Tenzin Yonten crowned new Miss Tibet in New York

Tenzin Yonten, 23, a film and business student from New York, was crowned the new Miss Tibet 2018 in a glittering ceremony in New York City late in the night of 22 December.

She won the crown without competition after seven contestants from India were not given US visas, and three from the US dropped out for personal reasons. This was the 5th time the Pageant saw a lone contestant in its 16-year-history.

The crowd cheered as Yonten was crowned by outgoing Miss Tibet Tenzin Paldon, in a show of their approval for the crown after Yonten gave a presentation and a talent performance.

Standing at 5’9″, wearing a red chupa and a matching black blouse top, she promised to work for the preservation and promotion of the Tibetan language.

“To save a nation from extinction, you must first save its written and spoken language,” she said.

Along with prize money of 3,000 USD, Yonten won a trip to Mumbai for a photo shoot. She will also have interviews with some of the big modelling agencies in New York City.

The Miss Tibet Pageant was started in 2002, and has been held annually in India. It was for the first time the pageant was organised outside India. But it was not a smooth ride due to the visa issue, which was the main obstacle. This problem caused the organisers to change the dates and venue three times.