Nikki’s predecessor, now 20-year-old Nicole Villar, passed on the crown after winning the last edition five years ago. Filipino-Brazilian De Moura is the third candidate from the City of Golden Friendship to win the prestigious crown, following the footsteps of 2004’s Stephanie Mel Sol and 2007’s Maxine Monasterio. As her prize, she took home a P300,000 cash prize.
Among the other winners from the night include Patricia Beerda from Western Visayas as first runner-up, Nicole Borromeo of Cebu as second runner-up, Mikki Barcela of Albay as third runner-up, and Joanna Kalkschmidt of Iloilo as fourth runner-up.
Miss Teen Philippines was established in 2004 as the country’s first-ever, original teen pageant, promoting “Global Readiness Through Education” prides itself in developing communication, modelling, and societal immersion training for the future beauty leaders of the country. After a five-year hiatus, Youth Empowerment Through Education (YETE) Foundation acquired the pageant again. Prior to the pageant, YETE Inc. Director Regine Angeles shared, “We are looking for an exceptional winner who is not just a pretty face, but must also be at the forefront in promoting our cause and be a role model among her peers.”
Before pageant proper, the organizers travelled and selected participants from each region of the Philippines. Amongst the 34 participants, six were from the National Capital Region, 11 were from Luzon, nine hailed from Visayas, and eight represented Northern and Southern Mindanao.