Nigeria’s representative at the 2026 Miss World pageant, Tamunosoye Karibi-George, made it to the Top 12, but Joheirry Mola Dominguez of the Dominican Republic won the competition. Africans & The Diaspora
Mola was crowned Miss World 2026 yesterday at the grand finale of the 73rd edition of the contest held at the April 2 Square in Nha Trang, Vietnam, Sunday Vanguard reports.
The win came 44 years after the Dominican Republic produced a Miss World when Mariasela Álvarez won the title in 1982.
Mola took the place of Thailand’s Suchata “Opal” Chuangsri, who crowned her successor at the finale and won the 2025 edition.
Spain’s Elisabeth Reynés Alabern was first runner-up and Taanusiya Chetty of Malaysia was second runner-up.
Chetty also took home the Beauty with a Purpose award for her work in social impact.
Karibi-George, also known as Soye, made it through various stages of the competition before her adventure concluded in the Top 12. She didn’t make it to the final Top Six.
The Nigerian beauty queen had already gained an automatic berth in the Top 40 after winning the Africa Top Model title at the Vietnam Beauty Fashion Fest. Africans & Diaspora
She beat competition from Botswana, Equatorial Guinea, Kenya and South Africa to win the continental modelling crown.
Karibi-George later went on to the Top 20 and Top 12, before being eliminated at the latter stage.
She finished in the Top 12 alongside contenders from Brazil, France, the Philippines, Zambia and Zimbabwe who also missed out on the final six.
The last six contenders remaining were Mola of the Dominican Republic, Reynés of Spain, Chetty of Malaysia, Lê Nguyễn Bảo Ngọc of Vietnam and Romanda Hombir of South Africa and Snit Habteab Tewoldemedhin of Eritrea.
Mola, 24, is a literature and social studies teacher, professional model, news correspondent and community champion.
She holds a degree in Business Management and Administration from Universidad Iberoamericana and is the founder of Voices of Tomorrow, an initiative that aims to provide English language instruction to children and young people in vulnerable areas.
Her support for access to education was a key theme throughout the competition, and especially in the final round.
Earlier, Mola had been crowned the Americas and Caribbean Top Model and had reached the Top 40.
Her triumph also reinforced the pageant’s “Beauty with a Purpose” ideology that puts social impact and community activism before beauty and modelling.
Karibi-George’s performance was another successful outing at the international competition for Nigeria.
The 26-year-old from Port Harcourt, Rivers State, was representing Bayelsa State at the national pageant.
In June, she was named Miss World Nigeria 2026, at the Balmoral Hall of the Federal Palace Hotel, Lagos, taking over from Joy Mojisola Raimi, who made it to the Top 20 in the 2025 Miss World competition.
Karibi-George is a model, actor, voice-over artist, event host, playwright and communications specialist.
She is also the founder of Beyond Labels, an initiative toward inclusion, dignity, education and empowerment for children with disabilities, special needs and neurodivergent individuals.
She competed in the Head-to-Head Challenge and Talent Competition at Miss World, where she performed “Opportunity” by Sia.
She also used her time on the pageant stage to represent Nigerian culture, with several of her ensembles focusing on the Niger Delta and its environmental and cultural legacy.
One of her most memorable costumes was the ‘Amazon of the Mangrove’, a costume designed to draw attention to environmental resiliency and the strength of women. She also had a green-white-green evening gown inspired by Nigeria’s flag colours.
The Miss World 2026 pageant had 111 participants from four continental groups: Africa; Americas and Caribbean; Europe; and Asia and Oceania.
The candidates went through a number of phases including fast-track tasks and the Top 40, Top 20, Top 12 and Top Six rounds before the winner and runners-up were chosen.
It was the first time Vietnam held the Miss World competition, and it was the 2026 edition, which honoured the 75th anniversary of the organization.
Several countries made their debut in the pageant, including Eritrea, French Guiana, the Maldives, Mozambique and Pakistan.
The 74th edition of the Miss World pageant will be hosted in Tanzania in 2027 after Mola’s coronation.
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