Beauty pageant contestant Khin Wint Wah has become an overnight sensation after winning the Miss Internet prize at the Miss Supranational beauty pageant in the Belarusian capital of Minsk on Saturday evening.

The Burmese beauty was mobbed by hundreds of fans and supporters as she landed at Rangoon airport on Sunday.

“I am absolutely delighted, I can’t even describe it in words”, she said, beaming.

Khin Wint Wah was one of 20 finalists for the main prize, Miss Supranational.

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Her costume designer Ma Point said she kept the outfits traditional and tried to include aspects of traditional dress from all of Burma’s ethnic nationalities.

“For the main event I designed traditional Burmese silk longyis to identify Burma,” she said.

“To represent all the ethnicities of Burma, I also prepared Kachin, Chin, Karenni and Karen longyis to signify the tastes of our ethnic people.”

In Minsk on Saturday, the Filipino representative was crowned Miss Supranational, with Mexico as first runner up, and Turkey coming in second runner-up.

Viewers wanting to vote for the Miss Internet award had to cast their votes online, at US$5 a piece. Khin Wint Wah received 3,000 more votes than her nearest competitor.

This is not the first time that Burmese fans have flocked to the internet to vote for their national favourite. Last year at the Miss International 2012 in Okinawa, Nang Khin Zayer won the Miss Internet and the People’s Choice award – receiving 94% of the total votes cast online.