3 min readNew DelhiUpdated: Aug 24, 2026 11:18 AM IST
Kaziah Liz Mejo of Kerala has been crowned Miss Universe India 2026, emerging from 53 contestants at the prestigious pageant finale held in Jaipur on Sunday. Vaishnavi Gannesh from Tamil Nadu became the 1st runner-up, while Anushri Satavlekar from Gujarat bagged the Miss International India 2026 title as the 2nd runner-up. Mejo will now represent India at the 75th Miss Universe pageant, scheduled for November in Puerto Rico.
Who is Kaziah Liz Mejo?
Mejo, a 19-year-old law student and model from Mavelikkara, previously represented India at Miss Teen International 2025, where she finished as first runner-up. According to the Miss Teen Diva’s official website, the teenager is not just a professionally trained classical dancer of 12 years, she also sings and can play the drums and the violin. Mejo began her acting career with the Mollywood film ‘Shylock’, and also identifies as a public speaker.
Born in 2007, Mejo grew up in Abu Dhabi, UAE and completed her schooling at Emirates National School, St Joseph’s School and Abu Dhabi Indian School. Today, she made history as the first Keralite to win the Miss Universe India title.
Mejo’s pageant accolades include winning Miss Teen Diva 2024 at the age of 17, followed by bagging the first runner up prize at Miss Teen International 2025. Earlier this year, she also won Miss Universe Kerala 2026, and was crowned as the youngest state titleholder.
The 2026 finale of Miss Universe India featured a distinguished jury panel, led by former Miss Universe Sushmita Sen, along with previous titleholders Urvashi Rautela (Miss Universe India 2015) and Celina Jaitley (Miss Universe India 2001).
Last year, Manika Vishwakarma was crowned Miss Universe India, who then went on to represent the country at the international Miss Universe pageant. This year, she was the one crowning the emergent victors at the pageant finale.
India has a notable history at the international stage of Miss Universe, producing several winners who went on to become global icons. In fact, our nation has three title winners and ranks in the Top 10 Miss Universe winners list:
Sushmita Sen (1994) – the first Indian to win Miss Universe.
Lara Dutta (2000) – the second Indian Miss Universe.
Harnaaz Sandhu (2021) – third crown for India after two decades.
