Suzy Ann Nielsen, 18, is the official representative of New Zealand at Miss Earth 2020. It is the 20th edition of the annual international beauty pageant and it will be aired on FOXlife and TV5.

A resident of Tauranga, New Zealand, Nielsen was crowned Miss Earth New Zealand-Fire 2020 on March 7, 2020. She eventually replaced Miss Earth New Zealand Charlise Hammond, 28, of Hamilton, New Zealand, who resigned.

Nielsen is 163cm tall. Born to a Kiwi father and a Thai mother, she belongs to a family of rice farmers.

To win the Miss Earth 2020 crown, Nielsen has to beat 83 other candidates from all over the world. Including New Zealand, three countries from Oceania are represented.

The competition started on September 21, 2020. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, reigning Miss Earth 2019 Nellys Pimentel, 23, of Puerto Rico will crown her successor through a virtual coronation night hosted by British journalist James Deakin, 48, 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, Nielsen won silver in the singing category of the talent competition. Sothnisay “Nisay” Heng, 24, of Cambodia and Meghna Alam, 25, of Bangladesh won the gold and bronze medals, respectively.

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.

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 Nielsen wins a title at Miss Earth 2020, she will be the beauty pageant’s first ever titleholder from New Zealand. Watch her video here: