Porntip Nakhirunkanok is the first Best in National Costume award recipient who also became the eventual Miss Universe winner
The 1992 recipient of the Best in National Costume award - Paraguay's Pamela Zarza wore the heaviest national costume in the history of the pageant weighing at 40 kg (approximately 88 lbs.).
The Miss Universe Best National Costume Award is a highly anticipated segment that allows contestants to showcase their country's unique heritage, artistry, traditions, and values. It is a visually spectacular event designed to highlight cultural storytelling on a global stage.
The Miss Universe National Costume award is a dynamic display of global culture, imagination, and national identity, and its increased relevance in the overall competition underscores its growing importance in the pageant world.
The segment serves as a platform for delegates to express national pride and share a piece of their culture with the world.
Costumes are often intricate works of art, ranging from traditional garments to elaborate, thematic creations that incorporate national symbols, historical elements, or social advocacies.
A judging panel's score during the preliminary competition and a worldwide online public vote via the official Miss Universe app are now usually combined to select the winner of the Best National Costume.
Beginning with the 2025 edition, the National Costume competition outcomes will have an impact on the overall results of the main competition, making the segment more significant than a stand-alone award. Although the preliminary round, which includes the national costume presentation, helps choose the primary pool of finalists, it was previously a special award that had no bearing on a delegate's overall standing in the semi-finals.
During the preliminary show, each delegate walks the stage in their costume, often with a brief description of the inspiration and meaning behind the creation.
Similar to regulations in other international pageants, a recent rule mandated that competitors be able to carry their complete outfit without the need for extra external props. This promotes inventiveness within realistic bounds.
The Philippines' recent "Hiraya" costume, which portrayed aspects of the nation's religious past and the Galleon trade, or other nations like Laos and Brazil emphasizing environmental awareness, such as the deforestation of the Amazon, are examples of costumes that frequently have strong themes.
The first Miss Universe Best in National Costume award was given in 1962.
Thailand has the highest number of National Costume awards, with 6 wins.
So far, only three (3) women who won the Best in National Costume award went on to win the Miss Universe crown in the same year. They are Porntip Nakhirunkanok of Thailand in 1988, Wendy Fitzwilliam of Trinidad and Tobago in 1998 and Amelia Vega of Dominican Republic in 2003.
When Charlene Gonzales won the Philippines' first National Costume award in 1994, it sparked controversy because the judging panel for that specific award was comprised entirely of Filipinos, leading some candidates to allege bias.
The Philippines achieved a notable back-to-back win in 2023 and 2024, with Michelle Dee and Chelsea Manalo, respectively, both winning the award through fan votes.
One of the most famous and iconic national costumes was worn by Miss Thailand Aniporn Chalermburanawong in 2015, which was a functional, three-wheeled "tuk-tuk" (motorized rickshaw) costume with working headlights.
The enormous size and engineering of many costumes are well-known. One famous example is the massive costume worn by Miss Paraguay Pamela Zarza in 1992, which prevented her from moving around the stage. Another well-known one was Miss Malaysia's 2019 "My Village" costume, which weighed more over 60 pounds and featured a little house on her back.
There has been some discussion over whether the most well-liked costume—rather than the most imaginative or culturally meaningful one—wins the Best National Costume award in recent years as it is frequently decided by public or fan votes (e.g., through an app like Choicely).
Deep cultural or societal messages are frequently communicated through costumes. For instance, Miss Universe Singapore's 2018 gown made allusion to the Trump-Kim summit to symbolize global peace, while Miss Brazil's 2019 costume celebrated soccer great Marta and featured a banner that read "Stop Violence Against Women."
Here are the recipients of the Best in National Costume award:
1962
England
Kim Carlton
1963
Israel
Sherin Ibrahim
1964
Holland
Henny Deul
1965
USA
Sue Ann Downey
1966
Israel
Aviva Israeli
1967
Brazil
Carmen Sílvia de Barros Ramasco
1968
Colombia
Luz Elena Restrepo González
1969
Thailand
Sangduen Manwong
1970
Bolivia
Roxana Brown Trigo
1971
Mexico
Maria Luisa López Corzo
1972
Peru
Carmen Amelia Ampuero Mosquetti
1973
Spain
María del Rocío Martín Madrigal
1974
Korea
Jae-kyu Kim
1975
Guatemala
Emy Elivia Abascal
1976
Peru
Rocío Rita Lazcano Mujica
1977
Korea
Sung-hee Kim
1978
India
Alamjeet Kaur Chauhan
1979
Uruguay
Elizabeth Busti
1980
India
Sangeeta Motilal Bijlani
1981
Brazil
Adriana Alves de Oliveira
1982
Peru
Maria Francesca Zaza Reinoso
1983
Korea
Jong-jun Kim
1984
India
Juhi Chawla
1985
Colombia
Sandra Eugenia Borda Caldas
1986
Panama
Gilda Garcia Lopez
1987
Brazil
Jacqueline Meirelles
1988
Thailand
Porntip Nakhirunkanok
1989
Brazil
Flávia Cavalcante Rebêlo
1990
Colombia
Lizeth Yamil Mahecha Arévalo
1991
Colombia
Maribel Judith Gutiérrez Tinoco
1992
Paraguay
Pamela Raquel Zarza Enríque
1993
Norway
Ine Beate Strand
1994
Philippines
Charlene Gonzales
1995
Spain
María Reyes Vázquez
1996
Russia
Ilmira Shamsutdinova
1997
Colombia
Claudia Elena Vásquez Ángel
1998
Trinidad and Tobago
Wendy Fitzwilliam
1999
Trinidad and Tobago
Nicole Simone Dyer
2000
Mexico
Leticia Judith Murray Acedo
2001
Korea
Sa-Rang Kim
2002
Colombia
Vanessa Mendoza
2003
Dominican Republic
Amelia Vega
2004
Panama
Jessica Patricia Rodriguez Clark
2005
Thailand
Chananporn Rosjan
2006
Japan
Kurara Chibana
2007
Korea
Honey Lee
2008
Thailand
Gavintra Photijak
2009
Panama
Diana Patricia Broce Bravo
2010
Thailand
Fonthip Watcharatrakul
2011
Panama
Sheldry Saez
2012
China
Ji-Dan Xu
2013
Nicaragua
Nastassja Isabella Bolívar
2014
Indonesia
Elvira Devinamira
2015
Thailand
Aniporn Chalermburanawong
2016
Myanmar
Htet Htet Htun
2017
Japan
Momoko Abe
2018
Laos
On-anong Homsombath
2019
Philippines
Gazini Ganados
2020
Myanmar
Wint Lwin Thuzar
2021
Nigeria
Maristella Okpala
2022
Ukraine
Viktoria Apanasenko
2023
Philippines
Michelle Dee
2024
Philippines
Chelsea Manalo
List of Best in National Costume Award Winners by Year
1962 - England
1963 - Israel
1964 - Netherlands
1965 - USA
1966 - Israel
1967 - Brazil
1968 - Colombia
1969 - Thailand
1970 - Bolivia
1971 - Mexico
1972 - Peru
1973 - Spain
1974 - Korea
1975 - Guatemala
1976 - Peru
1977 - Korea
1978 - India
1979 - Uruguay
1980 - India
1981 - Brazil
1982 - Peru
1983 - Korea
1984 - India
1985 - Colombia
1986 - Panama
1987 - Brazil
1988 - Thailand
1989 - Brazil
1990 - Colombia
1991 - Colombia
1992 - Paraguay
1993 - Norway
1994 - Philippines
1995 - Spain
1996 - Russia
1997 - Colombia
1998 - Trinidad and Tobago
1999 - Trinidad and Tobago
2000 - Mexico
2001 - Korea
2002 - Colombia
2003 - Dominican Republic
2004 - Panama
2005 - Thailand
2006 - Japan
2007 - Korea
2008 - Thailand
2009 - Panama
2010 - Thailand
2011 - Panama
2012 - China
2013 - Nicaragua
2014 - Indonesia
2015 - Thailand
2016 - Myanmar
2017 - Japan
2018 - Laos
2019 - Philippines
2020 - Myanmar
2021 - Nigeria
2022 - Ukraine
2023 - Philippines
2024 - Philippines
By number of wins
6 - Thailand
5 - Colombia
4 - Brazil, Panama, Philippines
3 - India, Korea
2 - Israel, Japan, Myanmar, Peru, Spain
1 - Bolivia, China, Dominican Republic, England, Indonesia, Laos, Mexico, Netherlands, Nicaragua, Nigeria, Norway, Paraguay, Russia, Ukraine, Uruguay, USA
Sources:
Bellezas Reynas de Tabasco Facebook
Belle Memorable
Getty Images courtesy of Darren Decker
