Bulgarian Beauty Queen Rumyana Marinova was crowned Mrs Globe 2004, at an award ceremony that took place in Newport Beach, California. The contest is a unique international pageant for married ladies and is a fundraiser for W.I.N. (Women In Need), a foundation, dedicated to abuse and self-esteem recovery after domestic or intimate partner abuse. The 28-year-old Bulgarian, who is a mother of a 3-year old girl, won the jury with her appeal for the release of the five Bulgarian nurses sentenced to death in Libya.

The pageant’s area of competition include national costume, evening gown and swimsuit competition, after which the selection is narrowed down to 15 semi-finalists. 5 out of 15 ladies enter finals before the jury nominates the Beauty Queen.

The first Bulgarian Mrs Bulgaria was Yuliana Doncheva who swept the crown in 2001. Diana Andreeva, a 30-year old mother of two was the next winner. This year’s winner Marinova will receive $ 1 M part of which will be donated to charity organizations, reports Bulgarian news agency Novinite.com.