Miss Universe
Type | International women's beauty pageant |
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Parent organization |
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Headquarters |
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First edition | 1952 |
Most recent edition | 2023 |
Current titleholder | Sheynnis Palacios Nicaragua |
Owners |
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CEO and President | Amy Emmerich (until March 1, 2024), outgoing |
Vice Presidents |
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Language/s | English |
Website | www |
Miss Universe is an annual international major
The Miss Universe Organization and its brand, along with its sister pageants, Miss USA and Miss Teen USA, is currently owned by JKN Global Group and Legacy Holding Group USA Inc., an American division of Mexican company Legacy Holding through the joint venture company JKN Legacy Inc.[3] Telemundo has the licensing rights to air the pageant through 2023.[4] The pageant's advocacy is "humanitarian issues and is a voice to affect positive change in the world."[5][6]
The current Miss Universe is Sheynnis Palacios of Nicaragua who was crowned on November 18, 2023 in San Salvador, El Salvador.
History
The title "Miss Universe" was first used by the International Pageant of Pulchritude in 1926. This contest was held annually until 1935, when the Great Depression and other events preceding World War II led to its demise.
The current Miss Universe pageant was founded in 1952 by Pacific Knitting Mills, a California-based clothing company and manufacturer of
The first Miss Universe Pageant was held in
The pageant was first televised in 1955. CBS began broadcasting the combined Miss USA and Miss Universe pageants in 1960, and as separate contests in 1965. Eventually, Gulf and Western Industries bought the Kayser-Roth Corporation in 1975 which also acquired the Miss Universe pageant until 1991 when it was bought by Procter & Gamble.[9]
In 1996,
In June 2015, NBC cancelled all business relationships with Trump and the Miss Universe Organization in response to
On October 26, 2022, Thailand-based
On November 16, 2023, Paula Shugart, president of the Miss Universe Organization, announced her departure from the Miss Universe Organization.[21] The aforementioned position will not be replaced.[21] Following the departure of Shugart, CEO of the Miss Universe Organization Amy Emmerich also announced her departure on 8 February 2024 and will be leaving the organization on 1 March 2024.[22]
Contestant selection
To gain participation in Miss Universe, a country needs a local company or person to buy the local rights of the competition through a franchise fee. The fee includes the rights of image, brand and everything related to the pageant. Often the owner of the franchise returns the franchise to the Miss Universe Organization, which resells it to a new stakeholder. The reselling of the franchise from one owner to the next is recurrently common in the history of the event, sometimes for contractual breaches or financial reasons. The number of participants fluctuates annually because of the franchising of the pageant paired with conflicting schedules to the regular calendar, but has steadied above 70 countries since 1989.
Usually a country's candidate selection involves pageants in the nation's local subdivisions, where local winners compete in a national pageant, but there are some countries who opt for an internal selection. For example, from 2000 to 2004, Australian delegates were chosen by a modeling agency. Although such "castings" are generally discouraged by the Miss Universe Organization, Jennifer Hawkins was chosen to represent the country in Miss Universe in 2004 (where she would eventually win the crown). Australia would eventually reinstate its national pageant for Miss Universe from 2005 onwards.
Recent countries that debuted in the pageant include Bhutan (2022) and Pakistan (2023). Pakistan is the latest newcomer and the most recent country to obtain its first ever semifinal placement at Miss Universe, after debuting in 2023 as a semifinalist in the Top 20. Meanwhile, Botswana remains the most recent first-time entry to ever win Miss Universe on its debut year (with Mpule Kwelagobe in 1999), and Nicaragua is the most recent country to obtain its first ever national win in Miss Universe (with Sheynnis Palacios in 2023).
Cultural barriers, particularly with the swimsuit competition, and the prohibitive franchise fees of the event have prevented some countries like Mozambique from participating. Nevertheless, the Miss Universe Pageant has historically proven popular in regions like the Americas, Africa and Asia, especially in countries like United States, Philippines, Colombia, Brazil, Venezuela, South Africa, Thailand and Indonesia, given their successful track record of multiple semifinal appearances in the last decade and combined multiple titles in the competition's history. As of 2024, only two countries have been present at every Miss Universe since its inception in 1952: Canada and France.
