# Miss Grand International 2021

Miss Grand International 2021 was the ninth Miss Grand International pageant, held at the Show DC hall, Show DC Mega Complex in Bangkok, Thailand, on 4 December 2021.
Abena Appiah of the United States crowned Nguyễn Thúc Thùy Tiên of Vietnam as her successor at the end of the event.The winner received a cash prize of US$60,000 as a reward.

## Background
### Location and date

On 31 August 2021, the Miss Grand International organization publicized the promoted media on their social platforms citing that the grand final of the 9th Miss Grand International will take place in Phuket, Thailand, on 4 December 2021, while the ancillary events will commence prior, including; the national costume parade, the swimwear competition, and the preliminary round. All such events were set to launch after the registration date, which was scheduled for 17 November. However, the COVID-19 pandemic in Phuket caused all convention centers and theaters in the province, which once had the potential to host the important event, to be abandoned, and suffered a facility shortage. As a result, the organizer inevitably decided to reschedule most of the main events except the swimsuit competition, to be held in Bangkok instead.
Later on 6 October 2021, the organization additionally detailed the schedule of the preliminary activities on the island of Phuket as well as the main event in Bangkok; however, some ancillary activities was cancelled due to the opposing political views between the organizer and the pro-military government local community; which caused the application for property use to be revoked. The local government also declined to facilitate the event arrangement in the province.

### Selection of participants

Of all fifty-nine participating candidates, only sixteen were determined through the Miss Grand national pageants, including Cambodia, Chile, Belgium, Ecuador, France, Italy, Japan, Liberia, Nicaragua, South Korea, Spain, Malaysia, Paraguay, Puerto Rico, Northern Ireland, and United States, while the representatives of Albania, England, Kosovo, Scotland, and Wales, who were also elected through the Miss Grand national pageants, did not enter the international contest for unknown reasons.
Three countries, the Dominican Republic, Mauritius, and Germany, sent their other pageant's main winner to compete. The remaining candidates were either appointed or obtained the title as a supplemental award at other national pageants, such as Manika Sheokhand of India, who was named Miss Grand India 2021 after finishing as the first runner-up in Femina Miss India 2020.
Initially, seventy-one contestants confirmed their participation but twelve withdrew, mostly due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Meanwhile, the original representatives of Argentina, Germany, Japan, Liberia, Nigeria, Panama, and Russia, were replaced by their runners-up or the appointed candidates after the resignation, dethronement, or changing of national licensee.

## Pageant format

Based on all accumulated scores, which included the scores from the preliminary round, the closed-door interviews, and other pageant activities, determined the twenty semifinalists who advanced to compete at the sportswear competition, in which the final nine finalists were elected. Eventually, nine semi-finalists, including the winner of the Miss Popular vote which was determined through public voting, completed the top ten and competed in the long gown, and the speech competitions. Afterward, the five finalists were chosen who then qualified for the question-and-answer round, where the winner and all four runners-up were determined.

## Results
### Placements

| Placement | Contestant |
| Miss Grand International 2021 | Vietnam – Nguyễn Thúc Thùy Tiên |
| 1st runner-up | Ecuador – Andrea Aguilera |
| 2nd runner-up | Brazil – Lorena Rodrigues |
| 3rd runner-up | Puerto Rico – Vivianie Díaz Arroyo |
| 4th runner-up | South Africa – Jeanè Van Dam |
| Top 10 | Cambodia – Sothida Pokimtheng §  Costa Rica – Adriana Moya  Indonesia – Sophie Louise Rogan  Spain – Alba Dunkerbeck  Venezuela – Vanessa Coello |
| Top 20 | Angola – Marcia de Menezes  Australia – Angolina Amores  Colombia – Mariana Jaramillo  Dominican Republic – Stephanie Medina  France – Elodie Sirulnick  Germany – Luisa Victoria Malz  India – Manika Sheokand  Malaysia – Lishalliny Kanaran  Myanmar – Amara Shune Lei  Netherlands – Nathalie Yasmin Mogbelzada  Nigeria – Patience Christopher |
§ – Voted into the Top 10 by viewers

### Special awards

| Award | Contestant |
| Best National Costumne | Angola – Marcia Agostinho de Menezes  Malaysia – Lishalliny Kanaran  Peru – Samantha Batallanos |
| Best in Evening Gown | Thailand – Indy Johnson |
| Best in Swimsuit | Puerto Rico – Vivianie Díaz Arroyo |
| Miss Popular Vote | Cambodia - Sothida Pokimtheng |

