Miss Universe Singapore (MUS) 2024 is upon us, and for the first time in a long while, the finalist pool is garnering heaps of chatter online. For good reason too—the line-up of 15 women reflect the beauty competition’s commitment towards inclusivity and sees both a divorced single mother, as well as the first-ever trans finalist the competition has had in its 70-year history.
Previously the MUS organisation only allowed women under the age of 28 to compete. They could not be married, divorced, or have children. These restrictions have since been lifted. Trans women, on the other hand, have been allowed as contestants since 2012—as they should be!—but this is the first year we’ve seen a trans finalist.
If this turn for the inclusive has you interested in Miss Universe Singapore 2024, here’s everything you need to know about its finalists ahead of the local pageant on 22 September.
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Adelene Stanley is the founder of The Dance Circus, a dancer’s collective in Singapore. She is also a single mother to a toddler and frequently shares her parenting insights on her Instagram account. She’s a staunch advocate of wellness and fitness, and walks the talk—six months after giving birth to her daughter, she scaled one of the highest mountains in Southeast Asia.
Trans rights advocate Qatrisha Zairyah has been a beacon of representation for the queer community in Singapore. Prior to her Miss Universe Singapore debut, Qatrisha has participated in multiple beauty pageants, from Miss International Queen to Miss Equity World Ball.
Outside of her pageantry, Qatrisha works as a fashion advisor. She is also married to her husband, who she met while in National Service.
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Amanda R’s challenging upbringing is of great influence to the 30-year-old risk manager, who is now proud to support her family financially. Her need to give back has also extended to charitable causes, especially helping children in need find community support.
Realtor Amber Li is a staunch champion for mental health, having gone through similar struggles going up. Her advocacy aims to destigmatise mental illness, especially in Asia, where there is still prejudice.
Civil servant Anna Yang is no stranger to the modelling and pageant circuit. In fact, she was named the Face of Singapore at the Asia Model Festival in 2023. Aside from modelling and work, Anna is also a pianist and ballerina.
Pageant queen and public relations executive Charlotte Chia is currently studying for her Master of Law (LLM) postgraduate degree at the Singapore Management University. When she’s not working or studying, she puts her time into championing elderly welfare and volunteering, citing her grandma as inspiration.
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Oxford University engineering scholar, Jessica Chan, wants you to know that women have a place in STEM, and they’re good at it too, thank you very much. Growing up, she was a robotics enthusiast, and that translated into her desire to pursue a path in sustainable engineering. Fun fact: she’s built her own personal computer.
The youngest contestant in the group, Mihika Sharma is currently a student at the University of Melbourne. Though she might be young, she’s already got an impressive resume with her Career Talks programme, where she works to connect young Singaporeans with mentorship opportunities and workshops in their preferred career fields.
Community leader Nelly Sabrina is another married contestant who touts her husband as her greatest cheerleader. She is currently very invested in helping homeless youth, and organises regular fundraising efforts to give back to the in-need group.
Australian-Singaporean Olivia Higgins is a TV anchor by day, and avid fitness enthusiast by night. The beauty queen was recently spotted competing at HYROX, and is also an avid biker. Apart from fitness, she counts artificial intelligence and tech as two of her biggest interests, and she maintains a website where she writes about the subjects.
Model Sana Kir is also a National University of Singapore law school student. She’s been modelling for a few years now, alongside pursuing her education. Outside of work and school, she’s working on starting a women-only pro bono legal clinic to help women find free legal aid by female lawyers.
Entrepreneur Seraphina Yong currently has two businesses under her belt: a swimwear line Shakila Swim, and a wellness surfing and travel company called SUURV Adventures. Both companies are a product of her mental health struggles with PTSD and depression, and her desire to give women channels to explore their mental wellbeing. Surfing and swimming were big restoratives for the 34-year-old, and she hopes to pass that along.
Former SQ flight attendant Tanisha Tan now runs her own social media agency, So Sure Socials. On her Instagram account, she actively shares her journey from working as SIA cabin crew to starting her own business, with the hopes of influencing budding female entrepreneurs.
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Former Miss World 2018 contestant Vanessa Peh has an incredibly heartwarming backstory. She is currently the caregiver to her father, who is bedridden due to terminal frontotemporal dementia. To give him the best care, she taught herself basic nursing and medical skills, on top of juggling her own beauty business.
Livestreamer and model Yiu Xin Yin is determined to use her Miss Universe Singapore platform for good. The 24-year-old suffered from image-based sexual abuse (IBSA) and has turned that trauma into a site for empowerment. She now runs The Moxie Collective, a safe space that helps educate people on, and destigmatise, IBSA.
One of these women will end up being crowned Miss Universe Singapore at the local pageant on 22 September. She will then go on to compete at the upcoming Miss Universe pageant in Mexico City on 16 November.
No matter who represents our city at the competition this year, we’re proud to see this radical shift happen for the pageant overall!
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