Since 2012, openly
Previously, official rules had stated that pageant contestants, "must not have ever been married, not had a marriage annulled nor given birth to, or parented a child. The titleholders are also required to remain unmarried throughout their reign."[28][29] However, in August 2022, the Miss Universe Organization announced that mothers, married, or pregnant women are eligible to compete in the pageant.[30] The new rule has been instituted since 2023. Accepting married contestants reinvigorates tension between the American-based Miss Universe pageant and the European-based Mrs. Universe pageant, which was previously the only avenue for married women to compete for the Universe title. Later that same year, Colombia's Camila Avella became the first candidate to become a mother before clinching a semifinal placement at Miss Universe, after finishing as a finalist in the Top 5.
Moreover, Miss Universe has always strictly prohibited
Main pageant
Throughout the history of Miss Universe, the main pageant has varied widely in terms of annual scheduling. In the last decade, the Miss Universe competition has been consistently held over a two-week period between early November and late January. Because of television schedule demands (largely as a result of international time zone differences) or conflicting national events happening during the organizing process (such as the
According to the organizers, the Miss Universe contest is more than a beauty pageant, though they are expected to participate in swimsuit and evening gown competitions. Women aspiring to become Miss Universe must be intelligent, well-mannered, and cultured. If a candidate is unable to perform well during each round, she is often eliminated. Normally, the placements of the candidates are determined by a ranked vote, where each judge ranks each of the candidates individually and within the stipulated rules. In the past, the pageant semifinalists were chosen on a round robin system. Between 2017 and 2019, the semifinalists were selected based on highest scores per continental group followed by the judging panel's wildcard list along an extra candidate chosen in popular choice. All preliminary results were reset and a new competition starts with the highest placed positions at the semifinals. From 2020 onwards, the round robin system was reinstated where in each round of the grand final, the group of candidates with the lowest rates are progressively eliminated. However, this criterion has been modified to use weighted averages or with points accumulated by stages from the preliminary competition to coronation night, with the assessment in ascending or descending order. From 2011 to 2014, 2016, 2020 and since 2022, the public can also select another semifinalist via fan-voting. Since the pageant's inception, all semifinalists are announced at the beginning of the live telecast regardless of the edition's format and if ties occur in the final rounds, the preliminary results are used.
The winner then signs a contract with the Miss Universe Organization that can last at least seven months to more than a full year as per demands of the Miss Universe Organization. The new Miss Universe takes office immediately after the coronation and takes on a public cause in which she becomes the ambassador for a year to spread messages about the control of diseases, peace, and public awareness of AIDS (though the organization's more recent humanitarian works have included various causes such as women's and ethnic minority rights, along with contemporary racial issues, public health issues and the consequences of
If the winner, for any reason, cannot fulfill her duties as Miss Universe, the first runner-up takes over. This protocol has happened only once as of 2024, when Panama's Justine Pasek succeeded Russia's Oxana Fedorova as Miss Universe in 2002 after the latter's dethronement later that same year. Aside from the main winner and her runners-up, special awards are also given to the winners of the Best National Costume, Miss Photogenic, and Miss Congeniality. The Miss Congeniality award is chosen by the delegates themselves. In recent years, Miss Photogenic has been chosen by popular internet vote (the winner used to be chosen by media personnel covering the event), and the winning country for Best National Costume is announced live after the naming of the semifinalists during the coronation night.
