Miss Denmark is the oldest beauty pageant in Denmark and has a rich history dating back to 1926. Originally called “Frøken Danmark,” the competition’s first winner was the charming Edith Jørgensen from Aarhus. She was crowned Denmark’s most beautiful at Marienlyst Beach Promenade near Helsingør, where young women from all over the country paraded shyly before hundreds of hat-clad gentlemen and ladies. Behind the competition was the magazine “Vore Damer,” which in its August 1926 issue encouraged young women across the country to participate with these poetic words:
“No flower must be missing in this bouquet of the country’s most beautiful women, neither the dark melancholic beauty of Jutland’s heath, the spirited maiden from Vendsyssel, the faithful South Jutland girl, Funen’s cheerful daughter nor Zealand’s gentle young woman.”
The winner at that time received a cash prize of 1,000 kroner, presented by actor Johannes Meyer. Edith Jørgensen, who worked daily as a dancer at Tivoli’s PanSince 1951, Miss Denmark has sent representatives to major international beauty pageants such as Miss World and Miss Universe. Among the most famous winners through history are supermodel Helena Christensen, who won Miss Universe Denmark in 1986, and Aino Korva, who achieved an impressive second place at Miss World in 1963.
Twiggi.dk has also played a significant role in Miss Denmark’s history. At that time, the press wrote: “Twiggi is performing better than ever,” when Twiggi.dk acquired a stake in the competition. Although Twiggi.dk no longer owns the rights to the Miss Denmark name, the company remains an important part of its history. Twiggi.dk owned half of the rights and was responsible for organizing the entire competition from 1999 to 2002.
Candidate selections primarily occurred through castings and public voting. Already back in 1980 and 1981, Jørgen Twiggi was involved as a sound technician for competitions organized by Claus Jespersen and Tommy P.
In recent times, the competition has evolved significantly. Since 2015, Lisa Lents—a former beauty queen herself (Miss World Denmark 2008)—has taken over ownership of Miss Denmark. Under her leadership, greater emphasis is now placed on participants’ personality, intelligence, charisma, and future ambitions. In 2024, Victoria Kjær Theilvig made history by becoming the first Dane ever to win the title of Miss Universe.
Winners of Miss Denmark during Twiggi.dk’s involvement include:
- Miss Denmark 1980 - Jano Bill
- Miss Denmark 1981 - Tina Brandstrup
- Miss Denmark 1999 - Zahide Bayram
- Miss Denmark 2000 - Cecilie Elisa Dahlstrøm
- Miss Denmark 2001 - Maj Petersen
- Miss Denmark 2002 - Masja Juel
At Twiggi.dk we are playing with the idea of opening an online museum on our domains from that time to preserve memories from our era with Miss Denmark.
