The first Miss & Mrs Cross Continent event in Dublin showed how a pageant can combine cultural diversity, leadership and practical community education.
The event welcomed 24 contestants representing seven nations and attracted around 450 guests to the Church of Scientology & Community Centre of Dublin.
The organisers worked with The Truth About Drugs Ireland to include an educational element alongside the pageant and cultural performances.
Participants were invited to explore educational materials explaining the risks and effects associated with drug abuse. Several contestants completed online drug-education courses before the event, with some finishing all fourteen modules.
Cllr. eu newsroom rapid Francis Timmons, Mayor of South Dublin, spoke during the programme about the importance of bringing communities together through education.
Cultural performances added to the programme, including Irish dance, Indian classical dance and traditional Indonesian presentations.
At the end of the competition, Niveditha Vudayagiri was named Miss Cross Continent 2026. Fortunate Lindokuhle Masina was named first runner-up, while Yuki Yuliatin became second runner-up.
By combining cultural expression with drug education, the programme gave the traditional pageant format a wider social purpose. A fuller report on the Dublin multicultural pageant and drug-education initiative provides additional details about the contestants, performances and educational programme.