Crowns of Miss Universe
The crown of Miss Universe has changed nine times over the course of its 70-year history.[33]
- Romanov Imperial Nuptial Crown (1952) as the first crown, was previously owned by the now-defunct
- Romanov Diadem Crown or Metal Bronze Crown (1953) — When Christiane Martel became Miss Universe 1953, the nuptial crown was replaced by a metallic bronze crown. She was the only Miss Universe titleholder to wear this crown.[33]
- Star of the Universe (1954–1960) — This crown was used from 1954 to 1960. It was named as such due to the star shape at the top of the crown. It is made up of approximately 1,000 Oriental cultured and black pearls set in solid gold and platinum and only weighed 1.25 pounds. It was insured for US$500,000.[33]
- Lady Rhinestone Crown or Coventry Crown (1961–2001) — This crown was purely made from rhinestones, debuting in 1961 as part of the 10th anniversary of the Miss Universe pageant. Only Denise Quinones became its last crown holder before relinquishing her role as Miss Universe, and the Mikimoto Pearl company accepted the offer to sponsor a commemorative crown for the Miss Universe Organization during the same year's 50th overall edition for the pageant.[33]
- Mikimoto Crown (2002–2007; 2017–2018) — used from 2002 to 2007 for the 50th commemorative anniversary of the Miss Universe organization, this crown was designed by Tomohiro Yamaji for the Mikimoto Company, the official jewel sponsor of the Miss Universe Organization. The crown depicted the phoenix rising, signifying status, power and beauty, as stipulated in their sponsorship deal. The crown has 500 natural colorless diamonds of almost 30 carats (6.0 g), 120 South Sea and Akoya pearls, ranging in size from 3 to 18 mm diameter and is valued at US$250,000.[33] The crown was designed for the pageant on Mikimoto Pearl Island in Japan with the Mikimoto crown and tiara being first used for Miss Universe 2002, which was unveiled by former proprietor Donald Trump.[34] Among pageant connoisseurs, the Mikimoto crown is reputedly the most sought among beauty titleholders, before finally being retired for use after Catriona Gray became the last Miss Universe winner to ever use the crown on her reign until 2019.
- CAO Crown (2008) — in 2008, Dayana Mendoza was crowned with a tiara designed by a tandem of Rosalina Lydster and Dang Kim Lien of CAO Fine Jewelry. The crown was valued at US$120,000, was made of an 18 karat combination of white and yellow gold and composed of over 1,000 precious stones, including 555 white diamonds (30 carats), 375 cognac diamonds (14 carats), 10 smoky quartz crystals (20 carats) and 19 morganite gemstones (60 carats). The yellow lustre of the gold represents the prosperous thriving economy in Vietnam as symbolized by a Vietnamese Crane heron. However, Mendoza declined to use this crown and thus insisted on the Mikimoto crown when she crowned her compatriot, Stefanía Fernández as her successor.
- Diamond Nexus Crown (2009–2013) — From 2009 to 2013, Diamond Nexus Labs made the Miss Universe crown. The crown is set with 1,371 gemstones, weighing a total of 416.09 carats (83.218 g). It contains 544.31 grams of 14k and 18k white gold as well as platinum. The crown features synthetic rubies to represent Miss Universe's HIV/AIDS education and awareness platform. Diamond Nexus Labs is the first ever eco-friendly Official Jeweler of Miss Universe and was selected as part of NBC Universal's "Green is Universal" initiative.[35][36]
- DIC Crown (2014–2016) — From 2014 to 2016, Paulina Vega, Pia Wurtzbach and Iris Mittenaere were decorated with the DIC Crown, estimated to be worth US$300,000 and produced by Czech company Diamonds International Corporation (DIC).[37][38] The whole production process took approximately four months and required the work of ten artisans. The crown is reminiscent of the Manhattan Skyline and is composed of 311 diamonds, 5 pieces of blue topaz, 198 pieces of blue sapphire, 33 pieces of heat—fired crystals, and 220 grams of 18 karat white gold. The grand total weight of the crown is 411 grams. This crown was retired in 2017 due to a copyright infringement and subsequent payment issues between DIC and the Miss Universe Organization.[39]
- Mouawad Power of Unity Crown (2019–2021) — On December 5, 2019, Mouawad Jewelry became the new jeweler for the Miss Universe Organization. With an estimated average worth of almost US$6 million, the Mouawad crowns are the world's most expensive set of pageant crowns on record. From 2019 to 2021, Zozibini Tunzi, Andrea Meza and Harnaaz Sandhu were decorated with the first-generation Mouawad Crown, revealed the Mouawad Power of Unity Crown.[40] The crown consists of Golden Canary Diamond that weighs 62.83 carat. According to Pascal Mouawad, the crown symbolizes Ambition, Diversity, Community, and Beauty.[41]
