Destiny Wagner of Belize declared Miss Earth 2021

Destiny Wagner of Belize was crowned Miss Earth 2021, giving her country its first beauty title.

Wagner,25, a graduate of Business Administration, manages her own business and the non-profit organization "Operation Kingdom" dedicated to combating child hunger and fighting for equal education.

Her advocacies are sustainability of marine life and the promotion of children's rights.

The Philippines' representative Naelah Alshorbaji made it to the semi-finals of the Top8.

Miss USA Marisa Butler won the Miss Earth-Air title, while Chile's Romina Denecken was proclaimed Miss Earth-Water.

The Miss Earth-Fire title went to Baitong Petsom of Thailand.

Completing the Top 8 were the delegates from the Netherlands, Russia, and Venezuela, and rounding off the Top 20 were the delegates from Belarus, Belgium, Botswana, Colombia (who was also named Voter's Choice), Czech Republic, Denmark, Ghana, Indonesia, Malaysia, New Zealand, Nigeria, and South Africa.

This year's international panel of judges included upcoming pop star Amel Rose, Nigerian environmentalist Desmond Majekodunmi, Carousel Productions Executive Vice President and Miss Earth co-founder Lorraine Schuck, international TV presenter Allan Wu, pageant blogger Davonna Finley, Philippine Stock Exchange COO Roel Refran, and American actress and TV host Adrienne Janic.

James Deakin returned to host the finals for the fifth year while Miss Earth 2017 Karen Ibasco anchored a segment of the show.

Despite the non-traditional format, the organization was overwhelmed by the large turnout of participating countries and even welcomed the inclusion of the delegates from Iran and Syria who joined the pageant for the first time.

"The health and safety of the delegates have always been our top priority but we are hopeful that by next year, the global situation would not be as stringent and that we would be able to stage a live pageant once more," Schuck said.