A new to Belleville beauty has recently returned from Japan after representing Canada in one of the largest beauty pageants in the world.
25-year-old Rachel Murgel competed in the Miss International competition in Japan from November 12 to November 26, landing a Top 10 placement out of 80 contestants from around the world.
The Miss International Pageant has been held in Japan for most of its history. Murgel says the pageant’s roots are typically tied with Japanese culture.
“The people of Japan were so welcoming, hospitable, and respectful, and that’s something we as Canadians pride ourselves on,” she said.
“Japan just takes it to the next level, it was so lovely being there. I was able to visit a couple of schools while being there, one of which was a school where many of the students exchange to Canada at some point in their high school career. Being able to connect with them over their time in Canada or waiting to go. The students really have such an awe, wonder, and curiosity about other cultures, that was really inspiring.”
Murgel’s other fascinating experiences whilst in Japan was participating in a traditional tea ceremony and dressing in traditional kimonos.
“Matcha has become very popular in the western world, but it’s really rooted in tradition in Japan. Creating matcha tea is something that is very serene, peaceful, and intentional,”
“We got to dress in traditional kimonos and explore Asakusa and the temples in Tokyo. That was the coolest thing I’ve ever done. I had a smile on my face the whole time, it was so fun and such a memory that I will hold closely.”
Murgel is no stranger to international pageantry, having represented Canada last year in Poland at Miss Supranational. She says her time in Miss Supranational and Miss International were similar in terms of competing in a pageant, but very different experiences.
“Miss International and Miss Supranational have different values, brand, and mission. Miss International’s focus is cultural exchange, goodwill, and education. That is so evident in every single thing that we did,”
“Miss Supranational was more of a traditional pageant in that sense, we explored places, but we spent a lot of time in rehearsal and it felt more like a pageant. Whereas Miss International, it didn’t feel that way for the first two weeks of the two and a half weeks we were there. We were there to learn about Japanese culture, tradition, and heritage, and through that, learn about each other’s as well.”
She says representing Canada in one of the biggest beauty pageants in the world was a surreal experience that ‘has so much pride behind it’.
“It brings so much pride and at times feels a little overwhelming to say because I’m just one person. When I won Miss International Canada, I recognized what an undertaking it would be to be able to represent the different values, hopes, and dreams of the people in our country,”
“I was really appreciative to have that responsibility in my journey to Miss International. Miss International is all about cultural compassion and global exchange. That is something that Canada already embodies because of how diverse our nation is and those are values that are very important to me, but are also values that are seen across Canada because we are home to so many different kinds of people.”
On the final night of Miss International, the 80 contestants were cut down to a Top 20. The judging criteria included preliminary interview, national costume, swimsuit, and evening gown competitions, as well as heavily focusing on the contestant’s behaviour throughout the competition. Before the first cut began, the Top 10 finalists for the National Costume Award were announced. Miss Canada was apart of the Top 10 national costumes after displaying a beautiful ski slope inspired outfit, an omage to her roots growing up skiing and teaching skiing.
Miss International Canada 2025, Rachel Murgel, in her national costume designed by Ekaj Team. PHOTO: Production Studio.
Murgel then advanced to the Top 20, where the Top 20 contestants competed in swimsuit and evening gown. Following that, a Top 10 was made up, where Murgel advanced again.
In the Top 10, the contestants delivered a 20-second on-stage speech before the Top 5 were revealed. The Top 5 finalists all answered the same on-stage question for the final round of scoring.
“It was very special for me to place in the Top 20 because I competed at Miss Supranational and didn’t place. After that, I was at peace, but knew that I could do better and was a small factor of why I re-entered pageantry. I wanted to prove to myself that I could do it. I only had two months to prepare and I really put everything I could into it, hearing Canada called had me absolutely speechless. I was so proud and so happy, Top 20 was my goal,”
“When they called Canada for the Top 10, I thought ‘Wait, is that me?’ Top 10 is so exciting because that’s even further. I think I’m the third Canadian to do it in the history of Miss International and a really big achievement. I wanted to be able to soak in that moment, but the nature of the competition was that in Top 10 you had to give a speech immediately after you were called. I had to celebrate for a moment, and then share a little more about the work that I was doing. It was surreal.”
Murgel’s advocacy is in relation to children’s literacy. She has partnered with the Canadian charity CODE NGO, delivering literacy programming to children in Sub-Saharan Africa to help create equitable and equal opportunities for them to succeed. She has been a literacy tutor, done Princess Story Hour readings in Toronto and Belleville, and continues to advocate for quality literacy education for all youth.
The winner of Miss International 2025 was Miss Colombia, Catalina Duque, who Murgel says was a deserving winner. The two spent much time together throughout the competition and she says Duque had all of the qualities a Miss International should have.
Miss International: Colombia – Catalina Duque
1st Runner-Up (second place) – Zimbabwe – Yollanda Chimbarami
2nd Runner-Up (third place) – Bolivia – Paola Guzman
3rd Runner-Up (fourth place) – Indonesia – Melliza Xaveria Yulian
4th Runner-Up (fifth place) – Philippines – Myrna Esguerra
A unique thing the Miss International competition does is award continental queens. In most pageants that do this, these awards are typically allocated to the contestant who had the highest score in each continent. At Miss International, however, the contestants vote on who should win the continental awards based on their interactions with the other contestants.
Miss International Africa – Zimbabwe – Yollanda Chimbarami
Miss International Americas – Turks and Caicos – Farrah Grant
Miss International Asia Pacific – Macau – Katrina Wan
Miss International Europe – United Kingdom – Sophie Wallace
Murgel says for now, she is resting and taking time with her family for the holidays. In the new year, she hopes to continue being involved in the community.
“In the Belleville community, there are so many hubs and opportunities for volunteering that I’m really eager to explore more. I want to be more involved in the local community,”
“I was privileged to bring my Princess Story Hour program at both the Trenton and the Belleville Public Libraries before I went to Japan, and I would absolutely love to do that again because it was such a success and so much fun. My hope is to continue doing work like that, especially locally, before I hand over my title.”
To continue following Miss International Canada’s reign, follow @rachelmurgel and @miss_international_canada on Instagram.
