Miss Indonesia 2018 — Global Beauties

Miss Jawa Barat, 22 year old Alya Nurshabrina, was crowned Miss Indonesia 2018 at the MNC studios in Jakarta, after a glittering 4 hour long live final on RCTI. The 1.73 m tall International Relations student advanced to the top 16 as the fast track winner of the important Beauty With A Purpose award and it was smooth sailing from there as she fulfilled her dream of winning the crown and representing Indonesia at Miss World 2018, possibly in China. The fourth Miss Indonesia from West Java was crowned by outgoing title holder, Achintya Nilsen, and the reigning Miss World, Manushi Chhillar from India.

The runner up was Miss Sumatera Barat, Narda Virelia, while Miss Jawa Tengah, Nadya Astrella, finished in third place. Harini Sondakh from Sulawesi Utara and Raudha Kasmir from Aceh completed the top 5 in fourth and fifth places respectively.

The event also took place under the watchful eyes of Miss World CEO, Julia Morley. The 2017 Continental Queens from Mexico, England, Korea, Jamaica, Kenya and New Zealand also appeared at the event. Miss World 2016, Stephanie del Valle, joined Miss England 2017, Stephanie Hill, on stage, performing a duet of the song I Dreamed a Dream from Les Miserable.

GB Opinion: I watched the pageant live on RCTI as I am currently on holiday in Bali. It was a lavish event that was well produced, but four hours is a very long time for a pageant. It finished at 2 am in the morning. There were some definite highlights, like the Dances of Indonesia number and the delegates talent medley. Also, I learned that Stephanie del Valle has an incredible voice. Certain parts were a bit tedious as the pace was a bit slow. The top 5 wore incredible mermaid dresses, which they could not walk in and several of them fell down or struggled to move, which felt a bit awkward. Miss World, Manushi Chhillar, delivered a powerful speech about her time in Indonesia, showing once again why she took home the crown. The crowning ceremony was a bit long and drawn out. One thing I realized is that Indonesian women are really beautiful and determined. I am quite sure they will win Miss World very soon. The winner is pretty, well spoken and talented. Watch out for her at Miss World.

Andre Sleigh / Global Beauties