Every year brings upon new thrilling moments that help motivate us. This year, August brought one of these special moments for me: the Miss Venezuela 2019 contest. The surprises and changes this contest has undergone in the last months make me, and everyone involved in it, extremely proud.

The 2019 edition proved to Venezuela and the world that Venezuelan women are synonymous of strength and empowerment. The event was held on August 1 at one of Venevision’s studios, kicking off at 7pm on the eve of a new Miss Venezuela era. Three hours later, during which the contestants demonstrated their key qualities and skills, Miss Venezuela 2019 and Miss International 2019 were named. Two beautiful women who represent the core of Venezuelan women in an extraordinary way.

For the first time in 67 years, participants’ measurements were not disclosed during the swimsuit or evening gown catwalk. Instead, the evaluation process focused on more substantial details such as contestants’ particular skills and talents. This shift aims to promote and help advance Venezuelan women’s values, following the organization’s belief in that beauty comprises many factors and cannot be solely determined by a woman’s waist or bust size.

Since taking over the Organization, the Executive Committee has been working towards a new vision for Miss Venezuela. Changes such as omitting contestants’ measurements and making the contestants the key protagonists of the show are all part of this vision and recent rebranding, as evidenced by this year’s edition.

Female empowerment was this year’s  main goal, strongly promoted throughout this edition’s graphic design and general content. The speeches delivered by hosts and previous Miss Universe winners highlighted the importance of female empowerment and self-love, believing in yourself, and knowing how to value yourself.

Based on this vision, Miss Venezuela put together a range of activities to help raise participants’ awareness of their surroundings, enabling them to become agents of change. Contestants also participated in several exercises to better discover and leverage their abilities to carry themselves as empowered women able to externalize their leadership and entrepreneurial skills.

The purpose of Miss Venezuela is to build up to empowered ambassadors with a keen eye for leadership, capable of generating a positive impact on Venezuelan society and setting an example for women, not just in Venezuela, but across the world. This new Miss Venezuela focus is an opportunity to show women that, by believing in themselves, they can achieve anything they set out to, and their value stems from their talents, not from their appearance.