The third annual Miss Russian San Francisco pageant celebrated Russian culture and beauty in the Venetian Room at the Fairmont Hotel, on September 16th. Nine contestants, ages 18 – 34, competed for the title. Each produced a short introduction video, walked in a bikini and evening gown, and answered questions about her outlook on life. Both married and single women participated. The winner was the oldest contestant at 34, a married mother of twin boys who lives in the Bay Area, works in tech and grew up in Saint Petersburg, Russia.
Carpet Bay Area congratulates all of the contestants and winners:
Miss Russian San Francisco 2016: Ulyana Zilbermintz, age 34, from Saint Petersburg, Russia
1st runner up: Olga Sigmundson, age 18, from Odessa, Ukraine
2nd runner up: Kseniya Matiz, age 26, from Kaliningrad, Russia
Contestants:
Maria Bozhenko, age 22, from Minsk, Belarus
Anastasia Dorodnova, age 24, from Moscow, Russia
Oksana Klimashkina, age 31, from Moscow, Russia
Ksenia Opia, age 32, from Yekaterinburg, Russia
Vera Siniauskaya, age 25, from Minsk, Belarus
Sonia Yetka, age 18, from Minsk, Belarus
Scenes from Miss Russian San Francisco 2016:
Photos by Rajib Basu, Konstantin Kisly, and WillowCrystal Photography
Marketing professional Karina Zakharov founded the Miss Russian San Francisco pageant in 2013. Her vision included not only empowering Russian-speaking women, but also uniting the local community of expats from numerous Russian speaking countries. The pageant shines a spotlight on the richness and zest of Russian culture. Its mission goes beyond beauty and serves as a fundraiser, this year for Breast Cancer Fund.