Dubai to host first Miss Universe UAE contest in November

After months of rumours, it has been confirmed: Dubai will host its first Miss Universe contest.

The glittering and glamour-filled Miss Universe UAE will take place at La Perle, Al Habtoor City on November 7 – and it is open to all female UAE residents from the age of 18 to 28 with more than three years of UAE residency.

“Miss Universe UAE is not just a parade of beauty or celebration of intelligence but moreover she is a paragon of a purposeful queen and a heart to serve and help through her advocacies,” says Josh Yugen, founder and chief executive of Dubai's Yugen Events and the new president and national director of Miss Universe UAE.

The application and casting will start from Thursday through online registration. The selected ladies will be called for casting on October 15 at Al Habtoor Palace Hotel, then on October 20 the names of 30 ladies will be announced, who will advance to the live show in November.

During that time, participants will go through numerous pre-pageant activities including a photoshoot, runway challenge, commercial shoots and a closed-door panel interview.

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The three-hour-long event will feature a number of different rounds, including giving personal statement, couture activewear, evening gown and an interview. There will be no swimsuit round.

Miss Universe UAE has appointed members of the council to further prepare the event and the winner for the global pageant, which will take place in Israel in December. The team includes Yugen; Filipino fashion designer Furne Amato; creative consultant Maggie Wilson; philanthropist Afaf Meky; first female Emirati general manager of Emaar, Sharihan Al Mashary; and humanitarian Zel Ali.

“We are going to bring a new take on pageantry," said Amato, head of fashion and creatives. "A new breed of fashion, beauty and pageant which Dubai is known for. This will mark a new era in the whole regional fashion scene."

The winner will represent the UAE on a global stage at the Miss Universe contest.

“I could not be more pleased to welcome the first-ever representative from the UAE to our globally televised event in December,” said Paula M Shugart, president of the Miss Universe Organisation. “The UAE is marking a very important time in its history, from the signing of the Abraham Accords, to hosting the World Expo, and there has never been a better time to shine a spotlight on the women residing in this country."

if you go

The flights
Fly direct to Kutaisi with Flydubai from Dh925 return, including taxes. The flight takes 3.5 hours. From there, Svaneti is a four-hour drive. The driving time from Tbilisi is eight hours.
The trip
The cost of the Svaneti trip is US$2,000 (Dh7,345) for 10 days, including food, guiding, accommodation and transfers from and to Tbilisi or Kutaisi. This summer the TCT is also offering a 5-day hike in Armenia for $1,200 (Dh4,407) per person. For further information, visit www.transcaucasiantrail.org/en/hike/