| Caption: | JW Marriott Panama, then known as the Trump Ocean Club International Hotel and Tower |
| Presenters: | Carolina Fábrega |
| Winner: | Keity Drennan Mendieta[1] |
| Represented: | Panamá Centro |
| Venue: | Trump Ocean Club International Hotel and Tower, Ciudad de Panamá, Panama |
| Date: | April 26, 2016 |
| Entrants: | 21 |
| Placements: | 3 |
| Broadcaster: | Telemetro |
| Before: | 2015 |
| Next: | 2017 |
Señorita Panama 2016 (formerly Miss Panama) was the 50th Miss Panamá pageant, held to select Panama's representative to the Miss Universe and Miss World pageants. This was the first edition of the renewed Miss Panama pageant, after Justine Pasek, Miss Universe 2002, and César Anel Rodríguez had been named the new directors of the pageant.[2]
Twenty preliminary contestants were selected from all over Panama and competed for the crown. The winner of Señorita Panama 2016 was Keity Mendieta[3] (Keity Drennan Mendieta Britton, born on July 24, 1990, in Panama City, Panamá). Miss Panamá 2015 Gladys Del Carmen Brandao Amaya of Los Santos crowned her successor at the end of the event. The event was held at the Trump Ocean Club International Hotel and Tower, Ciudad de Panamá, Panama, on May 26, 2016.[4]
Keity Mendieta, Señorita Panama 2016, represented Panama at Miss Universe 2016 the 65th Miss Universe pageant, held on January 30, 2017, at the Mall of Asia Arena, Pasay, Metro Manila, Philippines, where Mendieta placed in the Top 13.[5]
| Placement | Contestant | |
|---|---|---|
| Señorita Panama 2016 | ||
| 1st Runner-Up |
| |
| 2nd Runner-Up |
|
These are the candidates evaluated through a casting for this edition:[8]
| Contestant | Age |
|---|---|
| Julia Rodriguez | 25 |
| Virginia Nieto | 24 |
| Maria Esther Toffolon | 23 |
| Jenia Fulton | 22 |
| Olivia Pineda | 20 |
| Katherine Quintero | 24 |
| Maria Cristina Rodriguez | 20 |
| Ana María Jurado | 22 |
| Julianne Britton | 20 |
| Laura de Sanctis | 19 |
| Leydis González | 18 |
| Rita Silvestre | 25 |
| Margareth Villanueva | 22 |
| Mary Carmen Aguian | 24 |
| Amelia Rodríguez | 24 |
| Alba Cristina Ríos | 25 |
| Keity Drennan | 25 |
| Lorraine Acevedo | 25 |
| Angela Maltez | 24 |
| Stephany Guevara | 26 |
| Ingrid Suárez | 19 |
On April 16, Señorita Panama candidates participated in qualifiers through a swimsuit contest and a personal interview.
Held on September 1, the Gala Viva Panama was the election for the Best National Costume. In this competition, the contestants were not evaluated, only the costumes.
The event showcased the creative work of Panamanian designers and also selected the costume for Panama at Miss Universe 2016. Some costumes were also elected to represent Panama in other beauty contests.
The contest also led to the selection of Señorita Panamá World, Señorita Panamá Earth, Señorita Panamá Hispanoamerica and Señorita Panamá United Continents. Diana Jaén, Miss Panamá World 2015, crowned her successor, Alessandra Bueno Fontaine of Panamá Centro, as Señorita Panamá World 2016. Carmen Jaramillo of Panamá Oeste crowned Virginia Isabel Hernández Milachay of Panamá Centro as Señorita Panamá Earth 2016. Jhasmeiry Herrera Evans of Colón was crowned as Señorita Panamá Hispanoamerica 2016.
Alessandra Bueno Fontaine represented Panama in the 66th Miss World finals at the Gaylord Convention Center in Washington, D.C., on December 18, 2016. Hernández represented Panama at the Miss Earth 2016 pageant held on October 29, 2016, at the SM Mall of Asia Arena, Pasay, Philippines.
| Final Results | Contestant |
|---|---|
| Señorita Panamá World | Panama Centro - Alessandra Bueno Fontaine[9] |
| Señorita Panamá Earth | Panama Centro - Virginia Isabel Hernández Milachay |
| Señorita Panamá Hispanoamericana | Colón - Jhasmeiry Cristina Herrera Evans |
| Señorita Panamá United Continents | Panama Centro - Rita Marianne Silvestre Mogollón |
| Final Results | Contest | Designer | Topic | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winner | Best National Costume, to Miss Universe | Daniel Cortina | "Feria de las flores y el cafe"[10] | |
| 1st runner-up | Best National Costume, to Miss Earth | Jorge Crespo | "Flor del Espiritu Santo" | |
| 2nd runner-up | Best National Costume, to Reina Hispanoamericana | Gabriel Lopez | "Nuestra Belleza indigena" | |
| 3rd runner-up | Best National Costume, to Miss United Continents | Javier Hernandez | "Diosa de dos Mares" |