Burmese model Amara Shune Lei, 24, is the official representative of Myanmar at Miss Earth 2020. It is the 20th edition of the annual international beauty pageant and it will be aired on FOXlife and TV5.

Lei is 178cm tall. Hailing from Shan State, Myanmar, a mountainous region, she eventually moved to the country’s capital city Yangon.

There are several reasons why Lei is proud of Myanmar. Among these are her home country’s rich cultures, beautiful nature and friendly people.

To win the Miss Earth 2020 crown, Lei has to beat 83 other candidates from all over the world. Including Myanmar, a total of 17 countries from Asia are represented.

The competition started on September 21, 2020. Due to the new coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, reigning Miss Earth 2019 Nellys Pimentel of Puerto Rico will crown her successor through a virtual coronation night hosted by James Deakin, who is based in the Philippines.

Like in the 19 previous editions, the three runners-up will also have titles. These are Miss Earth-Air 2020, Miss Earth-Water 2020 and Miss Earth-Fire 2020.

Prior to the coronation night, the candidates participated in the national costume competition, the evening gown competition, the swimsuit competition, the resort wear competition, the sports wear competition and the talent competition. The candidates were divided into four continental group namely Africa, Asia and Oceania, Europe and the Americas.

In the Asia and Oceania group, Lei won gold in the resort wear competition. She also won silver in the evening gown competition, sports wear competition and the creative category of the talent competition and bronze in the national costume competition.

This is the first time Miss Earth is held virtually. All of the 19 previous editions were held in the Philippines except for the 10th and 15th editions, which were held in Vietnam and Austria, respectively.

Among the 19 Miss Earth titleholders, six are from Asia. They are Karla Henry, Jamie Herrell, Angelia Ong and Karen Ibasco of the Philippines, Nicole Faria of India and Nguyễn Phương Khánh of Vietnam.

Founded on April 3, 2001 and headquartered in the Philippines, Miss Earth promotes environmental awareness, conservation and social responsibility. It is one of the top four international beauty pageants along with Miss International, Miss World and Miss Universe.

If Lei wins a title at Miss Earth 2020, she will be the beauty pageant’s first ever titleholder from Myanmar. Watch her eco-video here: