Nikolina Vujicic Is Miss Universe Serbia
A Chicago nurse won the crown at Lozionica, with Jelena Njegovan and Tara Stojsic as runners-up. She will represent Serbia next year in Puerto Rico.
Nikolina Vujicic is the new Miss Universe Serbia. The crown went to her last night, August 30, 2026, at the final held at Lozionica in Belgrade, where sixteen finalists competed for the title.
Serbian News reported ahead of the final that sixteen women were competing for the crown and that the pageant was set for Sunday evening at Lozionica. Last night that story reached its ending, and the name of the new winner is now known.
How did the evening unfold?
By accounts from the scene, the evening ran through several rounds of walks and introductions of the contestants, and before the main announcement the judges also handed out special honors. Alongside the crown, three additional titles were awarded that night:
- Miss Bikini
- Miss Charm
- Miss Media
Only after those categories came the moment the audience had waited all evening for: the announcement of the new Miss Universe Serbia. Jelena Njegovan was named first runner-up, while Tara Stojsic took the title of second runner-up.
The crown was handed to Nikolina by last year’s winner, Ivana Trisic. She had held the title for a year, and last night officially passed it on to the new titleholder.
Who is Nikolina Vujicic?
Nikolina is 24. She comes from Chicago, with family roots in Dragovo. By profession she is a nurse, working in pediatric emergency care, and she is currently pursuing doctoral studies in family medicine at Loyola University in Chicago.
Before she appeared among the finalists at Lozionica, she had already worn one crown. She won the title of Miss Illinois USA in 2025, so she entered the final not as an unknown name but as a contestant with experience on the American pageant scene.
Along with the Miss Universe Serbia crown, Nikolina received a scholarship to the Faculty of Applied Arts, as well as additional prizes that come with the title.
Her path to last night’s crown brings together two worlds that rarely overlap. On one side is the pageant world, with titles, scholarships and evening gowns. On the other is pediatric emergency care in Chicago, where Nikolina works, and doctoral studies in family medicine at Loyola University, which she pursues alongside all her duties as a contestant.
What comes next for the new titleholder
Next year Nikolina Vujicic will represent Serbia at the world Miss Universe pageant, held in Puerto Rico. Until then, a string of public appearances and preparations await her in the name of the title she now holds.
Her background, a nurse in pediatric emergency care who is at the same time pursuing a doctorate, sets her apart from previous winners. That combination of the crown and a job in healthcare, alongside the outcome of the final itself, drew the most attention last night.
Official photos and footage from the final at Lozionica are only just being published on the pageant organizers’ profiles, and Nikolina herself, like the winners before her, has said she will share impressions from the announcement on her Instagram account.
Until she leaves for Puerto Rico, the new Miss Universe Serbia will, going by past practice in the pageant, continue balancing her job in emergency care with the obligations that come with the title. Last year’s winner, Ivana Trisic, was part of numerous public events throughout her year at the head of the pageant, and something similar is expected of Nikolina until the moment she hands the crown to the next winner.
Last night’s final thus closed the story we had followed from the announcement, from sixteen names on the list of finalists to one crown that changed hands last night. Ivana Trisic has now officially completed her one-year term, and Nikolina Vujicic is heading into preparations for her appearance on the world stage.
