The Dominican Republic has a new international pageant queen. Joheirry Mola was crowned Miss World 2026 on Saturday, September 5, claiming the top honor at the competition’s 73rd edition in Vietnam after competing against contestants from countries around the world.
According to People, Mola represented the Dominican Republic and finished ahead of Spain’s Elisabeth Reynes, who was named first runner-up, and Malaysia’s Taanusiya Chetty, who took second runner-up. Following the finale, Miss World celebrated the new winner on social media, sharing photos of the top three together and a video of Mola smiling and waving from a flower-covered throne as her fellow contestants gathered around her.
The crowning also marked a passing of the torch between two international titleholders. Thailand’s Suchata Chuangsri, the reigning Miss World, returned to the stage to crown Mola as her successor.
Chuangsri made history in May 2025 when she became the first woman from Thailand to win Miss World, defeating 108 contestants at the 72nd edition of the competition in Hyderabad, India. Ethiopia’s Hasset Dereje Admassu finished as the runner-up that year.
During her reign, Chuangsri advocated for breast cancer awareness, a cause tied to her own experience of discovering a breast lump at 16. She had received the crown from Czech Republic’s Krystyna Pyszková, the 2023 winner, before returning this weekend to continue the Miss World tradition with Mola.
Mola’s victory wasn’t the only moment drawing attention during the 2026 competition. Uganda’s Elle Muhoza turned one of her preliminary appearances into a statement about childbirth with “The Layers of Life,” a custom gown designed by Keesha Abdallah. Its white, yellow, pink, and red layers represented the different layers doctors encounter during a cesarean section.
“The concept was inspired by the layers encountered during a C-section and, more broadly, by the extraordinary journey of bringing life into the world,” Abdallah explained on Instagram. The designer said each section of the dress represented a different part of that process and emphasized that the colors were “not to represent a particular race.”
The latest Miss World crowning comes during an eventful year for the international pageant circuit. The broader community has celebrated new winners while also facing several high-profile tragedies, including the recent deaths of former Miss Universe Jamaica finalist LaToya Malcolm at 35 and Miss Universe Tegucigalpa runner-up Wualys Aquino at 23.
Former Miss Universe Jamaica contestant Tyra Spaulding also died at 26 in September 2025.
