Albania will be represented at Miss Grand International 2026 by Sara Shehu, 22. It is the 14th edition of the international beauty pageant based in Bangkok, Thailand.
Shehu is a fashion model from Tirana, the capital city of Albania. The city is one of the wettest and sunniest cities in Europe.
On June 1, 2026, wearing the Miss Grand Albania 2026 sash, Shehu visited Gjirokastër, Albania where she had a meeting with Flamur Golëmi, the mayor of the city. On June 13, 2026, she visited Lucia Marbella by Nikki Beach in Marbella, Malaga, Andalusia, Spain.
María Ángeles Muñoz Uriol has been the mayor of Marbella since 2017, a position she held from 2007 to 2015. Because of its climate and tourist infrastructure, the city is one of the top tourist cities of the Costa del Sol, a region in Andalusia, comprising the coastal towns and communities along the coastline of Malaga.
Miss Grand International 2026
In October 2026, Shehu and Alba María Ruiz, 22, will represent Albania and Spain, respectively, at Miss Grand International 2026 in India. This edition marks the returns of Honduras, Iran, Sierra Leone, South Sudan and Ukraine after skipping at least one edition.
Including Shehu and Ruiz, more than 70 women are expected to compete for the title. Here are the other confirmed candidates:
- Cat Jane Shepherd, 26, Australia
- Alyanni Gómez, 25, Cuba
- Dominique Alagia, 21, Czech Republic
- Rebecca Attiogbe, 24, Ghana
- Ximena Carrillo, 22, Guatemala
- Emely Alemán, 27, Honduras
- Xuebing Liu, 27, Hong Kong
- Lakshita Thilagaraj, 23, India
- Anel Emel, 21, Kazakhstan
- Rufina Gasanova, 22, Kyrgyzstan
- Minshi Lin, 23, Macau
- Natalia Galea, 27, Malta
- Micaela Viveros, 21, Paraguay
- Milena Rabelo, 27, Portugal
- Estèe-Mari Smit, 18, South Africa
- Akoi Arok, 29, South Sudan
- Patthama Jitsawat, 33, Thailand
- Maria Kolotilo, 24, Ukraine
- Pooja Ghodekar, 25, United Kingdom
- Lady Mosquera, 26, Venezuela
- Charity Mumba, 26, Zambia
- Shelly Usman, 27, Zimbabwe
Launched in 2013, Miss Grand International was founded by Nawat Itsaragrisil. He is a native of Damnoen Saduak, Ratchaburi, Thailand and an alumnus of the University of the Thai Chamber of Commerce in Bangkok.
Both Teresa Yuphayao Chaivisut and Ratchaphol Chantaratim serve as vice presidents of the organization. The former is a Bangkok native and the latter was born in Samut Prakan, Thailand.
Dajana Gjoka was unplaced when she represented Albania in the 13th edition of Miss Grand International at the MGI Hall in Bangkok on October 18, 2025. She competed against 76 other candidates including Emma Tiglao of the Philippines, who won the title, and Aitana Jiménez of Spain, who was the second runner-up.
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