### Order of announcement
## Contestants

Fifty-nine contestants competed for the title.
| Country/Territory | Contestant | Age | Hometown |
| Angola | Márcia de Menezes | 27 | Luanda |
| Argentina | Florence Melanie DePalo | 24 | Buenos Aires |
| Armenia | Kristina Ayanian | 24 | Boston |
| Australia | Angolina Amores | 27 | Sydney |
| Bangladesh | Marjana Chowdhury | 28 | Sylhet |
| Belgium | Zomkey Tenzin | 20 | Flemish Brabant |
| Bolivia | Eloísa Gutiérrez | 23 | Sucre |
| Brazil | Lorena Rodrigues | 26 | Juiz de Fora |
| Cambodia | Sothida Pokimtheng | 23 | Battambang |
| Canada | Olga Bykadorova | 27 | Montreal |
| Chile | Vanessa Echeverria | 17 | Calama |
| Colombia | Mariana Jaramillo | 23 | Barranquilla |
| Costa Rica | Adriana Moya | 27 | San José |
| Cuba | Geysel Vaillant | 23 | Havana |
| Curaçao | Kimberly Fernandes | 25 | Willemstad |
| Czech Republic | Barbora Aglerová | 22 | Prague |
| Dominican Republic | Stephanie Medina | 22 | New York |
| Ecuador | Andrea Aguilera | 20 | Ventanas |
| Egypt | Shahy Hamdy | 25 | Cairo |
| El Salvador | Iris Guerra [es] | 25 | Santa Ana |
| France | Elodie Sirulnick | 24 | Paris |
| Germany | Luisa Victoria Malz | 18 | Berlin |
| Guatemala | María José Sazo | 21 | Escuintla |
| Haiti | Lynn Saint-Germain | 27 | Port-au-Prince |
| Honduras | Celia Monterrosa | 25 | Santa Bárbara |
| Hong Kong | Sen Yang | 22 | Hong Kong |
| India | Manika Sheokhand | 25 | Haryana |
| Indonesia | Sophia Rogan [id] | 19 | Bali |
| Italy | Marika Nardozi | 21 | Lazio |
| Japan | Chika Mizuno | 25 | Tokyo |
| Laos | Daomixay Phachansitthy | 23 | Savannakhet |
| Liberia | Hajamaya Mulbah | 22 | Monrovia |
| Malaysia | Lishalliny Karanan | 24 | Selangor |
| Mauritius | Naomi Buan | 21 | Curepipe |
| Mexico | Mariana Marcias [es] | 24 | Chapala |
| Myanmar | Amara Shune Lei | 25 | Mandalay |
| Nepal | Ronali Amatya | 25 | Kathmandu |
| Netherlands | Nathalie Yasmin | 24 | Amsterdam |
| Nicaragua | Epifanía Solís | 22 | Managua |
| Nigeria | Patience Christopher | 23 | Kogi |
| Northern Ireland | Shannon McCullagh | 25 | Belfast |
| Pakistan | Ramina Ashfaque | 28 | Karachi |
| Panama | Katie Nairobi Caicedo | 20 | Madrid |
| Paraguay | Andrea Jimena Sosa | 21 | Hohenau |
| Peru | Samantha Batallanos [es] | 26 | Lima |
| Philippines | Samantha Panlilio | 25 | Cavite City |
| Portugal | Ana Laura Ferreira | 19 | Leiria |
| Puerto Rico | Vivianie Arroyo | 23 | San Juan |
| Russia | Alesia Semerenko | 27 | Moscow |
| Siberia | Kristina Shenknekht | 25 | Moscow |
| South Africa | Jeanè Van Dam | 20 | Johannesburg |
| South Korea | Lee Ji-ho | 24 | Seoul |
| Spain | Alba Dunkerbeck | 19 | Canary Islands |
| Sri Lanka | Anna-Marie Ondaatje | 21 | Toronto |
| Sweden | Jenny Frondell | 25 | Tenhult |
| Thailand | Indy Johnson [th] | 23 | Pathum Thani |
| United States | Madison Lynn Callaghan | 25 | Charlotte |
| Venezuela | Vanessa Coello | 26 | Maturín |
| Vietnam | Nguyễn Thúc Thùy Tiên | 23 | Ho Chi Minh City |

## Vietnam / Thailand controversy

During the speech round of the top 10 finalists, Nguyễn Thúc Thùy Tiên of Vietnam, said in Thai: Make the world a better place for everyone, while raising a pro-democracy three-finger salute. This displeased supporters of the Thai military government, who presented letters of protest to the Vietnamese embassy in Bangkok. They said that her action interfered with Thai internal affairs, as the Constitutional Court of Thailand had determined that using this three-finger salute supported the overthrow of the Thai regime. Vietnam's Ministry of Foreign Affairs did not respond, causing some Thai government groups to state that they should take action and remind Thùy Tiên to refrain from making any statements that may affect Thailand–Vietnam relations.
Radio Free Asia reported that Thùy Tiên's speech with the pro-democracy three-finger salute had been censored by the Vietnamese government. After her win, Thùy Tiên received much public support for her action as seen in the Vietnamese media, but most was quickly removed, no longer accessible, or the details unmentioned. In many press-release videos, this section of the contest was also removed.