Miss Universe 2020 Andrea Meza of Mexico will crown her successor at the Universe Dome in Eilat, Israel on December 12, 2021. It is the 70th edition of the international beauty pageant headquartered in New York, United States.

There are 80 women competing for the Miss Universe 2021 crown. They competed in swimsuit, evening gown and national costume rounds during the preliminary competition at the Universe Dome on December 10, 2021.

American model Lori Harvey, Brazilian model Adriana Lima, Puerto Rican actress Adamari Lopez, Indian actress Urvashi Rautela and Filipino actress Marian Rivera are the judges in both the preliminary competition and the coronation night. They were joined by Miss USA 2019 Cheslie Kryst and Miss Universe 1976 Rina Mor in the preliminary competition and American actress Rena Sofer in the coronation night.

Rautela was unplaced when she represented India at Miss Universe 2015. Mor is the first and still the only Miss Universe from Israel.

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Victory is not always guaranteed for candidates from countries where the judges are from. For example, majority of the Miss Universe 2020 judges were Americans and none of them was Mexican but Meza won and Miss USA 2020 Asya Branch finished in the Top 21.

It is great to know that many of the Miss Universe 2021 candidates are mental health advocates. However, very few of them mentioned the specific things they have done to advocate for mental health.

Many of the candidates are also professional models. It was advantageous for some because they apparently walked the runway with poise and ease but for a few others, they forgot that they are competing in a beauty pageant as they walked with stoic face as if they are simply selling the garments they were wearing.

As Meza recently mentioned, there really is no pattern when it comes to winning Miss Universe. Every titleholder has a unique quality that won the judges’ votes.

This makes it difficult to predict the winner. Still, I believe it is safe to assume that the candidate who is most likely to win is the one with a physical beauty that stands out, an advocacy that is timely and impactful, an inspiring and relatable personality and a clear understanding of the duties of a Miss Universe.

Of course, we all don’t want to give the Miss Universe title to someone who is beautiful but drowns in the crowd, whose answers to questions are unclear or too rehearsed and whose presence is unfortunately forgettable. With these in mind, after watching the preliminary competition, I believe these will be the candidates who will make it to the Top 16:

1. Julieta Garcia (Argentina)
2. Kedist Deltour (Belgium)
3. Antonia Figueroa (Chile)
4. Valeria Ayos (Colombia)
5. Valeria Rees (Costa Rica)
6. Debbie Aflalo (Dominican Republic)
7. Harnaaz Sandhu (India)
8. Noa Cochva (Israel)
9. Chelsi Shikongo (Namibia)
10. Nora Nakken (Norway)
11. Nadia Ferreira (Paraguay)
12. Beatrice Gomez (Philippines)
13. Michelle Colon (Puerto Rico)
14. Lalela Mswane (South Africa)
15. Jisu Kim (South Korea)
16. Elle Smith (USA)

Out of these 16 promising candidates, I believe these will be the winners:

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predicted 4th runner-up:

Harnaaz Sandhu (India)

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predicted 3rd runner-up:

Valeria Ayos (Colombia)

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predicted 2nd runner-up:

Michelle Colon (Puerto Rico)

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predicted 1st runner-up:

Nora Nakken (Norway)

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predicted Miss Universe 2021:

Nadia Ferreira (Paraguay)