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Apameh Schönauer: Through the Shirzan (Lion Woman) network, she advocates for disadvantaged and oppressed women
Photo: Philipp von Ditfurth / dpa
Apameh Schönauer from Berlin is the new “Miss Germany”.
The 39-year-old prevailed against eight other women late on Saturday evening in Rust, southern Baden.
The architect with roots in Iran wants to advocate for young women with a migrant background, as she said during the show.
A jury consisting of presenter Neda Peemüller, entertainer Nicolas Puschmann, influencer Twenty4Tim, author Vivien Wulf, actress Sharon Battiste and the PR head of the Miss Germany Studios, Jil Andert, chose the winner in Europa-Park after several rounds of introductions.
According to the organizers, the winner receives the “Female Leader Award”.
It comes with a bonus of 25,000 euros.
Schönauer told the dpa news agency before the finals that she was born in Tehran and came to Germany when she was six.
She is the mother of two children.
During the event, she made clear her commitment to women's rights with a focus on Iran.
Her motto when faced with obstacles is: “Just keep going!”
On the organizer's website, Schönauer wrote that she was committed to supporting disadvantaged and oppressed women through the Shirzan (Lion Woman) network.
The previous age limit of 39 years no longer applied to the current season: the oldest finalist was Mignon Kowollik from Hamburg at 42 years old.
According to the organizers, around 15,000 women applied this time.
The selection took place over several months.
One candidate was surprisingly missing from the finale: 27-year-old Ann-Katrin Lange from Bad Gandersheim in Lower Saxony could not take part for health reasons, announced presenter Lola Weippert.
“Miss Germany” was once a competition with bikini rounds on the catwalk.
Then there was an image change: since 2019, the personality of the participants and the willingness to take on responsibility have counted.
The winner no longer gets a crown.
There is still only one sash.
At the gala evening event with hundreds of guests, some participants wore glittering evening dresses.
The finalists represented very different profiles.
Tamara Schwab, 31, from Roth, Bavaria, says she has been living with a donor heart for two and a half years.
Christina Modrzejewski, 28, from Dinslaken is struggling with difficult challenges: She developed a rare autoimmune disease in 2021.
The trained nurse relies on a wheelchair and electronic orthoses.
Orthoses can be used, among other things, to stabilize damaged joints, immobilize limbs and correct poor posture.
Last year, the then 20-year-old Kira Geiss from Wilhelmsdorf near Ravensburg became “Miss Germany”.
She started out wanting to give the younger generation a voice.
The woman, who was active in the church, had founded a youth community in Magdeburg.
“This is not a beauty contest at all,” said Geiss at this year’s “Miss Germany” election.