Alexandra Braun Waldeck, who stands 5’8 tall, bested 79 other candidates in the world’s third largest beauty pageant held at a jampacked University of the Philippines (UP) Theater in Diliman, Quezon City.

Amell Santana de Jesus of the Dominican Republic won Miss Air; Poland’s Katarzyna Borowicz, Miss Water and Serbia and Montenegro’s Jovana Marjanovic, Miss Fire.

Ms. Earth won U$20,000 cash, crown, sash and other prizes.

During the question and answer portion, all four candidates were asked the same question — "If you are to save only one of two elements of Mother Earth, water and air, which would you choose and why?"

Answering the question through an interpreter, Waldeck chose air because "air gives us life."

In the preliminary rounds, Waldeck was asked about her thoughts on abused kids and what she could do to help them. She said that ‘’tolerance and lack of education are some of the factors that lead to child abuse.’’ Waldeck pushed for education among children around the world.

Waldeck was first runner-up in the Miss Venezuela 2005, which gave her the right to represent her country in this year’s Miss Earth 2005 contest.

First runner up Ms. Dominican Republic said she would choose both air and water because "you cannot live without the other. One cannot exist without the other."

Second runner up Ms. Poland Borowicz said she would save both elements because they are "both needed to survive."

Special awards were handed to Chile, Miss Photogenic; Canada, Miss Friendship; Ukraine, Miss Talent; Best in National Costume, South Korea; Puerto Rico, Best in Long Gown; and Venezuela, Best in Swimsuit. Then five winners of Miss Pond’s five youthful beauties were Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic, Korea, Venezuela and Poland.

This year’s chairman of the board of judges was civic worker Rosemarie ‘’Baby’’ Arenas. Other members of the board include singer Leo Valdez, socialite Eva Abesamis, Paul Hogan, Eugene Tameses, model Vivienne Tan, and Tessa Valdez.

Next year, the 2006 Miss Earth contest will be held in Santiago, Chile, the first time that it will be staged outside of the Philippines.

The Miss Earth contest is the third largest international beauty contest in terms of the number of contestants, next to Miss Universe and Miss World beauty pageants. This year’s pageant was hosted by Ariel Ureta and Amanda Griffith.