Sheynnis Palacios

Sheynnis Alondra Palacios Cornejo (; born 30 May 2000) is a Nicaraguan model and beauty pageant titleholder who won Miss Universe 2023. Having previously won Miss Nicaragua 2023, she is the first Nicaraguan to win Miss Universe.

Prior to Miss Universe, Palacios competed in Miss World 2021 as Miss World Nicaragua 2020, reaching the top 40.

Early life and education Sheynnis Alondra Palacios Cornejo was born on 30 May 2000, at Hospital Alemán Nicaragüense in Managua to parents Raquel Guadalupe Cornejo Pichardo and Édgar Arístides Palacios García. Palacios later grew up in the town of Diriamba in Carazo Department, and was educated at La Salle Managua Pedagogical Institute in Managua. At the school, she won the Miss Lasallista beauty pageant, beginning her interest in pageantry. In her youth, Palacios suffered from anxiety attacks, which later inspired her to adopt mental health awareness as her pageant platform.

Prior to becoming Miss Universe, Palacios was working as a model, television presenter, and journalist in Nicaragua, and presented a show called Entiende tu mente, which discussed topics related to mental health.

Pageantry

Palacios's first national pageant was in 2016, where she won Miss Teen Nicaragua 2016. As Miss World Nicaragua, Palacios represented Nicaragua at Miss World 2021. Miss World 2021 was originally planned to be held in San Juan, Puerto Rico on 16 December 2021. Two days prior to the pageant's broadcast, several cases of COVID-19 were reported amongst contestants and staff. This led to the postponement of the pageant's final show, to 16 March 2022, with only the 40 selected semi-finalists being invited to return to compete. Palacios was selected as one of the 40, but did not advance further.

Palacios won Miss Nicaragua 2023 in August 2023, earning the right to represent her country at Miss Universe 2023.

Miss Universe 2023

As Miss Nicaragua, Palacios competed in and won Miss Universe 2023, on 18 November in San Salvador, El Salvador. She was crowned wearing a crystal-embellished gown in blue and white, possibly inspired by the national flags of both Nicaragua and El Salvador. The dress was also interpreted as a symbol against the Ortega government because these colors have been adopted by the opposition as a sign of resistance to Ortega’s regime. Some commentary during and after the event also noted interpretations that the colors and styling referenced depictions of the Virgin Mary.

Palacios became the first Nicaraguan to be crowned Miss Universe, and the first Nicaraguan to win any of the Big Four international beauty pageants. She is also the first Central American to win Miss Universe outright, following Justine Pasek of Panama who became Miss Universe 2002 following the resignation of original winner Oxana Fedorova.

Reception in Nicaragua Palacios's Miss Universe win was controversial in Nicaragua due to pictures of her participation in the 2018–2022 Nicaraguan protests against President Daniel Ortega.

Nicaraguan police also accused Karen Celebertti, the owner of the Miss Nicaragua franchise, of deliberately rigging beauty contests in favor of competitors critical of the government as part of a coup plot, leading to her retiring from the Nicaraguan pageant industry shortly afterwards. On 13 February 2024, Celebertti announced she would be the new director of talent development for the Miss Universe Organization.

Personal life In September 2024, she confirmed that she was in a relationship with Carlos Gómez "El Cañón", a former Venezuelan baseball player.