Miss Tahiti Hinaupoko Devèze was crowned Miss France 2026 on the night of Saturday to Sunday during a ceremony at the Zénith in Amiens, broadcast live on TF1. She succeeds Martinican Angélique Angarni-Filopon.
Published on: 06/12/2025 - 03:59Modified on: 07/12/2025 - 02:15
The Tahitian Hinaupoko Devèze succeeds the Martinican Angélique Angarni-Filopon, Miss France 2025. A graduate in psychology, the 23-year-old young woman was chosen among the 30 contenders by a vote combining jury and public, Saturday December 6.
Also read: Angélique Angarni-Filopon, first Miss France in her thirties in history
“I am very honored to have been chosen to represent the French this year, it is an honor for me. The adrenaline has not subsided, I am still on cloud nine,” declared Miss France 2026 at the end of the competition, during a press conference.
She also confided that the subject of mental health was close to her heart: “It’s a cause I want to talk about, because it concerns us all, we must destigmatize, our fragility characterizes us.”
Earlier in the evening, Hinaupoko Devèze declared "I am the fruit of a love story between Polynesia and the south of France. And my childhood was as much rocked by the song of cicadas as by the melody of the ukulele".
The young woman also insisted on the values that were close to her heart in France: “liberty, equality, fraternity”, but also “respect”.
She is ahead of Miss New Caledonia, elected first runner-up, and Miss Normandie, second runner-up.
A ceremony on the theme of travel
The evening of more than three hours, followed each year on TF1 by millions of viewers, was structured around several scenes choreographed on the theme of travel – with Asia, Antiquity, the future or Hollywood of the 1930s, and presented again by Jean-Pierre Foucault, 78 years old.
The candidates paraded in evening wear, swimsuits or suits. The traditional regional picture mobilized the Republican Guard.
The candidates from the regional committees were decided 50/50 by TF1 viewers and the jury, chaired this year by the actress Michèle Bernier, surrounded in particular by the opera singer Axelle Saint-Cirel, the journalist Bruce Toussaint and the influencer Sally.
The Martinican Angélique Angarni-Filopon, 35 years old, the oldest in the history of the competition, handed over her crown. Victim of cyberharassment due to her age and origin, Miss France 2025 had for a time considered giving up her title.
The institution had reported to the courts "these offensive comments", which "have no place in our competition, any more than in our society".
This edition introduces new support: for the first time, Miss France will be supported by a former winner, a mission entrusted to Camille Cerf, Miss France 2015.
“Proust’s Madeleine”
The candidates in this 96th election had varied profiles. The oldest, Miss Guadeloupe, Naomi Torrent, 30 years old, is a financial analyst, Miss Poitou-Charentes, Agathe Michelet, is a dental surgeon, Miss New Caledonia, Juliette Collet, 23 years old, an engineer in natural and technological risk management.
The youngest, Miss Bretagne, Ninon Crolas, nursing student, and Miss Roussillon, Déborah Adelin-Chabal, professional dancer and Spanish student, were 18 years old.
The admission criteria have been broadened in recent years: if the minimum height remains (1.70 meters), the election is now open to all adult women, without age limit, including married or mothers.
According to Frédéric Gilbert, president of the Miss France company, certain expressions considered dated, such as "full of charm" or "French charm", are now prohibited. “We’re talking about “elegance, confidence, not forced sensuality,” he said in Le Parisien.
Despite recurring controversies and criticism over its representation of women, the program continues to attract a large audience: in 2024, the show had achieved a 45% audience share.
“Being popular is not being loved everywhere. There are controversies, but bad buzz is still buzz,” observes semiologist and media analyst Virginie Spies.
According to her, the success is as much due to the entertainment dimension as to the historical anchoring of the program, "a Proust madeleine" inscribed in "our television heritage". The show fuels conversations, with family, friends or on the networks.
With AFP
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