Miss USA is first Black contender to win Miss Grand International crown

MANILA, Philippines — Miss Grand USA Abena Appia was crowned Miss Grand International 2020 at the close of glitzy coronation rites in Bangkok's Show DC Hall. An early favorite, and spoke fluent Thai, she bested 62 other hopefuls for the golden crown, to become the first Black contestant to win the title.

Her royal court is comprised of Miss Grand Philippines Samantha Mae Bernardo (1st runner-up), Miss Grand Guatemala Ivana Batchelor (2nd runner-up), Miss Grand Indonesia Aurra Kharishma (3rd runner-up), and Miss Grand Brazil Lala Guedes (4th runner-up), who also won the Best in Swimsuit award. All of these ladies will be staying behind in Thailand for a few weeks more, through the invitation of MGI president Nawat Itsaragrisil, and help in poromoting Thai tourism efforts, before flying home to their respective home countries. 

Related: Despite unique answer, Philippines' Samantha Bernardo crowned Miss Grand International 2020 1st Runner-Up

The top three winners tied in first place and had to answer a clincher question to break it. They were asked if only a single vial of vaccine was left, to whom would they give it: to a 15-year-old or to a 70-year-old. Abena and Ivana chose the younger option while Sam chose the older person.

Miss Grand Guatemala also won the Best in National Costume award with Miss Grand Japan, and Miss Grand Thailand. 

Related: Filipino-made Miss Japan garb wins Best in National Costume at Miss Grand International 2020 

The newly crowned queen and her court were first a part of the Top 20 semi-final round that included:

• Mexico (who won Best in Gown)
• Thailand
• Peru
• Japan
• El Salvador
• Panama
• Vietnam
• Dominican Republic
• Czech Republic
• Puerto Rico
• Myanmar
• Argentina
• England
• Kenya 
• Cambodia, who automatically became a semi-finalist through a fan vote based on the online challenges given during the two-week quarantine period.

In total, all candidates spent the last 28 days (including the 14-day confinement) competing in several in-room challenges, as well as in the swimsuit, national costume and preliminary rounds.

The five other girls who advanced to the Top 10 round were Argentina, Thailand, Czech Republic and Puerto Rico. All 10 fought their way to the final round through the campaign statement segment. A poll through *789 on the Star app also gave one candidate a sure placement in the Top 5, and it went to Miss Grand Malaysia as the Miss Popular Vote winner. 

The well-photographed and superbly produced extravaganza was ably supported by the generosity of corporate sponsors that included Qatar Airways, Golden Tulip Sovereign, Piyavate Hospital, Meridian Cruise, Blue Elephant, Nang Ngam, Lady Audrey, TQM insurance broker, Kamol Cosmetic Hospital, Storagecity Platform, Lebua hotels & resorts, MGI swimwear, Surge Mask, One Smart Star, as well as government agencies like Bangkok City, Tourism Authority of Thailand, and the Center for Covid-19 City Administration.

Prior to the crowning moment, Miss Grand Kenya and Miss Grand Nigeria were given the opportunity to speak about their journey of recovery from Covid-19. Both ladies have tested positive to the required swab test when they arrived in Bangkok.

Also, Miss Grand Myanmar was given time to speak about the armed conflict ravaging her country. "We always believe in democracy," said Han Lay, and ended her speech by singing lines from Michael Jackson's "Heal the World."

Hosted by Matthew Dean, the 8th edition of the pageant was beamed live to a global audience through the Grand TV YouTube channel and its Facebook Live coverage.

The newly crowned queen, Miss Grand USA, will remain in Bangkok as the organization's spokesperson in its campaign against all forms of conflict. She's now part of an elite roster that includes Janelee Chaparro (2013, Puerto Rico), Lees Daryanne Garcia (2014, Colombia), Claire Elizabeth Parker (2015, Australia), Ariska Putri Pertiwi (2016, Indonesia), Maria José Lora (2017, Peru), Clara Sosa (2018, Paraguay), and the longest reigning winner, to date, Valentina Figuera (2019, Venezuela). The former queens, with the exception of the 2015 winner and the outgoing queen, were the members of the online selection committee.

Like the Miss Universe, MGI will also have a 2021 pageant. "Yes! The current contest corresponds to the 2020 edition, delayed by the pandemic. We will have Miss Grand International 2021 by November or December," declared Mr. Nawat.