Miss Universe India 2026 winner Kaziah Liz Mejo from Kerala: Who is she?

Kaziah Liz Mejo of Kerala was crowned Miss Universe India 2026 at the grand finale in Jaipur on Sunday, August 23, beating 52 other finalists to win the national title.

The 19-year-old law student and model from Mavelikkara will now represent India at the 75th Miss Universe pageant, scheduled to be held in Puerto Rico in November.

Who Is Kaziah Liz Mejo?

Kaziah previously represented India at Miss Teen International 2025, where she finished as the first runner-up.

Vaishnavi Gannesh of Tamil Nadu was named the first runner-up and also won the Miss International India 2026 title. Anushri Satavlekar of Gujarat finished as the second runner-up.

Sushmita Sen Leads Jury

The 2026 finale featured a star-studded judging panel led by Sushmita Sen, who became the first Indian to win the Miss Universe crown in 1994.

The jury also included former Miss Universe India winners Celina Jaitly and Urvashi Rautela, as well as Miss Universe India 2024 Rhea Singha, film producer Pragya Kapoor, entrepreneur Visha Ladhia, Miss Charm 2025 Anna Blanco and dermatologist Dr Stuti Khare Shukla.

How the Finalists Were Selected

The grand finale was held at Zee Studios in Jaipur after months of auditions, grooming sessions and preliminary competitions.

According to organisers, around 8,000 to 9,000 aspirants were considered for the 2026 edition. The final 52 contestants were selected through state-level pageants, final auditions, wildcard entries and an NRI category.

The finalists took part in several preliminary events, including a sashing ceremony, introduction and speech rounds, a gala event and a swimsuit competition.

About Miss Universe India

Miss Universe India is the national pageant that selects India’s representative for the global Miss Universe competition. The Glamanand Group has organised the pageant since taking over the Indian franchise in 2024.

Rhea Singha won the inaugural title under the new franchise in 2024, followed by Manika Vishwakarma in 2025. Both represented India at the international Miss Universe competition.

With Kaziah Liz Mejo now holding the national crown, she will begin preparations for the 75th Miss Universe pageant in Puerto Rico, where she will compete against contestants from around the world for the global title.