History

Miss Universe sash since 2001

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 Catalina Swimwear. The company was the
sponsor of the Miss America pageant until 1951, when the winner, Yolande Betbeze, refused to
pose for publicity pictures wearing one of their swimsuits. In 1952, Pacific Knitting Mills organized
the Miss USA and Miss Universe pageants, co-sponsoring them for decades to follow.
The first Miss Universe Pageant was held in Long Beach, California in 1952. It was won by Armi
Kuusela from Finland, who gave up her title, though not officially, to get married, shortly before
her year was completed.[9] Until 1958, the Miss Universe title, like that of Miss America, was
dated by the year following the contest, so at the time Ms. Kuusela's title was Miss Universe
1953. Since its founding by Pacific Mills, the pageant has been organized and conducted by the
Miss Universe Organization. Eventually, Pacific Mills and its subsidiaries were acquired by
the Kayser-Roth Corporation, which was in turn acquired by Gulf and Western Industries.
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. More than 30 years
later, Donald Trump bought the pageant in 1996 from ITT Corp, with a broadcasting arrangement
with CBS until 2002.[10] During this time, in 1998, Miss Universe, Inc. changed its name to the
Miss Universe Organization, and moved its headquarters from Los Angeles to New York
City.[11][12] By late 2002, Trump entered into a joint venture with NBC,[1][13] which in 2003 outbid the
other markets for the TV rights.[14] From 2003 to 2014, the pageant was broadcast in the United
States on NBC.
In June 2015, NBC cancelled all business relationships with Trump and the Miss Universe
Organization in response to controversial statements about illegal immigrants who crossed the
border from Mexico.[15][16] As part of the legal settlement, in September 2015, Trump bought out
NBC's 50% stake in the company, making him the company's sole owner. Three days later, he
sold the whole company to WME/IMG.[17][18] Following the change of ownership, in October
2015, Fox and Azteca became the official broadcasters of the Miss Universe and Miss USA
pageants.[19] The current president of the Miss Universe Organization is Paula Shugart, who has
held this position since 1997.[20]
During the CBS telecast era, John Charles Daly hosted the Miss Universe Pageant from 1955 to
1966, Bob Barker from 1967 to 1987, Alan Thicke in 1988, John Forsythe in 1989, Dick
Clark from 1990 to 1993, Bob Goen from 1994 to 1996, and Jack Wagner in 1998 and 1999.
During the NBC telecast era, Billy Bush hosted the Miss Universe Pageant from 2003 to 2005
and 2009, Andy Cohen in 2011 and 2012, and Thomas Roberts in 2013 and 2014. Daisy
Fuentes, Nancy O'Dell, Mel B and Natalie Morales are currently the only females to have hosted
the event multiple times (from 2002 to 2004, 2005 and 2006, 2008 and 2013, and from 2010 to
2011 and 2014, respectively).
During the Fox telecast era from 2015 to 2019, Miss Universe was hosted annually by Steve
Harvey. The backstage correspondents include Roselyn Sanchez in 2015, Ashley Graham from
2016 to 2018, Olivia Culpo in 2019. In 2020, the Miss USA and Miss Teen USA brands were split
from the Miss Universe Organization into their independent organization, run by Crystle Stewart,
while the broadcast rights to the Miss Universe Pageant was split
between Telemundo and FYI. Mario Lopez returned as host in 2020 (alongside Culpo) after
hosting for NBC in 2007.

