Cuba will now participate in Miss Universe, but their queen will be chosen in Miami

For the first time in 57 years, Cubans will have a representative in the Miss Universe contest. The queen, who will be chosen in Miami, will be “the most high-profile and anticipated woman of this edition,” said Venezuelan designer Julio César Cruz, director of Miss Universe Cuba, the group behind the return of the pageant.

The newborn franchise announced on April 4 on Miss Universe Cuba’s social media that it will soon begin holding auditions to choose the 20 candidates who will compete at the pageant in Miami in August. The winner will be crowned Miss Universe Cuba, and will go on to compete in the Miss Universe contest, which is to be held in Mexico in November.

The candidate has to represent the idiosyncrasy of Cubans, speak Spanish well and be service-oriented, which she must demonstrate with a social project that seeks to solve real problems in her community, said César.

The 42-year-old Venezuelan, known as Prince Julio César, will use his experience as owner of several beauty pageants in his country to prepare the Cuban representative.

“She has to be a queen with a message. If a girl believes in philanthropy, this platform is for her. And if she doesn’t have a soical project, she has to start working on it. This is more than just sequins,” he told El Nuevo Herald.

It will be a great responsibility for the Cuban woman who resumes a tradition that started in 1952 but was thwarted in 1960 when the Cuban government decided not to send more representatives.

The last queen of the island was Flora Lauten, who later became one of the most important figures in Cuban theater, as an actress, founder of acting troupes and acting teacher. Between 1961 and 1967, young Cuban women in exile continued to participate in the Miss Universe contest, competing for the crown as Miss Cuba Libre.

Who can compete in Miss Universe Cuba?

To compete for the Miss Universe Cuba crown contestants must have been born on the island or have one Cuban parent. This must be proven with documents such as a passport or birth certificate.

As part of the changes that the Miss Universe organization has implemented, there is no age limit for the contestants, which allows, for example, the Argentine lawyer and journalist Alejandra Rodríguez, 60, to compete representing her country in the Miss Universe contest.

Cuba’s entry in the competition is based on another change—the contestant who represents a country no longer need to have been born in that country. In the Miss Universe Dominican Republic 2024, whose winner was model and law student Celinee Santos, Mery González, a Dominican living in Venezuela, and Miyuki Cruz, a Dominican who grew up in Japan, were among the candidates for the title.

To find the contestants for the Miss Universe Cuba pageant in August, there will be two virtual castings, which will be announced on social media at @Missuniversecuba, and then in-person interviews.

A team made up of Venezuelans and Cubans will prepare the candidates in public speaking, stage performance and catwalk, among other skills. They will also be helped to create or develop a social project, which must be “real and tangible and that contributes to their community,” said César.

César, a designer that has been in the fashion world since he was 20, has dressed top models like Linda Evangelista, collaborated with magazines such as Vogue USA and participated in Fashion Weeks in major capitals. Currently he is one of the presenters of the Globovision show “Sábado en la noche,” which takes him frequently from Miami to Venezuela to record several episodes.

The Cuban beauty queen will surely wear some of his designs, but he plans to choose a Cuban designer to create the national costume that the contestants wear to ensure that it captures the essence of Cuban identity.

“A queen has to be very well dressed, steal all the attention,” said the designer, saying the contestant, who will compete with more than 100 women, must be unforgettable.

“Beauty without purpose is meaningless, they are ambassadors of a message,” emphasized César.

The Miss Universe Cuba franchise

The designer believes that it was his experience as a pageant director -- he owns Miss Earth Venezuela, Miss Supranational Venezuela, and Universal Woman Venezuela -- that convinced the Miss Universe organization to respond to his requests to take the helm of Miss Universe Cuba.

“There was a process of presenting credentials. It is the most important beauty pageant in the world, and it has the right to choose with whom it works,” said César, who credits Cuban “Beauty Czar” Osmel Sousa, who is part of the board of directors of the Miss Universe organization, for recommending him.

“It was a Cuban who gave seven crowns to my country, and now it is a Venezuelan who is going to return that success to the island,” said César, referring to Sousa’s work at the head of the Miss Venezuela contest. “Two days ago, he called me to congratulate me and give me his support.”

Although Cubans from the island have congratulated him, no one from any government department in Cuba has contacted César. Though he is aware that his new endeavor could generate controversy, he has yet to receive any criticism.

“I had been told that they are going to declare me persona non grata, but I am diplomatic. I am not here to harm anyone or make value judgments,” said César. There are many reasons to celebrate and support the pageant, he said, but he respects the opinion of people who don’t agree.