Julio Spatola of Italy Crowned Mr Gay World 2025 in Landmark Quezon City Finale

Italian representative Julio Spatola has been crowned Mr Gay World 2025, securing the title at the competition’s grand coronation night in Quezon City, Philippines. The final show, held at the Skydome, SM North EDSA in Quezon City on 2025-12-01, brought together delegates from multiple countries in a showcase of advocacy, leadership, and visibility for gay men and the broader LGBTQIA+ community.

According to coverage of the coronation program, Spatola not only clinched the overall title but also won individual awards for Best in Swimwear and Best in Formal Wear, underscoring his strong performance throughout the competition. The final results announced from the stage named Spatola as Mr Gay World 2025 for Italy, with other titles and placements going to delegates from the Netherlands, South Africa, Great Britain, and Japan.

The event concluded with the following major placements: Mr Gay World Intercontinental 2025 was awarded to Tim Kusters of the Netherlands, and Mr Gay World Tourism 2025 went to Gert Claassen-Smit of South Africa. In the main ranking, Paul Dennison of Great Britain was announced as first runner-up and Daisuke Kawarada of Japan as second runner-up. These results were presented during the live program shared by Critical Beauty Philippines , which documented the top five announcement and final Q&A segment.

The 2025 edition of Mr Gay World is the 17th in the competition’s history and the first under full Filipino ownership and leadership. Reporting by LGBTQ+ outlet Gay Nation describes how Wayne Renzo, the new CEO and President of Mr Gay World, took over the organization with the goal of rebuilding the pageant into a more structured and advocacy-driven platform. Renzo said his decision emerged from frustration at what he viewed as underused potential in a 16-year-old organization and pledged to create “a stronger, more purposeful platform.”

For the first time, the competition was formally hosted in Quezon City, with the Grand Coronation Night set for 2025-12-01, aligning with World AIDS Day and highlighting the pageant’s focus on sexual health and HIV awareness. Gay Nation notes that the Philippines’ deep pageant culture and Quezon City’s legal and social advances for LGBTQIA+ people made the location a deliberate choice to center advocacy as much as spectacle.

Renzo emphasized in interviews that he is “tired of pageants that make empty claims of advocacy,” explaining that Mr Gay World 2025 aims to “live and breathe its advocacy” by prioritizing LGBTQIA+ rights and sexual health, with particular attention to gay men while being inclusive of the broader LGBTQIA+ spectrum. The competition structure, he added, was redesigned so that candidates would be challenged to demonstrate not only physical presentation but also the strength of their community projects, public speaking, and capacity to lead.

The decision to anchor Mr Gay World 2025 in Quezon City also reflects the city’s position as one of the Philippines’ most prominent local governments for LGBTQIA+ protections. Gay Nation reports that Quezon City was the first local government unit in the country to pass a comprehensive anti-discrimination ordinance protecting LGBTQIA+ people and has been an active host of Pride marches and community programs. Local authorities have promoted policies and initiatives aimed at supporting LGBTQIA+ welfare, making the city a significant symbol for equality efforts in the Philippines.

Staging the Mr Gay World finale on World AIDS Day at Skydome, SM North EDSA added a further layer of symbolism, drawing attention to ongoing global work around HIV prevention, treatment, and stigma reduction. While the coronation night focused on crowning an ambassador, organizers framed the event as part of a broader push to connect pageantry with sustained public health and human rights advocacy.

Since its founding, the Mr Gay World competition has aimed to select an ambassador who can represent LGBTQ+ communities internationally and use their visibility to promote equality and inclusion. Travel and events guide GayTravel4U describes the pageant’s mission as identifying delegates who combine charisma and leadership with a commitment to philanthropy and community causes.

With his victory, Julio Spatola becomes the latest titleholder expected to advance this mission on a global stage, working alongside advocates, organizations, and local communities. Under the pageant’s new leadership, organizers have signaled that future activities will continue to highlight LGBTQIA+ rights, sexual health, and inclusive representation for people of diverse sexual orientations, gender identities, and expressions.