Audrey Ho-Wen-Tsaï has qualified for the top 40 at the Miss World 2026 pageant in Vietnam after winning the preliminary Multimedia Challenge.
The 20-year-old beauty queen, who finished as first runner-up to Miss France 2024 Ève Gilles, is the first contestant ever to represent the French overseas department of French Guiana at the global pageant. Her victory in the online contest secures her place in the top 40 alongside fellow candidate Indira Ampiot.
Ho-Wen-Tsaï achieved her qualification by winning the Multimedia Challenge, a fast-track event judged on the digital activity and online engagement of all 111 candidates. The global competition divides contestants into four continental regions, with Ho-Wen-Tsaï emerging victorious within the Americas and Caribbean group.
Preliminary competition results
The Multimedia Challenge victory continues an exceptional run for Ho-Wen-Tsaï, who has become one of the rare contestants in the pageant to reach the finals of three separate preliminary challenges.
Prior to winning the digital contest, Ho-Wen-Tsaï placed third in the global public voting and reached the final stage of the Top Model Challenge, a module won for the European section by Ampiot. She also secured a place in the top five of the Beauty with a Purpose category, which evaluates candidates on their charitable projects and community initiatives. Miss France 2024 was also named a finalist in the Beauty with a Purpose event.
Environmental platform and background
When the finalists for Beauty with a Purpose were revealed, Ho-Wen-Tsaï spoke in English to express her deep gratitude for being included in the top group and thanked her supporters for their encouragement. Her campaign focuses on environmental preservation and raising awareness among young people about the necessity of a greener future, a message she promotes through her own self-founded media platform.
French Guiana is an overseas department and region of France located on the northern coast of South America, bordered by Brazil and Suriname. While representatives from mainland France have long competed in international pageants, Ho-Wen-Tsaï's participation marks the first time the South American department has sent its own delegate to Miss World. Established in 1951 in the United Kingdom, Miss World is one of the oldest major international beauty pageants, combining runway challenges with philanthropic projects and online engagement.
Final ceremony details
TF1, France's primary television network, regularly covers the Miss France pageant and tracks its titleholders and runners-up as they advance to major global competitions like Miss World.
The Miss World 2026 competition is reaching its final stage in Vietnam. Live coverage and commentary of the event will be broadcast in France on TF1info on Friday, September 5, three days after the preliminary selection, ahead of the final ceremony taking place this Saturday.
