A beauty pageant or beauty contest is a competition that has traditionally focused on judging and ranking the physical attributes of the contestants, although most contests have evolved to also incorporate personality traits, intelligence, talent, and a contestant's ability to answer judges' questions on various subjects as judged criteria. The term refers largely to contests for women such as the Big Four international beauty pageants. Hundreds of thousands of beauty contests are held annually, but the Big Four are considered the most prestigious, widely covered and broadcast by media. The Wall Street Journal, BBC News, CNN, Xinhua News Agency, and global news agencies such as Reuters, Associated Press and Agence France-Presse collectively refer to the four major pageants as "Big Four" namely: Miss Universe, Miss World, Miss International, and Miss Earth.
Miss Universe is an annual international beauty pageant that is run by the United States–based Miss Universe Organization. It is one of the most watched pageants in the world with an estimated audience of over 500 million viewers in over 190 territories. Along with Miss World, Miss International, and Miss Earth, Miss Universe is one of the Big Four international beauty pageants.
Mpule Keneilwe Kwelagobe is a Botswana investor, businesswoman, model, and beauty queen who was crowned Miss Universe 1999. She was the first black African woman to win one of the Big Four international beauty pageants, the first woman from Botswana to win, and the first from a nation making their debut in nearly four decades. Kwelagobe had previously been crowned Miss Botswana 1997 and Miss Universe Botswana 1999, and competed in Miss World 1997.
Most Beautiful Girl in Nigeria – also abbreviated as MBGN – is a pageant organised by Silverbird Group with the main purpose of sending representatives to international competitions. Originally known as Miss Universe Nigeria, it was renamed Most Beautiful Girl in Nigeria after news publishers Daily Times lost their license to send delegates from rival contest Miss Nigeria to Miss World.
Maria Margarita "Margie" Roxas Moran-Floirendo is a Filipino peace advocate, President of Ballet Philippines, and Chair of the Cultural Center of the Philippines. She is best known for winning the second Miss Universe crown for the Philippines as Miss Universe 1973.
Riza Raquel Santos is a currently the Vice President of Argyle Fox Inc., a technology firm headquartered in Calgary, Alberta. and a former Canadian actress, TV Host and the first Canadian beauty pageant titleholder who achieved the "Canada's Triple Crown": Miss Earth Canada 2006, Miss World Canada 2011 and Miss Universe Canada 2013.
Señorita Panamá is a national beauty pageant in Panama. As of 2019, its winners represent Panama in Miss Universe, Miss International. The Miss Panama brand started in 1952, when the Panamanian Institute of Tourism received an invitation from Miss Universe to send a representative. In 1975, the Señorita Panamá name was used for the first time, reverting to Miss Panama in 1976. In 1982, Señorita Panamá was created by RPC Channel 4 as an alternative to send its winners to the Miss World contest in London. These pageants, along with smaller pageants such as Miss International Panamá and Miss World Panamá celebrated to select delegates for international representations.
Miss World Australia is a national beauty pageant that selects Australia's representative to the Miss World pageant since 2002. The current Miss World Australia is Sarah Marschke from Sydney, New South Wales. Two Australian representatives have won the Miss World title, in 1968 and 1972.
Miss Universe Ireland is a national beauty pageant that has selected Ireland's representative to the Miss Universe pageant since 2002.
Miss Marianas is the national Beauty pageant in Northern Marianas.
Gabrielle Walcott is a Trinidadian artist, model, charity worker and beauty queen who won Miss Trinidad and Tobago World 2008 and placed as the 2nd runner-up in Miss World 2008. She is also titleholder of Miss World Beauty with a Purpose 2008, Miss World Caribbean 2008, and Miss Trinidad and Tobago Universe 2011. She represented Trinidad and Tobago at the Miss Universe 2011 pageant in São Paulo but was unplaced. Gabrielle resides in Petit Valley, Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago.
Miss Gay Philippines (MGP) is a gay beauty pageant in the Philippines. Considered the longest-running national gay beauty pageant in the Philippines, Miss Gay Philippines was founded in 1979 by entertainment journalist and talk show host Chito Alcid. Miss Gay Philippines is currently owned by the Betera Group.
A child beauty pageant is a beauty contest where contestants are usually under 16 years of age. There does not appear to be reliable statistics about the number of these pageants held each year around the world. They vary in style, and categories may include a talent segment as well as costume and theme wear. Contestants often wear makeup, fake teeth, false eyelashes, lipstick, elaborate hairstyles with hair extensions, and specially designed, sometimes provocative, outfits. Spray tanning and waxing are also common. Contestants compete for prizes and are judged on the way they look and how they act on stage, similar to the judgment criteria in adult beauty pageants. Many parents attribute confidence-building as one of the reasons they enter their children in beauty pageants, but critics argue that the negative effects of beauty pageantry, especially the sexualization of young children, outweigh the positive intentions.
Miss International Queen is the world's biggest beauty pageant for transgender women from different parts of the world. The pageant was established in 2004 and named the largest and most prestigious by CNN original American documentary television series This Is Life with Lisa Ling aired on 26 November 2017.
Miss Tiffany's Universe now also known as Miss Tiffany is a beauty contest for Thai transgender women in Pattaya, Thailand. It has taken place annually since 1984.
Miss Earth India or Miss India Earth is a title given to the Indian woman who represents India at Miss Earth, an annual, international beauty pageant promoting environmental awareness. The current national pageant which chooses the Indian representative for Miss Earth is Miss Divine Beauty of India.
Miss World 2016, the 66th edition of the Miss World pageant, was held on December 18, 2016 at the MGM National Harbor, Oxon Hill, Maryland, United States. 117 contestants from all over the world competed for the crown. Mireia Lalaguna of Spain crowned her successor Stephanie Del Valle of Puerto Rico at the end of the event. It was the second time that the Miss World pageant held in the United States. It was the second time where Puerto Rico won Miss World, after Wilnelia Merced in 1975.
Catriona Elisa Magnayon Gray is a Filipino-Australian model, singer, and beauty pageant titleholder who was crowned Miss Universe 2018. She is the fourth Filipina to win the Miss Universe competition. