The Road to Miss Universe: Miss Iceland on what it takes to compete on an international stage

The Miss Universe Organization (MUO) was founded in 1952. Its mission is to forge a future by women for women to lead with courage and push the limits of what’s possible. And for one contestant, MUO inspires her to be the change she wishes to see in the world.

On August 16, 2023, Lilja Sif Pétursdóttir was crowned Miss Universe Iceland 2023 in the capital city of Reykjavík, Iceland. She is one of the youngest winners at just 19 years old. “It was unreal.” I feel like my dream came true.” said Lilja.

Since her crowning, Lilja has been extensively preparing to compete on the Miss Universe stage this November in El Salvador. One week after her crowning, Lilja flew to New York and started her road trip South where she stopped in different cities and met different sponsors in the United States. These sponsors provided her with dresses, clothes, fitness, nutrition plans, and runway classes.

“People don't really understand the preparation that goes into it, whether it's emotional, physical or mental. Said Jorge Esteban, Co-Director of the Miss Universe Iceland Organization. “Pageantry as we know it in the U.S. especially, is more identified by the honey Boo Boo and the Toddlers and Tiaras and the Miss Congeniality… and it's far from that.”

Lilja’s final stop in her U.S. tour was in Miami, where she spent time going to different charity events in South Florida. She visited an elementary school and talked to students, and Lilja was also invited to Nicklaus Childrens Hospital (Miami, FL) to speak with cerebral palsy patients and educators about her mission to raise awareness of the disorder.

“My sister, she is sixteen and she has cerebral palsy. She didn’t get enough oxygen when she was born so, she lost a lot of mobility, and she is in a wheelchair.” Said Lilja.

According to the Mayo Clinic, “Cerebral palsy is a group of disorders that affect movement and muscle tone or posture.” And in a scientific article by Frontiers of Pediatrics, it is estimated that 2 out of 1,000 babies around the world are born with cerebral palsy.

One of Lilja’s motivations to succeed not only at Miss Universe but in life is because of her sister, Raquel. “A big part of why I am doing this is because of my sister. She is just amazing; she never lets anything stop her.” Said Lilja.

Lilja’s courage to lead and push the limits of what's possible by raising awareness of cerebral palsy in her home country of Iceland is now a global mission on which she hopes to further if she were to capture the crown of Miss Universe.

You can watch Lilja represent Iceland at the Miss Universe competition, which will be broadcast live on November 18, 2023, on the Roku channel in English and Telemundo in Spanish.