Two international male pageants were held simultaneously on Friday, October 6. Michaelangelo Skyllas, the representative from Australia, won Mister Grand International 2017, while Vietnam’s Luong Gia Huy took home the title of Mister Universal Ambassador 2017.
According to Pageanthology101, a blog that delivers content about pageants, the 19-year-old Australian national was the youngest among this year’s contestants. He was declared the winner of the inaugural edition of the competition held in Quezon City, Philippines.
Skyllas works as a professional model and bartender in his hometown.
Thailand’s representative Ratchada Hamphanon was declared first runner-up, while Nguyen Tien Dat from Vietnam won as second runner-up.
Hammid Noor from Germany won as third runner-up and the Philippines’ Joshua Reginald Banatin won as fourth runner-up. There were 25 candidates who competed for the Mister Grand international title, local news website Tempo reported.
Some special awards were given to United States delegate Aaron Day as the Best In Formal Wear and Best Speaker of the Night. He also made it to the semi-finals along with Nepal, Ecuador, France, Peru, Malaysia, Sri Lanka and Japan.
Vietnam wins
Meanwhile, the Mister Universal Ambassador 2017 title was given to Vietnam’s Luong Gia Huy in the pageant held at Makassar in Indonesia.
He succeeded the outgoing titleholder, Aleksa Gavrilovic from Serbia.
Luong Gia Huy competed with 28 other male contestants in a competition with a theme that was dedicated to the youth. India’s Rohit Jakhar was declared fourth runner-up, while Indonesia’s Gilbert Pangalila won third runner-up.
Johannes Leonidas from Sweden finished in third place and Paul Guarnes from the Philippines finished in second place.
Guarnes was recognized because of his eloquent answer to the question in line with the theme which talked about the importance of skilled young individuals today. The semi-finalists were composed of delegates from Malaysia, Thailand, Hungary, Nicaragua, and Uzbekistan.
Philippines in final question round
Filipino contestant Paul Guarnes drew cheers from the audience during the question-and-answer round.
He was asked the question, “As a captivating role model, what is the big thing that you can do to children around the world?”
He answered with full conviction, “The children of the world need someone who can become a father, a leader and... I can set an example.” He added that he vows to inspire them in reaching their goals “despite all the negative things around them.”
