By Anna Mechkovich
Peggy Garabekian has been crowned Miss Universe Armenia 2025, earning the opportunity to represent Armenia on one of the world’s most recognized international pageant stages. The Armenian-American model and longtime pageant professional emerged from a field of 10 contestants competing for the national title. The Miss Universe Armenia 2025 competition took place on September 10, bringing together women with different backgrounds, experiences and ambitions, all seeking the opportunity to carry Armenia’s name onto the global stage.
For Garabekian, however, the victory was more than another title. It marked the culmination of a journey in pageantry that began a decade earlier. Garabekian first represented Armenia at Miss Asia USA in 2015. In the years that followed, she remained connected to the pageant industry not only as a contestant, but also through coaching and production work, gaining experience on both sides of the stage. Her return to competition ultimately led her to the title she had long hoped to achieve: Miss Universe Armenia.
“Competing for Miss Universe Armenia always felt like a distant dream—almost unattainable,” Garabekian told NEWS.am STYLE following her victory. The competition itself was held in California in a private format with the delegates and production team, creating what Garabekian described as an unusually personal experience.
For her, reaching that point already represented an achievement regardless of the final result. “Whether or not I received the crown, I knew I had already won,” she told NEWS.am STYLE, explaining that simply reaching the Miss Universe Armenia stage represented the realization of a goal she had worked toward for years.
Beyond Physical Beauty
Modern pageantry increasingly asks contestants to demonstrate more than conventional ideas of physical beauty. Presentation, confidence, individuality, communication and the ability to represent a country internationally can all contribute to the impression a contestant creates. That broader perspective was also reflected in the evaluation of the Miss Universe Armenia contestants.
“When evaluating the contestants, I paid particular attention to facial harmony, natural proportions, overall presentation and the way each woman carried herself,” said Tatiana Vostrikov, a judge at Miss Universe Armenia 2025 and an expert in aesthetic medicine. “Peggy was remarkable in the way these qualities came together with confidence and a very natural presence. There was a sense of harmony between her appearance, her presentation and her personality. She made a strong impression.”
Vostrikov’s participation on the judging panel brought the perspective of aesthetic medicine to an evaluation process that also considered the contestants as individuals and potential international representatives. For Garabekian, that distinction between appearance and identity has been part of her approach to pageantry for years. In previous interviews, she has spoken about embracing her Armenian features rather than attempting to conform to changing beauty standards, emphasizing the importance of developing confidence around the characteristics that make an individual recognizable.
A Crown With a Larger Purpose
Garabekian’s ambitions for the title also extend beyond competition. As Miss Universe Armenia 2025, she has spoken publicly about using her platform to advocate for women and girls whose fundamental freedoms are restricted, particularly those denied access to education, work and the ability to speak freely. She has also described her Armenian heritage and Christian faith as central to the way she approaches international representation.
For Garabekian, representing Armenia is not a new responsibility. Her pageant career has repeatedly intersected with her Armenian identity, beginning with her first major competition in 2015 and continuing through subsequent national and international appearances. A decade of experience has also shaped how she views competition today. Rather than describing pageantry simply in terms of crowns and placements, Garabekian has compared her years of preparation to building a foundation—each competition, challenge and lesson contributing to the competitor she eventually became.
That perspective may explain why winning Miss Universe Armenia 2025 feels less like the beginning of a new story than the arrival at a destination she had been moving toward for years. The crown now gives her a significantly larger platform.
As Miss Universe Armenia 2025, Garabekian carries with her not only the expectations attached to an international beauty title, but also an opportunity to introduce a global audience to the Armenia she wants to represent: a country defined by resilience, heritage, faith and a strong sense of identity. And for a woman who once considered the Miss Universe Armenia crown an almost unreachable dream, the journey itself has become part of the message.
Sometimes the biggest stage is reached not in a single defining moment, but through years of preparation before the spotlight finally arrives.
