MACKAY MODEL CROWNED MISS DIAMOND INTERNATIONAL

Mackay model Zoe Place has been tipped for the top of the industry after winning the Miss Diamond International pageant in Brisbane this week. Photos supplied

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BY JACOB CASHA

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Mackay model Zoe Place has been tipped for the top of the industry after winning the Miss Diamond International pageant in Brisbane this week.

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The 20-year-old runway aspirant made her mark on a panel of industry-leading judges across the three-day Miss Diamond International finals, taking out seven awards as she strutted to the main crown.

“The moment they called my name, I wasn't expecting it. It honestly felt absolutely surreal,” Zoe said.

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Now in its 10th year, Miss Diamond International is a nationally respected pageant that evaluates contestants on runway presence, interview skills, and community advocacy across a preliminary phase and finals series.

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Zoe’s journey to the crown began a year ago, practicing interviews, runway techniques, and raising over $900 for mental health and wellbeing organisation Beyond Blue.

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She said her choice of charity was born from personal grapples with mental health.

“I want to be able to advocate for men, women, and children that suffer from mental health and think that they can't find help—because when I was younger, I felt there was no way of being able to help myself,” she said.

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“It's about starting conversations, breaking down the stigma about mental health, and reminding people that it's okay to ask for help. I want to be able to use my title, Miss Diamond International, to continue spreading that message.”

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Also part of Zoe’s campaign was an eco-dress, crafted in conjunction with designer Irene Olive Adams, which used a combination of Mackay Life newspapers and red flowers.

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“[It] was very hard to walk in,” she laughed, “but I was able to get it on the stage and not rip it at all!”

Judges said the dress was one of the defining elements of Zoe’s campaign, alongside her mental health mission, runway presence, and her development over the three days in Brisbane.

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One judge, Jordan King, said Zoe stood out from the off—despite initially coming across nervy in interviews.

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“I remember Zoe from that first night. She was very engaged with all the contestants, and she was a very genuine person, and that's what we love to see,” he said.

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“Sometimes people enter for the wrong reasons, just to get another crown. She was in it for really good reasons, and I think that's what made her stand out.”

Another judge, Peter Sereno—who has worked with international modelling talent—said he saw flashes of former Miss Universe Australia winner Jesinta Franklin (nee Campbell) in Zoe.

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“She's got something that a lot of other pageant girls don't have, and that's the ability to transition into a modelling career if she wanted to,” he said.

“If she plays her cards right, she will go further than Jesinta.”

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Zoe said she hopes to do more runway events in the future.

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She said the process of finding an agent has begun, with sights set on the Brisbane modelling industry as she builds her portfolio—which now includes a Miss Diamond International crown.

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She also hopes to continue her work with Beyond Blue and build awareness around mental health.

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