PH-based Uzbek beauty vies for ‘Model of the Year’ award

Miss Grand Uzbekistan 2023 Amaliya Shakirova, who has built a career and family in the Philippines, has once again taken the spotlight after being nominated for “Model of the Year” at The Iconic Awards 2026.

Now a wife and mother who occasionally helps in her husband’s dental clinic Veneer Center, Shakirova embarked on a modeling career in the Philippines as early as 2015, and has appeared in several TV, print and outdoor campaigns, and even graced runways.

She also threw her hat in beauty pageantry in 2022, and joined the Miss Cosmoworld pageant in Malaysia, where she finished first runner-up. The following year, she represented Uzbekistan at the 2023 Miss Grand International competition where she landed a Top 20 spot.

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Two years since she last stepped on the international pageant stage, Shakirova tied the knot with her longtime Filipino beau Carlos Alberto De Jesus Oreta in the Philippines. The couple has been blessed with a daughter, Antonia Lucia.

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Now Shakirova is knocking on the doors of her adoptive home and asks Filipinos to help her gain votes for “Model of the Year,” and emerge triumphant over a field of Central Asian models.

To vote for Shakirova, visit The Iconic Awards’ online voting platform (theiconicawards.com/award/97) and select the “Model of the Year” category. Look for “Uzbekistan” and cast your vote for Shakirova. A Google account is required to vote.

She told Inquirer Entertainment that 50 percent of the scores will come from public voting, while the other half will come from the judges’ scores.

The Grand Finale of The Iconic Awards 2026, where the winner of the “Model of the Year” award will be announced, will take place in Almaty, Kazakhstan, on Nov. 11. /ra