PRIYΑΝΚΑ ANNUNCIA Fighting crime as Miss Congeniality

Despite not winning the Miss Universe Singapore title in 2022, Priyanka Annuncia persisted in her dream of representing the nation on the world stage. This year, the entrepreneur, personal trainer, private investigator - and now - Miss Universe Singapore 2023 flew our flag at the 72nd Miss Universe pageant in San Salvador.

- Lin Yanqin

Sashes, smiles and sequins. For many, the shiny world of pageantry conjures up images of catty competition, unrealistic beauty standards, and oft-parodied calls for world peace.

But Miss Universe Singapore 2023 winner Priyanka Annuncia (crowned on her second try), is determined to dispel these notions, describing her experience in the pageant world so far as a "sisterhood".

"It's not about pitting women against one another," she says. "It's really about building women together. We're all going through the same thing, feeling the pressure, and we are here to encourage one another."

Only when the tiara comes off does the 26-year-old don her gloves for a grittier mission: taking aim at the dark underbelly of human trafficking, using the skills she has acquired as a licensed private investigator, as well as the degree she earned in business law and criminology, to support the work of Alliance Anti-Trafic (AAT), a non-profit fighting the sexual exploitation of women and children.

A personal trainer and one-time boxing coach, Priyanka is also passionate about fitness, which propelled her into promoting body positivity via a clothing line-in 2018, she launched Bodsitive, a line of workout attire and swimwear with inclusive sizing.