Kevin Lilliana of Indonesia was crowned Miss International 2017 in Japan today, November 14.

Also named Best Dresser (Best in Evening Gown), Lilliana bested 68 other contestants from around the world, including the Philippines’ Mariel De Leon, who didn’t make the Final 15 — falling to what many call the ‘curse’ of the Mikimoto crown, in which the reigning titleholder’s home country tends to miss the cut the following year.

Filipina Miss International 2016 Kylie Verzosa crowned Kevin after the 3.5-hour pageant, streamed live on YouTube. In her farewell speech, Kylie said her reign took her to 15 countries in service of her cause: advancing cultural exchange and international understanding. To her successor, she said, “May you prove to be the best version of yourself during your reign.”

Curacao’s Chanelle De Lau placed first runner-up while one of our top favorites, Miss Venezuela Diana Croce, 20, placed second runner-up.

Third runner-up is Australia’s Grace Bondoc who also won Miss Perfect Body (Best in Swimsuit) while fourth runner-up is Japan’s very own Natsuki Tsutsui who also won Best in National Costume.

Final 8 include Ecuador’s Connie Jimenez, Laos’ Phounesup Phonnyotha, and United Kingdom’s Ashley Powell.

Completing the Final 15 are:

Slovakia Petra Varaliová
Ghana Abigail Martey
Honduras Vanessa Villars
Finland Pihla Koivuniemi
Panama Darelys Santos
Thailand Ratiyaporn Chookaew
South Africa Tayla Skye Robinson

Before announcing the Final 15, the Japan-based pageant announced its continental winners:

Miss International Asia 2017 – Korea Seung Woo Nam
Miss International Europe – United Kingdom Ashley Powell
Miss International Americas – Bolivia Carla Maldonado
Miss International Africa – Ghana Abigail Martey
Miss International Oceania – New Zealand Michelle Isemonger

Only two of these five continental queens advanced to the Final 15: United Kingdom and Ghana.

Mariel de Leon represented PH well

Though Mariel didn’t make the Final 15, Filipinos still believe she represented the Philippines well — one of the strongest, prettiest delegates we’ve sent to an international competition in a while. We respect the organizer’s decision not to include the reigning country’s representative, though we believe Mariel could have gone back-to-back for the Philippines had she gotten the chance.

Here are a few photos of Mariel we snatched from her Instagram account showing how she enjoyed her time in Japan.