The glitz and glamour of beauty pageants are normally monopolised by the women competitions, but in Singapore, we love our men’s pageants too. Especially with so many candidates who possess both brains and brawn.
Proudly made in Singapore, the Mister International Organisation was started by the former president and late founder, Alan Sim. And it’s definitely grown through the years, as the competition only got bigger and more glammed up.
If you’ve been following Mister International Singapore over the years, you’ll probably remember these former winners who have represented the country with their rippling pecs and charming personalities.
Nelson Lee was not only the winner of Mister International Singapore in 2009, he was also voted as one of Singapore’s ‘most gorgeous men’ the year before. His classic Disney prince looks ensured he placed in the Top 10 of the Mister International pageant that year.
Before stunning the world with his megawatt smile, Nelson had migrated to Australia when he was 10 years old. Being good at sports, Nelson became a national swimmer and tennis player for the Victoria All Boys Team in Australia. He then returned to Singapore to serve the country in National Service, and once completed, he went on to get his degree in Biomedical Science from Bradford University in the UK.
Today, Nelson is a hands-on swim coach, and he plays a big part in fundraising for HCSA Highpoint’s Halfway House Programme for Second Chances Singapore.
The first Singaporean entry to make it to the Top 3 on the International stage is Ron Teh. Placing as 1st runner-up in the competition, Ron dazzled the crowd with his Hyun Bin-like chiseled looks at the pageant held in Bangkok. He was also voted Most Popular contestant by the Thai people.
Last we heard, Ron, who was a competitive basketball player at SIM-UOL and a model, returned to doing even bigger collabs with global brands like Abercrombie & Fitch. He had also expressed that he wanted to pursue an acting career in Taiwan, but, unfortunately, nothing has emerged from that yet. And that’s a damn shame, because he would have given Taiwanese stars a run for their money.
Sporting boyish good looks, Edwin Heng was a SMU business management undergraduate when he took the title of Mister International Singapore in 2013. He went on to win a spot in the Top 10 of Mister International 2013 held in Jakarta that year.
Since then, Edwin has maintained a very private existence, with a little-to-none social media footprint.
A talented musician, 2014 Mister International winner Andy Wong plays the piano and violin, and we stan a musical king. On top of that, Andy studied at the Singapore Institute of Management and the University of Buffalo in New York. Someone tell me why can’t we find candidates like this on Bumble or Tinder?
Unfortunately, this handsome and down-to-earth hunk doesn’t have a social media presence for us to stalk him.
Having his start as a sports model and fitness coach before winning the title of Mister International Singapore 2015, is Edwin Aw. Charming his way through the competition with his warm personality and winning smile, Edwin also snagged the Mr. Congeniality title at the Mister International competition that year.
These days, Edwin is busy competing in a completely different setting – swing dancing. He actively travels for swing dance competitions, and was very recently involved in the Jack & Jill O’ Rama West Coast Swing Event held in Orange County, California.
Edwin is happily married to his wife Marianne, and they both have a young son. He’s also an avid Nike sneakerhead, and posts all kinds of collectibles on his Instagram page.
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Representing Singapore in the 11th edition of Mister International in 2016 is Sebastian Foo. A model and ambassador for a couple of global brands like Daniel Wellington, Sebastian keeps a low profile on his socials.
He mainly posts on his modeling gigs, outings with his mom, and creative projects with his senior dog, Bronzey.
A certified personal trainer and competitive sports model, Marvin Soh won Mister International Singapore in 2017. No stranger to winning competitions, Marvin is also a former winner of the NABBA WFF Mortal Battle, both at national and international levels.
His love for helping people to become their best selves through fitness and a healthy diet has enabled him to continue his personal training journey post winning Mister International Singapore. Marvin has actively been promoting healthy lifestyle tips on his Instagram as a fitness team leader and personal trainer for Fitness First Singapore.
Although six years have passed since his crowning achievement, Marvin has maintained his boyish good looks and shredded physique thanks to his very disciplined lifestyle.
Coming in as the most controversial winner for 2022 is Sean Nicholas Sutiono, who gained a lot of attention for the oddest reason. His national costume for the international pageant held in the Philippines was a pair of SAF black shorts and PT boots that was misconstrued as boring and “cultureless,” but thankfully, people were just not aware of Sean’s reason for his chosen “costume.”
While getting mercilessly dragged online, Sean kept his chin up and explained that he decided on a simple look to honour the passing of Mister International and Mister Singapore founder, Alan Sim.
These days, Sean is still competing in international pageants on top of being a professional trainer. In a recent Instagram post, he talks about training with the current reigning Mister International Singapore, Joshua Hee.
After costume-gate from the year before, Singapore’s stamp of approval for Joshua Hee was loud and proud. Winning Mister International Singapore 2023, Joshua went on to captivate audiences at Mister International in Bangkok with his Sang Nila Utama-inspired costume.
His winning smile and patriotic national costume put him in the Top 10 for the competition, and made hearts flutter all over Singapore. Joshua is also the winner for Mr World Singapore 2022, which he won while still studying at NTU. Not only is he gorgeous and smart, Joshua is also an animal lover and he does volunteer work for animal shelters.
Not only did they win the genetic lottery, these former winners are also seeming wholesome and down-to-earth lads. With good looks and personalities, it’s personally a shame that they’re far and few between in today’s society.
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