Tanzania’s pageantry scene has ushered in a new group of beauty queens, with Jihan Dimack crowned Miss Grand Tanzania 2026 and six other contestants selected to represent the country at international competitions.
The grand finale, held on Saturday, marked the culmination of a competition that began in April with nationwide auditions and brought together aspiring models and beauty queens from different parts of the country.
Dimack, representing Mwanza, emerged as the overall winner, making a notable return to the national pageantry spotlight nearly a decade after her first major title.
Her victory adds another chapter to an already established pageant career. Dimack was crowned Miss Universe Tanzania in 2016 and went on to represent Tanzania at the Miss Universe competition in the Philippines in January 2017. She had earlier finished as second runner-up at Miss Tanzania 2014.
She has also built a career in fashion, working as a professional model and appearing in advertising campaigns and fashion publications. Earlier in her career, she worked as an administration officer while pursuing modelling.
Her return to competitive pageantry comes at a time when Tanzania’s beauty industry is experiencing renewed momentum, with national competitions increasingly serving as gateways to major international pageants.
The Miss Grand Tanzania 2026 competition officially began with auditions on April 25 in Dar es Salaam. More than 50 aspiring contestants took part in the initial screening, with 20 finalists eventually selected to proceed to the national competition.
The auditions assessed contestants on areas including confidence, stage presence, personality and communication.
Dimack succeeds Beatrice Alex Akyoo, who won the Miss Grand Tanzania title in August 2025 after representing Dar es Salaam.
Beyond the main crown, the Miss Grand Tanzania finale also served as a platform for selecting Tanzania’s representatives for several international beauty competitions.
Prisca Lyimo, who represented Arusha, was crowned Miss Cosmo Tanzania 2026. She succeeds Jesca Michael Micca, Tanzania’s representative at Miss Cosmo 2025.
Celine Edson, representing Shinyanga, received the Miss Earth Tanzania 2026 title. She succeeds Amina Abdulkadri Jigge, who represented Tanzania at Miss Earth 2025.
Agape Anthony, who represented Kigoma, was named Miss International Tanzania 2026, taking over from Efrazia Makene, Tanzania’s representative at Miss International 2025.
The remaining titles went to Rose Uisso, who was crowned Miss Global Tanzania 2026; Zulfa Yazid, who received the Miss Africa Golden Tanzania 2026 title; and Namala Patrick, who was crowned Miss Tourism Tanzania 2026.
The expanded list of titles reflects the direction taken by the current Miss Grand Tanzania franchise, which has increasingly used its national competition to identify contestants for several international pageant platforms rather than focusing solely on the Miss Grand International crown.
The model was already evident in the 2025 edition, when contestants were selected to represent Tanzania at competitions including Miss Earth, Miss Cosmo, Miss International and other international pageants.
The development comes as Tanzania’s wider pageant calendar continues to expand.
The Miss Grand Tanzania franchise returned to national competition in 2024 after several years without a standalone national contest. The organisation had previously held national editions in 2017 and 2018 before a break in the franchise. It returned under new management in 2024, with Nazimizye Mdolo leading the current organisation.
The 2025 and 2026 editions have since helped restore Miss Grand Tanzania as one of the country’s prominent platforms for beauty, fashion and international representation.
The growth also mirrors increased activity across Tanzania’s pageantry sector, with competitions such as Miss World Tanzania and Miss Grand Tanzania forming part of a busy national calendar.
The Citizen reported in April that both competitions were scheduled for major events in Dar es Salaam, reflecting the growing importance of pageantry within the country’s fashion and entertainment industries.