- Mouawad Force for Good Crown (2022–present) — In 2022, with the ownership of the Miss Universe Organization transferred to Jakkaphong Jakrajutatip, the contract with Mouawad Jewelry was renewed and the current crown design was created. The second-generation Mouawad crown is called Force for Good and was introduced on December 19, 2022. The crown holds 110 carats of blue sapphires, 48 carats of white diamonds, and a 45.14-carat royal blue sapphire at its center.[42]
Gallery of Miss Universe crowns
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The Romanov Diadem Crown, as worn by Miss Universe 1953, Christiane Martel
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The Star of the Universe Crown, as worn by Miss Universe 1957, Gladys Zender
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The Coventry Lady Rhinestone Crown, as worn by Miss Universe 1968, Martha Vasconcellos
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The CAO Crown as worn by Miss Universe 2008, Dayana Mendoza
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The Diamond Nexus Crown as worn byLeila Lopes
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The Mouawad Power of Unity Crown as worn by Miss Universe 2019, Zozibini Tunzi
Recent Titleholders
Edition | Year | Representing | Miss Universe | National Title | Venue of Competition | Number of Entrants |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
68th | 2019 | South Africa | Zozibini Tunzi | Miss South Africa 2019 | Atlanta, Georgia, United States | 90 |
69th | 2020 | Mexico | Andrea Meza | Mexicana Universal 2020 | Hollywood, Florida, United States | 74 |
70th | 2021 | India | Harnaaz Sandhu | Miss Diva Universe 2021 | Eilat, Israel | 80 |
71st | 2022 | United States | R'Bonney Gabriel | Miss USA 2022 | New Orleans, Louisiana, United States | 83 |
72nd | 2023 | Nicaragua | Sheynnis Palacios | Miss Nicaragua 2023 | San Salvador, El Salvador | 84 |
Gallery of winners
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Miss Universe 2011Leila Lopes
Angola
Miss Universe Organization
The Miss Universe Organization currently owns and runs the Miss Universe, Miss USA, and Miss Teen USA beauty pageants. Between 2020 and 2022, it stopped organizing the Miss USA and the Miss Teen USA competitions, when these franchises were operated by Crystle Stewart, until her suspension in October 2022, and as a result, the latter pageants returned to the Miss Universe Organization.[43][44]
Based in New York City and
Miss Universe Organization titleholders
The following is a list of all Miss Universe Organization titleholders from the founding of each pageant until the separation of Miss USA and Miss Teen USA into a new organization between 2020 and 2022.
- Notes
- ^ a b c d e f Inherited the Miss USA title after the original titleholder became Miss Universe
- ^ a b Between 2021 and 2022, the Miss USA and Miss Teen USA titleholders were under a separate organization but were not associated with Miss Universe at the time of crowning.
- ^ In 2002, Fedorova was dethroned by the Miss Universe Organization.
- ^ Inherited the Miss Universe title after Fedorova was dethroned.
- ^ Inherited the Miss USA title after Gage was stripped of the crown
- ^ In 1957, Gage was stripped of her Miss USA title when it was revealed that she was married and the mother of two children.
Gallery
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Mall of Asia Arena, Manila, the Philippines
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Crystle Stewart, Miss USA 2008 and Dayana Mendoza, Miss Universe 2008 at Guantanamo Bay
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Crystle Stewart, Miss USA 2008 and Stevi Perry, Miss Teen USA 2008
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Hilary Cruz, Miss Teen USA 2007 and Riyo Mori, Miss Universe 2007 attend the "Fashion Rocks the Universe" event prior to the Miss USA 2008 pageant.
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Chelsea Cooley, Miss USA 2005 and Shelley Hennig, Miss Teen USA 2004 at Guantanamo Bay
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Miss Universe 2002, Justine Pasek, with Miss USA 2002, Shauntay Hinton and Miss Teen USA 2002, Vanessa Semrow at Guantanamo Bay
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Shawn Weatherly, Miss Universe 1980 and Kim Seelbrede, Miss USA 1981 together with then-US President Ronald Reagan
In other media
Electronic Arts was reportedly developing a video game based on the pageant in 2013, but development status is currently uncertain due to the closure of EA Black Box, the studio allegedly developing the game.[45]
See also
- List of beauty pageants
- Mrs. Universe
- Big Four international beauty pageants
References
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- ^ "Mikimoto History Timeline". mikimotoamerica.com. Archived from the original on August 1, 2014.
- ^ "Connection to MISS UNIVERSE®". diamondnexus.com. Archived from the original on September 6, 2014. Retrieved October 8, 2013.
- ^ "Diamond Nexus Labs Announced as The Official Jewelry of The Miss Universe Organization". redorbit.com. redOrbit. February 3, 2009. Retrieved October 8, 2013.
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