Miss Croatia for Miss World returns – 30th jubilee

Fani Čapalija, Branka Bebić and Anica Martinović (Photo: PR / Direkcija Miss Hrvatske)

After the break caused by the global pandemic, the Miss Croatia contest will be held again. The oldest and most respected beauty pageant in Croatia is licensed by Miss World LTD, and the winner will gain the right to participate in the Miss World pageant, where more than a hundred countries often compete for the crown.

The Croatian misses are not just beautiful faces, but talented young girls who strive for higher education, are active in humanitarian actions, and with their attitudes and behaviour, they really deserve to be proud representatives of their country. 

This beauty pageant stands out from the others because the candidates have to go through a number of categories in order to show their versatility: sports, talent, top model, and multimedia, and one of the most demanding is the interview. 

The winner of the pageant is the girl with the most points from all of the categories, and she becomes Miss Croatia and represents the country at the Miss World pageant.

It has already been thirty years since Croatia’s beauties won high places at the world pageant, and the 30th anniversary of the pageant in Croatia will be celebrated in November this year at the Miss Croatia 2023 pageant. 

In addition to the celebration of the jubilee, the previous director of Miss Croatia, Maja Vračarić, handed over the right to the license to Iva Loparić Kontek.

Iva Loparić Kontek and Maja Vračarić (Photo: PR / Direkcija Miss Hrvatske)

“I would like to thank all partners, sponsors, collaborators, county organisers, and finalists and all pageant fans for their support and successful cooperation. I wish the new licensee every success in the organisation of the Miss Croatia 2023 pageant, and I believe that with her energy and dedicated work, the pageant will remain one of the main and most important beauty pageants in Croatia,” says Vračarić.

Iva Loparić Kontek has been the director of the Miss Zagreb pageant for many years and has been the owner of the Miss Croatia for Miss World license since March.

“I am looking forward to the challenges ahead and all the future activities that the Miss Croatia pageant brings. There is a lot of work ahead of us, and I will continue with my colleagues on the successful path built by Maja,” points out Loparić Kontek.

The new Miss Croatia will be chosen from among 20 counties, and Miss Diaspora will also deserve her place in the final. The winner of each county represents and promotes her county at the finals of the Miss Croatia 2023 pageant, which will be held in Zagreb in November this year. 

Miss Zagreb Lucija Begić, Miss Primorje-Gorski Kotar County Lana Krnić, Miss Zadar County Ivona Barić, Miss Brod-Posavina County Lana Valentić, Miss Vukovar-Srijem County Tea Majstorović and Miss Sisak-Moslavina County Ines Grgić already secured that right by winning in their county,” Iva tells us.

Iva Loparić Kontek (Photo: PR / Direkcija Miss Hrvatske)

Of course, everyone still remembers the Croatian successes at the Miss World pageant, such as Fani Čapalije, Branka Bebić and Anica Martinović, and that golden age of Croatian beauty in the world will be remembered for our beautiful representatives all these years. The previous holders of the Miss Croatia title are:

Elena Šuran (1992), Fani Čapalija (1993), Branka Bebić (1994), Anica Martinović (1995), Vanja Rupena (1996), Martina Novosel (1997), Lejla Šehović (1998), Ivana Petković (1999), Andreja Ćupor (2000), Rajna Raguž (2001), Nina Slamić (2002), Aleksandra Grdić (2003), Ivana Žnidarić (2004), Maja Cvjetković (2005), Ivana Ergić (2006), Tajana Jeremić (2007), Josipa Kusić (2008), Ivana Vasilj (2009), Katarina Banić (2010), Katarina Prnjak (2011), Maja Nikolić (2012), Lana Gržetić ( 2013), Antonija Gogić (2014), Maja Spahija (2015), Angelica Zacchigna (2016), Tea Mlinarić (2017), Ivana Mudnić Dujmina (2018) and Katarina Mamić, who won the title in 2019.

Fani Čapalija, Branka Bebić and Anica Martinović (Photo: PR / Direkcija Miss Hrvatske)