French Guiana will make its historic debut at the Miss World Festival this year, with Audrey Ho-Wen-Tsaï selected as the territory’s first-ever representative to compete at the festival. The 20-year-old from Kourou becomes a trailblazer for French Guiana, bringing the South American territory onto the Miss World stage for the first time.

Beyond pageantry, Ho-Wen-Tsaï is known for her commitment to environmental awareness and sustainable development. She is the founder of Paypayo Media, a communication and educational initiative inspired by the paypayo, a bird native to French Guiana. Through the platform, she promotes environmental education, public awareness, and civic engagement, encouraging people to observe, understand, and protect their natural surroundings. The project uses media and charitable activities to raise awareness about ecological issues while highlighting the unique biodiversity of French Guiana.

Located on the northeastern coast of South America, French Guiana is an overseas department and region of France. Although geographically part of South America and sharing borders with Brazil and Suriname, it is fully integrated into the French Republic. Its residents are French citizens, the euro is its official currency, and the territory is represented in the French Parliament. French Guiana is also home to the Guiana Space Centre in Kourou, Europe’s primary spaceport.

The territory is renowned for its vast Amazon rainforest, which covers more than 90 percent of its land area and contains some of the richest biodiversity in the world. This environmental heritage has played an important role in shaping Ho-Wen-Tsaï’s advocacy work and public profile.

French Guiana became the 184th territory/ nation to participate in Miss World. 

The 75th Anniversary Edition of the Miss World Festival will take place in Vietnam from August 9 to September 5.