19-Year-old is named as 2020's 'most beautiful face in the world'

An Israeli teenager has been hailed as having "the most beautiful face in the world".

Yael Shelbia, a 19-year-old model and actress from Israel, was awarded the honor by TC Candler, which has been running the poll for 30 years.

Shelbia beat out global stars such as Harry Potter actress Emma Watson (who came 38th), Wonder Woman icon Gal Gadot (who came 21st), and former list winner and supermodel Jourdan Dunn, who came 22nd this year.

Responding to the prestigious win, Shelbia took to Instagram to share a message of gratitude with her 994,000 followers.

Alongside a screenshot of the announcement, she wrote: "Thank you @tccandler and all the voters [...] I appreciate it with all my heart!!"

Per The Sun, Shelbia is currently completing her mandatory military service in the Israel Air Force, but the 19-year-old has formerly appeared in campaigns for Israeli clothing company Renuar and Kim Kardashian's KKW Beauty makeup line.

The teen's victory also marks the fourth time she has appeared on TC Candler's list - but marks the very first time she has topped it. The Sun reports that she placed 14th in the list in 2017, third in 2018, and was runner-up last year.

Over 40 countries are regularly represented on the TC Candler "100 Most Beautiful Faces of the Year" list, with the group saying:

"Unlike most other annual beauty rankings, the list is not a popularity contest and is most definitely not country-specific."

Explaining how the voting process works on their website, TC Candler writes: "Over the past 30 years, the list has been seen by hundreds of millions of people from around the world. It is widely considered to be the most internationally recognized and prestigious list of its kind.

"Unlike most other annual beauty rankings, The List is not a popularity contest and is most definitely not country-specific. It is not about the sexiest body or the most famous celebrity. Rather, the list attempts to inform & broaden public opinion instead of reflecting it."

It adds: "Aesthetic perfection is only one of the criteria. Grace, elegance, originality, daring, passion, class, poise, joy, promise, hope… they are all embodied in a beautiful face."

YouTuber Felix Kjellberg - better known by his handle PewDiePie - topped the male equivalent and was named as TC Candler's "Most Handsome Face of the Year".