2024 Mr Universe Jonathan (Jony) Berry said "couldn't be prouder or more grateful" to join the prestigious family of titleholders in the beauty pageant world.
This year marked his debut in Mr Universe realm, and he was thrilled to showcase his cultural heritage on this new global stage.
The proud Palawa man and LGBTQI+ advocate, has previously been the first Indigenous Mr World Australia, the Palawa representative for Sydney World Pride, and the Indigenous representative for the National Stroke Foundation.
Now he has achieved a historic milestone as the first Indigenous Australian to win the Mr Universe title, and the first Australian to win the title of Mr or Miss Universe since Jennifer Hawkins two decades ago.
Sharing his excitement, Mr Berry posted a statement on his Instagram account: "A huge thank you to everyone who has supported me along the way and who made this possible."
"A huge shout out to all the incredible men I competed alongside. It's been amazing to get to know you all and learn about your beautiful countries and cultures," he wrote.
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"I can't wait to bring this home to you all and start my reign…It's going to be a wild time and I'm so excited to model around the world and share the beauty of Australia.
"I'm full of pride and so honoured and so exhausted at the same time."
Discussing the opportunity to represent not only Australia but the broader First Nations community, Mr Berry recently told NIT that it's about more than just the pageant; It's a chance to further showcase the richness of First Nations culture and advocate for greater representation.
"It's an immense honour and a great responsibility to represent both Australia and the broader First Nations community. This opportunity allows me to showcase the richness of our culture and advocate for greater representation," he said.
"It's about more than just the pageant—it's about highlighting the beauty, resilience, and strength of Indigenous people on an international platform.
"This time I'm also approaching it from the perspective of inner strength and outer courage. There were so many issues around me wearing the Aboriginal flag at Mr World and I wasn't in the right frame of mind to really challenge it.
"I've come so far as an Indigenous man - I want to show the Universe the strength we have as a First Nations people."