History was made in the early hours of Monday morning when 25-year-old Celene Hall was crowned Miss Universe Jamaica 2026, becoming the first woman from Portland to capture the national title in the pageant’s history. Hall emerged victorious from a field of 33 contestants at the AC Hotel Kingston, marking a landmark moment for her parish and adding a new chapter to Jamaica’s pageant legacy.
Her victory was made even more emphatic by a dominant showing throughout the competition. Hall collected five major awards: the Essence of Style Award, Best in Swimwear, Best in Evening Gown, the Altruism Award and the Most Aware Award. Reflecting on the historic achievement, the businesswoman, artist and philanthropist described the moment as “absolutely surreal”, recalling the same feeling she experienced when she first won the Miss Universe Jamaica Portland title.
“You know, when I won Miss Universe Jamaica Portland, the word that I used to describe it was surreal, and nothing has changed this moment,” Hall said. “It feels absolutely surreal to be the first Portlander to win Miss Universe Jamaica.”
Hall, who has spent the past five years building a career in the shipping and logistics industry, now succeeds Dr. Gabrielle Henry as Jamaica’s newest Miss Universe representative. With the international pageant ahead, she has already set her sights on an even bigger piece of history: winning Jamaica’s first Miss Universe crown. “I intend to give it my all,” she declared. “We all know that Jamaica has never taken the crown, and we’re going to do everything that we can to take that crown to Jamaica this year.” With a historic national victory already secured, Celene Hall’s journey is now heading towards the global stage, where she will carry the hopes of Jamaica and a determined mission to make history once again.
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