Miss Universe Australia Shows Off Bikini Body

She’s been touted as our best chance to win Miss Universe since Jennifer Hawkins – and if preliminary rounds are anything to go by, Monika Radulovic might already have it in the bag.

The 24-year old took to the stage overnight in Las Vegas, where she paraded her costumes for the upcoming pageant and wowed the audience with her confidence - despite any nerves she might have had beforehand.

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“The prelim (sic) show was intense, nerve wracking, and completely exhilarating!” Radulovic wrote on Instagram. “It gave me a taste of what to expect on Sunday’s finale and I cannot wait ... I am SO grateful for this whole experience — for the early mornings, late nights, sore feet and long rehearsals; for they are all reminders that I am living the dream.”

Kicking things off in her iconic Dame Edna outfit, Radulovic followed up with a shimmering evening gown and then a stunning purple bikini.

But despite her good looks, the down-to-earth star says she knew from early on to value education over beauty.

“I wasn’t raised to value beauty but to value education,” the Bosnian-Australian model says. “Growing up, my parents really instilled in us how important it was to go to school and do the best that we could.”

To prove the point, Radulovic recently posted a makeup-free selfie in attempt to demonstrate how much work goes in to looking glamorous on stage.

“I wanted to post a no-makeup selfie to demonstrate that Miss Universe does not need makeup to be #confidentlybeautiful !!! Remember this: There is nothing more beautiful about a woman than the belief that she is beautiful,” she said on Instagram.

And although she’s regularly compared to Jennifer Hawkins due to her popularity, Radulovic is adamant that she’ll stay true to herself during the competition.

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“I really admire all of the previous winners,” she said. “But I’m not aspiring to be the next Jennifer Hawkins. I’m planning on being the best Monika Radulovic that I can possibly be. I see myself as more of a messenger that gets to show the world that Australia is the best and luckiest nation in the world.”