Iraqi beauty pageants
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
There are a number of Iraqi beauty pageants. Miss Iraq is one of the national beauty pageants in Iraq. Others include Miss World Iraq and Miss Earth Iraq.
Logo for Miss Iraq in English, Arabic, & Kurdish | |
| Formation | 1947 |
|---|---|
| Type | Beauty pageant |
| Headquarters | Baghdad |
| Location | |
| Membership | |
Official language | Arabic Kurdish English |
Director | Ahmed Laith Salman |
| Website | missuniverseiraq.com missiraq.net |
History
In 2015 the first season after 43 years absence, the official national beauty contest of Iraq recognized by Ministry of Culture, Tourism & Antiquities has been held in Baghdad.[1] The Miss Iraq titles set to be three categories which are Miss Iraq, Iraq's Maiden of Beauty and Mesopotamian Princess.
The pageant is organized by a group of civil activists, leaders from the beauty/fashion community and with the support of the Ministry of Culture, Tourism & Antiquities of Iraq.[2]
In 2016, Miss Iraq Organization sent Miss Mesopotamia 2015 winner Susan Amer Sulaimani (Noori), a Kurdish student in Baghdad to participate in the Miss Earth 2016 pageant as Iraq's first representative since 1972 in the Big Four international beauty pageants.[3][4] She wore a dress instead of a bikini during the pageant's press conference.[3]
National franchise holders
In the late 2010s, Miss Iraq returned and debuted to the several international beauty pageant, such as Miss Earth in 2016 and then Miss Universe in 2017.[5][6]
Titleholders
| Year | Miss Iraq | Governorate |
|---|---|---|
| 1947 | Renée Dangoor | Baghdad |
| 1962 | Kholoud Saleh | Baghdad |
| 1963 | Sameera Zeidan | Baghdad |
| 1971 | Nasik Shali | Sulaymaniyah |
| 1972 | Wijdan Burhan El-Deen Sulyman | Baghdad |
| 2015 | Shimaa Qasim[7] | Kirkuk |
| 2017 | Sarah Idan | Babil |
| 2021 | Maria Farhad[8] | Nineveh Plains |
| 2022 | Balsam Hussein[9] | Baghdad |
International competition
The following women have represented Iraq in the international beauty pageant which included Big Four international beauty pageants;[10][11] Miss World, Miss Universe, Miss International and Miss Earth,[12][13][14] as well as other international platforms.
Miss Universe Iraq
- : Declared as Winner
- : Ended as runner-up or top 5/6 qualification
- : Ended as one of the finalists or semifinalists
- : Ended as special awards winner
| Year | Governorate | Miss Iraq | Placement at Miss Universe | Special Award(s) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Baghdad | Hanin Al Qoreishy | Unplaced | ||
| Did not compete between 2023—2024 | |||||
| 2022 | Baghdad | Balsam Hussein[15] | Did not compete | The Miss Iraq org. decided to send Hussein to Miss Universe 2022 but due to franchise matter, she decided to withdraw from the competition and competed at Miss World 2023 instead. | |
| Did not compete between 2018—2021 | |||||
| 2017 | Baghdad | Sarah Idan | Unplaced |
|
|
| 2016 | Kirkuk | Shimaa Qasim | Did not compete | Due to personal reasons, Qasim withdrew at Miss Universe 2016 although her preparation has fit to her for upcoming Miss Universe. | |
| Did not compete between 1973—2015 | |||||
| 1972 | Baghdad | Wijdan Burhan El-Deen Sulyman | Unplaced | ||
Miss World Iraq
- : Declared as Winner
- : Ended as runner-up or top 5/6 qualification
- : Ended as one of the finalists or semifinalists
- : Ended as special awards winner
| Year | Governorate | Miss World Iraq | Placement at Miss World | Special Award(s) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Baghdad | Balsam Hussein[16] | Unplaced | ||
| Miss World 2021 was rescheduled to 16 March 2022 due to the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak in Puerto Rico, no edition started in 2022. | |||||
| 2021 | Nineveh | Maria Farhad[17] | Unplaced |
|
|
| Did not compete between 2018—2020 | |||||
| 2017 | Halabja | Masty Hama | Did not compete | ||
| Did not compete between 1999—2016 | |||||
| 1998 | Baghdad | Ban Kadret | Did not compete | Due to sanctions placed on Iraq, Kadret withdrew because of a disagreement between Eric Morley and the Miss Iraq organizers. | |
Miss Earth Iraq
- : Declared as Winner
- : Ended as runner-up or top 5/6 qualification
- : Ended as one of the finalists or semifinalists
- : Ended as special awards winner
| Year | Governorate | Miss Earth Iraq | Placement at Miss Earth | Special Award(s) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Did not compete since 2023—present | |||||
| 2022 | Wasit | Jihan Majid[18] | Unplaced | ||
| 2021 | Diyala | Sima Mohamed[19] | Did not compete | ||
| Did not compete between 2017—2020 | |||||
| 2016 | Baghdad | Susan Amer[20] | Unplaced | ||
| Did not compete between 2010—2015 | |||||
| 2009 | Baghdad | Aure Arnulf | Did not compete | ||
Miss Sulaymaniyah Iraq
- : Declared as Winner
- : Ended as runner-up or top 5/6 qualification
- : Ended as one of the finalists or semifinalists
- : Ended as special awards winner
| Year | Name |
|---|---|
| 2021 | Rayan Ali[21] |
