Pauline Amelinckx

Pauline Cucharo Amelinckx (; born August 26, 1995) is a Filipino model and beauty pageant titleholder who was crowned Miss Supranational Philippines 2023. She represented the Philippines at the Miss Supranational 2023 competition where she finished as first runner-up. Following her stint in the pageant, she was appointed as the inaugural titleholder of the Miss Philippines.

Amelinckx competed at the Miss Universe Philippines pageant three times and was appointed as Miss Supranational Philippines following her third attempt, in 2023. She was previously crowned Miss Bohol 2017, and later, Mutya ng Pilipinas Global Beauty Queen 2018.

Identifying herself as a "self-love advocate", Amelinckx advocates for body positivity, mental health awareness, and marine conservation.

Early life and education

Amelinckx was born on August 26, 1995, in Tubigon, Bohol, to a Filipino mother and a Flemish father. She lived in Antwerp, Belgium, for ten years, from the age of two to twelve, when she returned to the Philippines. She studied international studies and majored in European studies at the Cebu Doctors' University in Mandaue, Cebu, where she graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in 2017.

Pageantry

Local and regional pageants

In 2014, Amelinckx represented Tribu Himag-ulaw from Placer, Masbate, at the Sinulog Festival Queen pageant and finished as first runner-up. In addition to her placement, she also won four special awards—Best in Group Performance, Miss Phoenix Petroleum, Miss Suncellular and Miss Sinulog Allphones.

On July 22, 2017, she was crowned Miss Bohol 2017 at the Bohol Wisdom School Gymnasium in Bohol, Philippines. The first runner-up in the same pageant was Gazini Ganados, who would later be crowned Miss Universe Philippines 2019.

Mutya ng Pilipinas 2018

In 2018, Amelinckx competed at the Mutya ng Pilipinas pageant, representing Bohol. In the Terno competition held on September 12, 2018, she won the Best in Terno award, as well as the Mutya ng Camera Club of the Philippines award. At the coronation night held on September 16, 2018, she was crowned Mutya ng Pilipinas Global Beauty Queen 2018. Her crowning made her the Philippines' delegate at the Global Beauty Queen 2018 pageant, however, the pageant was cancelled due to tensions in the Middle East.

First two stints at Miss Universe Philippines (2020, 2022)

Amelinckx first competed at the Miss Universe Philippines pageant in 2020, representing Bohol. In the preliminary competition, she won three special awards from the pageant's sponsors. At the coronation night, she was awarded the Most Beautiful Face award. Ultimately, she finished third runner-up behind the eventual winner, Rabiya Mateo of Iloilo City.

Amelinckx competed again in 2022, being announced as an official candidate for the pageant, on April 6, 2022. At the end of coronation night, she was crowned Miss Universe Philippines Charity 2022, third to the eventual winner, Celeste Cortesi.

Miss Universe Philippines 2023

Amelinckx competed at the Miss Universe Philippines pageant for a third time, in 2023. On February 18, 2023, she was announced as one of the 40 delegates competing at the fourth edition of the pageant. In an interview with the '' Philippine Entertainment Portal'', Amelinckx expressed that she was "afraid that people would be... naumay sa akin rown tired of me, on her third attempt on the pageant. Nonetheless, Amelinckx was identified as a fan-favorite to win the competition.

In the preliminary competition held on May 10, 2023, Amelinckx accumulated ten special awards during the preliminary competition from the pageant's sponsors, the most of any contestants that edition. Her performance at the competition led publications to identify her as a frontrunner at the pageant.

At the coronation night, Amelinckx won five special awards, namely Miss Jojo Bragais, Miss Titan Universe, Miss Enderun, Miss Smilee Apparel and Miss Avana. She advanced to the Top 5, where she, and her co-finalists, were asked "For you, what is the best that we can offer to the rest of the world? Why do you consider it so?", alluding to the Department of Tourism's new branding campaign. She responded:

At the end of pageant, she finished in Top 5. Michelle Dee was the winner of the pageant.

Miss Supranational 2023

Following Miss Universe Philippines 2023, Amelinckx was appointed Miss Supranational Philippines 2023 in a separate ceremony held at the Okada Manila, thereby making her the country's delegate to the Miss Supranational 2023 pageant. She, and Mister Supranational Philippines 2023 Johannes Rissler, departed to Poland to compete at their respective pageants, on June 26, 2023. In her introductory video for the pageant, she emphasized self-love and body positivity.

In fast-track events held prior to the pageant, Amelinckx won the third challenge of Miss Supra Influencer, giving her an opportunity to automatically advance to the Top 24; and won the first round of the Supra Chat, having competed against seven other delegates in the competition's tenth group, giving her another opportunity to advance to the semifinal of the pageant. Amelinckx would advance to the final rounds of both competitions. Dale Calanog of ''Inquirer'' praised her outfit choices in events prior to the pageant, commenting that the outfits "showcase her boldness". For the National Costume round, Amelinckx wore a "fiery red" terno matched by a red parasol. Ehrran Montoya, who designed the ensemble, described the outfit as a "modern take on the Filipinana".

The pageant was held on July 14, 2023, at the Strzelecki Park Amphitheater. Amelinckx advanced to the Top 24 via her win at the Supra Chat challenge. Amelinckx would advance to the Top 5, where she and her co-finalists were asked: "What makes for a good brand ambassador for this organization?". Drawn to answer second, Amelinckx responded:

Towards the end of the event, Amelinckx was announced as the first runner-up to Andrea Aguilera of Ecuador, being crowned by outgoing Miss Supranational Lalela Mswane, who crowned Aguilera as her successor. Amelinckx's finish marked the Philippines' highest placement in the pageant since the crowning of Mutya Johanna Datul as Miss Supranational 2013.

Her finish in the pageant elicited messages of congratulations from beauty queens Shamcey Supsup-Lee, Michelle Dee, Beatrice Gomez, Roberta Tamondong, and Tracy Perez. Online, her finish as a runner-up was met with dismay, with her performance being compared to that of Pia Wurtzbach and Catriona Gray. In response to the online backlash towards Aguilera's win, Amelinckx called for her supporters to find "pride and peace" with her finish.

The Miss Philippines

Following the pageant, Amelinckx traveled across Europe before returning to the Philippines, where she received a "grand homecoming" in Bohol in conjunction with the Sandugo Festival. Following the formation of the Miss Philippines pageant in August 2023, Amelinckx was appointed as the pageant's inaugural titleholder, being crowned by Shamcey Supsup-Lee and Jonas Gaffud.

Amelinckx would crown her successor on October 24, 2023, with Alethea Ambrosio of Bulacan being crowned as the Miss Philippines. Towards the end of the event, Amelinckx received the Miss Supranational Woman of Substance award from Aguilera.

Advocacies and issues

Amelinckx describes herself as a "self-love advocate", having had experienced body shaming. She advocates for marine conservation, mental health awareness, and body positivity.

Since 2019, Amelinckx has been an "Ambassador of Hope" for the Yellow Boat of Hope Foundation, which aims to improve the accessibility of education to students in far-flung areas through the use of boats and other facilities. Amid the COVID-19 pandemic in the Philippines, she participated in the foundation's "Hope in a Box" initiative, which saw the distribution of coloring books and fruits in her barangay.

Amelinckx serves as the president of the Chocolate Hills Chapter of JCI Philippines.

References

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Amelinckx, Pauline
1995 births
Living people
Filipino people of Belgian descent
Filipino female models
Mutya ng Pilipinas winners
Miss Universe Philippines winners
People from Bohol