Kaziah Liz Mejo from Kerala became Miss Universe India 2026, a big step towards young model and pageant contestant. She took the gold in the grand finale in Jaipur on Sunday, August 23, against 52 finalists for the coveted national title. Now Kaziah has the opportunity to represent India at the 75th Miss Universe competition in Puerto Rico in November.
Kaziah comes from Mavelikkara in Alappuzha district of Kerala and already has a good track record in beauty pageants for her young age. She was Miss Universe Kerala 2026 before winning the national title and represented the state on the national stage. Her journey from Kerala has been full of curiosity, especially since she is a college student with modelling ability and a performing arts background.
Kaziah’s profile is so well established, one of its key attractions being all about the academics. She is a law student who is also studying modelling and pageantry. Her interest in law is part of her broader goal, which she has discussed in relation to her future. She feels she is a legal scholar, and she has good confidence and communication skills from pageants. She is also a trained classical dancer, which adds another dimension to her aesthetics.
Kaziah’s pageant journey started before her Miss Universe India victory. She won Miss Teen International 2025 for India and was the first runner-up. She had seen competition, stage presentation and public speaking once before on an international stage. Her rise from the teen pageant circuit to the Miss Universe India crown is a gradual process and not an overnight success.
She’s also an individual in this sense: she is so open about self-doubt; she has said after winning Miss Universe Kerala that she felt insecure about herself. She said building confidence is not a quick thing and that it’s personal experience that helped shape her perspective as well; she found personal growth to be a very important thing. She’s well-known for her comments and is very popular with people because they are used to thinking of confidence as a finished product rather than something that contestants develop over time.
Kaziah also made headlines during the Miss Universe India competition for her Kerala roots. Before the finale, she selected a Kanchipuram saree for her personal interview look, and it was widely appreciated online as a tribute to her cultural background. Her performance and presentation during the competition made her one of the contestants to watch before she finally won the crown.
The national competition of 2026 was important for Kaziah, in which 52 finalists were battling for the title. Vaishnavi Gannesh and Anushri Satavlekar both finished first and second, the other top contestants and runners-up. The crown was passed on to the current Miss Universe India titleholder Manika Vishwakarma, who represented India at Miss Universe in 2025.
Kaziah has now taken on an even more global challenge, having won a national title. She will represent India at the 75th Miss Universe pageant in Puerto Rico in November. Her previous international pageant experience will be useful for her as she gets ready for the world competition, in which contestants from all around the world will compete for the Miss Universe title.
For Kaziah Liz Mejo, the Miss Universe India 2026 crown is more than just a beauty pageantry victory. At 19, she has studied and excelled in academics, modelling, dance and pageantry and is slowly building her confidence and stage presence. Her journey from Mavelikkara to the national crown has already made her a notable name in India's pageant landscape, and her next appearance at Miss Universe is going to put her on an even higher international stage.
