Sheynnis Palacios

Sheynnis Alondra Palacios Cornejo (born 30 May 2000) is a Nicaraguan model and beauty pageant titleholder who was crowned Miss Universe 2023.

Having previously been crowned Miss Nicaragua 2023, she is the first Nicaraguan to win Miss Universe and the first to win one of the Big Four international beauty pageants.

Prior to Miss Universe, Palacios competed in Miss World 2021 as Miss World Nicaragua 2020, placing in the top 40.

Palacios was born on 30 May 2000, at Hospital Alemán Nicaragüense in Managua to parents Raquel Guadalupe Cornejo Pichardo and Édgar Arístides Palacios García.

Palacios later grew up in the town of Diriamba in Carazo Department, and was educated at La Salle Managua Pedagogical Institute in Managua, where she won the Miss Lasallista beauty pageant, beginning her interest in pageantry.

Afterwards, Palacios enrolled in the Central American University in Managua, graduating with a bachelor's degree in mass communication in 2022.

While a university student, Palacios played on her school's varsity volleyball team.

In order to pay for her education, Palacios made and sold buñuelos with her mother and maternal grandmother, for which she was bullied at school.

In her youth, Palacios suffered from anxiety attacks, which later inspired her to adopt mental health awareness as her pageant platform.

Prior to becoming Miss Universe, Palacios was working as a model, television presenter, and journalist in Nicaragua, and presented a show called Entiende tu mente, which discussed topics related to mental health.

She is also the first Central American to win Miss Universe outright, following Justine Pasek of Panama who became Miss Universe 2002 following the resignation of original winner Oxana Fedorova.

In her capacity as Miss Universe, Palacios has traveled to El Salvador, the United States, Mexico, Indonesia, Qatar, Brazil and Costa Rica.

Palacios's first pageant was in 2016, where she won Miss Teen Nicaragua 2016.

She went on to represent her country at Teen Universe 2017, where she reached the top six.

Palacios's victory was controveral in Nicaragua, due to pictures of her participation in the 2018–2022 Nicaraguan protests against President Daniel Ortega.

Palacios's victory was celebrated by members of the Nicaraguan opposition, which led to Vice President and First Lady Rosario Murillo denouncing what she called "evil, terrorist commentators making a clumsy and insulting attempt to turn what should be a beautiful and well-deserved moment of pride into destructive coup-mongering."

Ortega's government initially expressed "legitimate joy and pride" following Palacios's victory at the pageant, but later reportedly prevented two artists from completing a mural dedicated to Palacios in the city of Estelí.

Nicaraguan police also accused Karen Celebertti, the owner of the Miss Nicaragua franchise, of deliberately rigging beauty contests in favor of competitors critical of the government as part of a coup plot, leading to her retiring from the pageant industry shortly afterwards.

She later took a break from pageantry until returning to compete in Miss World Nicaragua 2020, which she went on to win.

As Miss World Nicaragua, Palacios represented Nicaragua at Miss World 2021.

Miss World 2021 was originally planned to be held in San Juan, Puerto Rico on 16 December 2021.

Two days prior to the pageant's broadcast, several cases of COVID-19 began to be reported amongst contestants and staff, which led to the cancelation and postponement of the pageant's final show.

The pageant was later rescheduled for 16 March 2022, with only the 40 selected semi-finalists being invited to return to compete; Palacios was ultimately selected as one of the 40, but did not advance further in the competition.

Palacios won Miss Nicaragua 2023 in August 2023, earning the right to represent her country at Miss Universe 2023.

As Miss Nicaragua, Palacios competed in and won Miss Universe 2023, on 18 November in San Salvador, El Salvador.

Palacios became the first Nicaraguan to be crowned Miss Universe, and the first Nicaraguan to win any of the Big Four international beauty pageants.