How Miss Nepal grew beyond beauty to become a voice for change
Based on an article published by the Kathmandu Post on August 15, 2025
Once seen primarily as a beauty contest, Miss Nepal has transformed into a platform for social advocacy, entrepreneurship, and national representation.
No longer viewed as just a runway for beauty, the festival is now recognized as a stage where contestants channel their passions into meaningful advocacy. From social work and entrepreneurship to policy dialogue and global representation, Miss Nepal has become a vehicle for empowerment and change.
Ashma Kumari KC, the reigning Miss Nepal World 2024, who will represent Nepal at the 73rd Miss World Festival, in 2026, remembers watching the competition as a child and admiring the women who wore the crown. To her, they embodied confidence, elegance, and purpose. Although her own dream of competing faded as life took over, her family and friends encouraged her to try. “Winning the crown was a dream come true, but it was so much more than that,” KC says. “It became an opportunity to represent Nepal, to serve my country, and to use this platform to amplify my voice.”
Ashma Kumari KC will be the Nepalese representative at the 73rd Miss World Festival.Her Beauty with a Purpose project, Rojgar Setu, focuses on skill-building and entrepreneurship training for women, reflecting her belief that financial independence is the foundation of empowerment. “This crown is one chapter. My life’s mission is to create lasting change for my country,” she explains.
Former winners echo this sentiment. Ishani Shrestha, Miss Nepal 2013, used the platform to launch Project Smile, bringing dental and health camps to remote areas and creating community-based training programmes. “Miss Nepal gave me networks, a platform to raise funds, and the credibility to take my cause to places I could never have reached alone,” she recalls.
The legacy continues with the new generation of contestants. Ojal Rayamajhi, contestant number 23 for Miss Nepal 2025, advocates for safe migration, highlighting the exploitation many Nepalis face abroad. With a background in international business, she also envisions medical tourism as a growth sector that could create jobs and reduce dependency on foreign employment.
Similarly, Sanvi Mandal, contestant number one, is spearheading Faces of Hope: Transforming Lives, One Smile at a Time, a project redefining beauty through compassion and resilience while supporting underprivileged children. “The crown is not the end goal,” she says. “It’s the beginning of a lifelong mission to create positive, lasting impact.”
Despite criticism and misconceptions, organizers of Miss Nepal insist that the event is more accessible than many assume. Pramod Ratna Kansakar, director of administration at The Hidden Treasure, clarifies that there are no participation fees and that costs such as travel, wardrobe, and training are covered. He also addresses the myth that winners always come from the Newa community, emphasising that merit, not ethnicity, determines success.
At its core, Miss Nepal has grown into a cultural and social stage that blends beauty, intelligence, and purpose. For some, it represents aspiration and progress; for others, it is a bridge connecting Nepal to the world. Either way, today’s contestants show that the crown is no longer just about looking good on stage—it is about standing up, speaking out, and sparking change.
The new Miss Nepal will represent her country at the 74th edition of Miss World, in 2027.
