Cuban-born Miami teen Leah Reyes Amores crowned Miss Teen Universe 2026

October 28, 2026

Cuban teen Leah Reyes Amores, 16, was crowned Miss Teen Universe 2026 at the October 25 finale in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Diario Las Américas and pageant site PageantCircle reported. She succeeds Venezuela's Amira Moreno and becomes the second Cuban representative to win the pageant, after Lynette Arce-García in 2023.

First runner-up was Hungary's Mailyn Reese Marsh and second runner-up was the Philippines' Catherine Wardle, with the Netherlands, the United States, Nigeria and Indonesia rounding out the final group. In Miami, family members and supporters watched the broadcast at Teatro Miami. "We did it! Cuba is Miss Teen Universe 2026!" the new titleholder celebrated after the crowning, according to Diario Las Américas.

Born in Cuba, Reyes Amores moved to Miami with her family at age five. In 2025 she won the Miss Teen Earth title in Jaipur, India, and on August 18, 2026, she was named Miss Teen Universe Cuba at the Dennis C. Moss Cultural Arts Center in Cutler Bay, under national director Prince Julio César. Her causes include environmental care, animal protection and the fight against bullying, and she has said she wants to study law.