Liesel Holler

Miss Peru is a national beauty pageant in Peru.

Peru has been competing in the Miss Universe pageant from 1952 and in the Miss World pageant from 1959. In the Miss Universe pageant, their first representative was Ada Gabriela Bueno who was crowned as the first Miss Peru in a ceremony at the Lawn Tennis Club of Lima and competed in Miss Universe 1952. Ada Gabriela traveled to Long Beach, California to represent her country, but failed to enter the group of semifinalists.

Five years later, Peru became the first Latin American and Spanish-speaking country to win the Miss Universe crown thanks to Gladys Zender, who became Miss Universe 1957. Since the new millennium, Peru started to shine again on the scene of this international beauty contest. Claudia Ortiz de Zevallos, was a semifinalist in the Miss Universe 2003 pageant held in Panama then also joined into the group of semifinalists in the Miss Earth 2003 pageant. Liesel Holler failed to reach the semifinals in 2004, but like her predecessor also joined the group of semifinalists in the Miss Earth 2004 pageant. Débora Sulca made Peru come back in the contest in 2005, being in the 6th place. The final classification of Peru in the Miss Universe was in 2012, when Nicole Faverón was located among the 16 semifinalists. Peru has a total of 17 semifinalists and one winner in this prestigious pageant.

In Miss World, in the early years of the pageant, Peru did not send representatives up to 1959 as in the years 1966, 1969-1972 and 1974 that may be one of the reasons why the country has not had many semifinalists compared to the Miss Universe. In 2002, Marina Mora placed as the 2nd runner up, in 2003, Claudia Hernández joined the group of semifinalists and also won the award for Best Evening Gown. The following year Maria Julia Mantilla, took the crown after 37 years doing an auspicious return to Peru in this contest. Peru has won the crown of Miss World twice.