Muskan Sharma stood up to men who tried to bully her over her clothes - and went on to win hearts and a beauty pageant. The 23-year-old, who was crowned Miss Rishikesh 2025 last week in the northern Indian state of Uttarakhand, told the BBC that even though it was a small local pageant, it made me feel like Miss Universe. Sharma's win has made headlines in India as it came after a viral video that showed her spiritedly arguing with a man who barged into their rehearsals just a day before the 4 October contest. Sharma, who wanted to be a model and participate in a pageant since I was in school, said the intruders came in just as they broke for lunch. We were sitting around, chilling, having a laugh when they walked in, she said.

Style, beauty, and grace might go far in most beauty pageants, but the winner of the first-ever AI beauty pageant needed a lot more than good looks. Kenza Laylie, a computer-generated Moroccan'influencer', has become the winner of the Fanvue World AI Creator Awards. The team behind Kenza beat off competition from 1,500 other computer-generated women to claim the 13,000 prize. Judges told MailOnline they were impressed by the advanced technology behind the AI star as well as her compelling'personality'. Accepting the award, Kenza's creator said: 'Winning Miss AI motivates me even more to continue my work in advancing AI technology.'

The beauty pageant industry isn't what it used to be. Miss Universe, which has been around since 1952, has suffered a dramatic ratings decline in the last five years. In May, the reigning Miss USA and Miss Teen USA gave back their crowns, sparking fresh controversy in the community. Yet, a new kind of beauty pageant has emerged. This pageant is similar in many ways to the traditional experience, except for one important detail: the women are not real. The World AI Creators Awards (WAICAS) has gathered 10 finalists in their quest to find "Miss AI," the winner of a beauty pageant for women generated by artificial intelligence (AI).

The world's first beauty pageant for AI women has finally revealed its shortlist of computer-generated ladies. Out of the 1,500 entrants into the Fanvue World AI Creator Awards, the 10 artificial finalist will battle it out to become the first ever Miss AI. And, with contestants ranging from the red-headed travel influencer Olivia C to Turkish model and astronaut Asena Ilik, competition is sure to be fierce. But, just like any other pageant, it will take more than good looks to win the prize and finalists will also be judged on their technology and social media clout. Fanvue co-founder Will Monange says: 'The awards have shown how engaged creators in the AI space are, and the standard of the shortlist is nothing short of incredible.'

She doesn't actually exist, but, if things go my way, she's going to be the world's first "Miss AI". I recently created her image on a website that generates AI faces and then entered her into a beauty pageant. Now I am sitting back in anticipation of netting the 20,000 grand prize. What fresh hell is this, you ask? Well, I regret to inform you that AI beauty pageants are a thing now.

Beauty, poise, and classical pageantry might not be what first springs to mind when you think of AI. But contestants in the world's first AI beauty pageant will need all of these in spades if they are to claim their share of a 20,000 ( 16,000) prize pool. The Fanvue Miss AI pageant will see AI-generated ladies go head-to-head in front of a panel of judges, including two AI influencers. These synthetic competitors will be judged on beauty, social media clout and their creator's use of AI tools. Will Monanage, Fanvue Co-Founder, says he hopes that these events will'become the Oscars of the AI creator economy.'

CEO says OpenAI CEO Sam Altman said language and cultural inclusivity is "very important" to his company's mission as it builds and trains powerful artificial intelligence systems. An Iranian-born mother says she is "endlessly grateful" after celebrating her victory in being crowned "Miss Germany 2024" after the pageant loosened rules on age. Apameh Schönauer, a 39-year-old mother, won the pageant last week. During the contest, she said on stage that she wanted to advocate for women who are dealing with the difficulties of being a migrant in Germany. The win is a symbol of the pageant's moves toward inclusivity in beauty.