Contestant selection
Main article: List of Miss Universe countries
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 is
inconsistent because of the franchising of the pageant paired with problems related to the
calendar.
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). When Australia resumed its national pageant in the
following year, Michelle Guy became Miss Universe Australia 2005.
Recent countries that became involved in the pageant since the 2010s decade
include Gabon and Lithuania (2012), Azerbaijan (2013), Sierra
Leone (2016), Cambodia, Laos and Nepal (2017), Armenia, Kyrgyzstan and Mongolia (2018), Ba
ngladesh and Equatorial Guinea (2019), Cameroon (2020). Nepal is the most recent newcomer
to place in the semifinals in Miss Universe after making into the Top 10 in 2018,
while Botswana remains the most recent first-time entry to ever win Miss Universe on its debut
year (in Mpule Kwelagobe in 1999), and Angola is the most recent country to obtain its first ever
national win in Miss Universe (in Leila Lopes in 2011).
Cultural barriers in the swimsuit competition have prevented some countries from participating,
while others like Mozambique have not participated because of the prohibitive cost of the event.
The Miss Universe has historically proven popular in regions like the Americas, Africa and Asia,
especially in countries like U.S.A., Colombia, Brazil, Venezuela, South
Africa, Philippines, Indonesia and Thailand, all of which have appeared in the semifinals multiple
times in the last decade.
As of 2021, only two countries have been present at every Miss Universe since its inception in
1952: Canada and France. Since its inception, Miss Universe strictly prohibits age fabrication,
and all contestants are not allowed to be pregnant throughout the entire competition (and for
winners, up to their reign). This posts a problem, however, for several European countries, which
allow 17-year-old contestants to compete in their pageants. Since Miss Universe's minimum age
is 18, national titleholders often have to be replaced by their runners-up or another candidate. In
recent years, virtually all Miss Universe candidates are required to be at least university degree
holders or working professionals from their onset of stints in their national pageants.
Beginning in 2012, openly transgender women were allowed to compete, as long as they won
their national pageants.[21] Six years after this rule went into effect, Angela Ponce of Spain
became the first openly transgender candidate to compete in the contest, in the 2018[22] edition.
In 2019, Swe Zin Htet became the first openly lesbian woman to compete in Miss Universe.
Spain's Patricia Yurena Rodríguez is currently the highest-placed LGBT member at Miss
Universe, placing second to Venezuela's Gabriela Isler in 2013, but did not come out until years
after the competition.[23][24][25][26]

Main pageant
Throughout the history of Miss Universe, the main contest has varied widely in terms of annual
scheduling, though it has consistently been held over a two-week period in the -ber months of the
year since 2017. From the 1970s through the 1990s, the pageant was a full month long, allowing
time for rehearsals, appearances, and the preliminary competition, with the winner being
crowned by the previous year's titleholder during the final competition.
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 the question and answer round, she is often eliminated.
Normally, the placements of the finalists are determined by a ranked vote, where each judge
ranks each of the final candidates (3 in 2019), with the contestant posting the lowest cumulative
score (thus often, but not necessarily always, the contestant with the most number one votes)
becoming the winner. If there is a tie, the higher semifinal scores become decisive. In the
previous editions, the results of the preliminaries are cleared for the final and the competition
resumes with the finalists.
The winner then signs a contract with the Miss Universe Organization that can last from seven to
eighteen months and becomes the Miss Universe of the year of the competition in question (the
contests for 2014, 2016 and 2020 were held in 2015, 2017 and 2021, respectively). In some
years the competition is advanced or delayed. The new Miss Universe takes office immediately
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 the rights
of women, people of color and the LGBTQ+ community). Aside from the job, the winner also
receives a cash allowance for her entire reign, a New York Film Academy scholarship, a
modeling portfolio, beauty products, clothes, shoes, as well as styling, healthcare, and fitness
services by different sponsors of the pageant. She also gains exclusive access to events such
as fashion shows and opening galas, as well as access to casting calls and modeling
opportunities throughout New York City. Between 1996 and 2015, the winner is given the use of
a Trump Place apartment in New York City during her reign, which she shares with the Miss USA
and Miss Teen USA titleholders.[27]
If the winner, for any reason, cannot fulfill her duties as Miss Universe, the 1st runner-up takes
over. This protocol has happened only once as of 2021, 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).

