inspired by the legendary Puerto Rican pirate Cofresí.
According to Puerto Rican newspaper El Vocero, renowned beauty pageant expert Osmel Sousa has identified Vicky as a contestant with strong potential.
Final set for October 10 in Bangkok
The Miss Grand International 2026 final takes place on the evening of October 10 at MGI Hall in Bangkok, Thailand.
The winners of Country's Power of the Year and Miss Popular Vote will also be announced during the event.
Vietnamese pageant fans are hoping Emoura Pham can follow in the footsteps of Nguyen Thuc Thuy Tien, who brought Vietnam its first Miss Grand International crown in 2021.
Vietnamnet.vn
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