India will host the next Miss BRICS international beauty pageant in 2027, organisers announced March 8 in Kazan, Russia, following the conclusion of the competition’s first edition. Rinima Borah, Mrs. India 2025–26 and a member of this year’s judging panel, confirmed her country’s readiness to co-organise the event. Organisers plan to hold the pageant annually, rotating the host country among BRICS members.
The inaugural contest ran March 2–7 at the Kazan Expo International Exhibition Centre in Russia’s Republic of Tatarstan, drawing 49 contestants from 17 countries across three age categories: Miss BRICS (18–25), Mrs. BRICS (married women 30 and over), and Little Miss BRICS (girls under 13).
Russia’s Valentina Alekseeva, 19, a medical student and reigning Miss Russia 2024, won the Miss BRICS title, receiving a crown set with nearly 1,000 gemstones. South Africa’s Millicent Mpholodi Tlou — an actress, model and television presenter — was crowned Mrs. BRICS, while 11-year-old Dumalaog Saffira Kara Guille of China won the Little Miss BRICS category.
Organisers replaced the traditional swimsuit segment with a sportswear round, citing the overlap with Ramadan.
The pageant was conceived by Dinara Salyakhova, a Kazan-based entrepreneur and the holder of the Mrs. Russia 2024 and Mrs. Europe 2024 titles. The contest was funded entirely through sponsorship, with no public money from the Republic of Tatarstan or the Russian federal budget, according to Tatarstan Deputy Prime Minister Leila Fazleeva. Estimated costs, according to media reports citing unnamed sources, ran into hundreds of millions of roubles.
The competition drew scrutiny over the eligibility of several contestants. According to Russian media reports, more than 20% of participants had limited ties to the countries they represented. The contestant entered as Miss UAE was Anastasia Semyonova, a winner of a Russian regional pageant, while the entrant representing Brazil was born in Moldova.
BRICS — an intergovernmental grouping that includes Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, along with several newer members — has increasingly sought to expand cultural and humanitarian cooperation alongside its economic agenda. The Miss BRICS pageant is one of several initiatives launched under Russia’s BRICS chairmanship to broaden the bloc’s public profile.