Final judgment
All the contestants compete in a preliminary round of judging (called the "Preliminary
Competition") where the field is narrowed to a select number of semifinalists. This number has
fluctuated over the years. The first Miss Universe pageant had ten semifinalists. For the next two
years, the number of semifinalists grew to 16. In 1955, the number dropped to a stable 15, which
remained through 1970. In 1971, the number was reduced to 12. That number was further
reduced to 10 in 1984. This lasted until 2003, when the contest reinstated the Top 15. This
selection continued to be the norm until 2015, except in 2006 and 2011 to 2013. In
2006, 2018 and 2019, there are 20 semifinalists (with 2018 currently featuring the most
competing contestants overall). The group was expanded to 21 semifinalists in 2020, the highest
number of spots in the first cut so far in the pageant's history.
From 2011 to 2013, there were 16 semifinalists, 15 chosen by judges and one chosen through
Internet votes. In the 2016 edition, there were 13 semifinalists - 12 chosen by judges panel
during the evaluation phase period to the preliminary night and one chosen by Twitter and Vodi
app. In 2017, 16 semifinalists were selected from 4 different groups each hailing from a different
region in the world - Africa & Asia-Pacific, Europe, The Americas - and a wild card group (which
was composed of all the other candidates who did not qualify in their
respective continental competitions. In this group, there was also the Miss Internet). In 2018 and
2019, this number rose from 4 to 5, totaling 20 semifinalists.
In the early years, the contestants were judged in swimsuit and evening gown only. The
contestants are also judged based on on a variety of issues that vary from posture at events or
interviews to your presence on social networks. The summit of the contest is the grand televised
final that is held each year in a different international city, in which the semifinalists are known
and progressively advance to the final stage of the questions. In this last stage, the runners-up
are named and the winner is crowned as the new Miss Universe. Prior to the coronation night,
the contestants also compete in a preliminary interview round in a one-on-one meeting with each
individual judge (mostly closed-door sessions). The live interviews round for the semifinalists
became a separate segment in 2001, and was reinstated to introduce the semifinalists between
2016 and 2019.
The 2018 edition marked the first time that the Miss Universe pageant included the live opening
statements after the semifinalists have been announced, to be included in the overall results in
determining the winner of the competition. The 2019 edition marked the first (and so far, only)
time ever in Miss Universe pageant's history that the remaining finalists are required to deliver
their live closing statements, to be included in the overall results, right before the announcement
of the winner of the competition.

Crowns of Miss Universe

• Romanov Imperial Nuptial Crown (1952) as the first crown, was previously owned
by the now-defunct Russian monarchy. It was used by Armi Kuusela in 1952.[28]
• Romanov Diadem Crown or Metal Bronze Crown (1953) — When Christiane
Martel of France 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.[28]
• 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.[28]
• 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 Marlene Schmidt from Germany and Norma
Nolan from Argentina wore this crown.[28] In 1963, renowned jeweler Sarah
Coventry reinvented the rhinestone crown which featured a female figure (holding a
scepter) as its main centerpiece. The cheaper cost of its rhinestone design made it
possible to create exact replicas of the crown to be given to outgoing titleholders.
The design was slightly modified in 1973 for the wearer's convenience, and was
dubbed as The Lady Crown. This was used until 2002, when 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.[28]
• 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.[28] 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.[29] Among pageant
connoisseurs, the Mikimoto crown is reputedly the most sought among beauty title
holders, 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 of Venezuela 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.[citation needed] 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.[30][31]
• 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).[32][33] 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 18k
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.[34]
• Mouawad Power of Unity Crown (2019–present) — On December 5, 2019, the
new jeweler of the Miss Universe Organization, Mouawad Jewelry, revealed
the Mouawad Crown that is estimated to be worth US$5 million, making it the world's
most expensive beauty pageant crown on record.[35] The crown consists of Golden
Canary Diamond that weighs 62.83 carat. According to Pascal Mouawad, the crown
symbolizes Ambition, Diversity, Community, and Beauty.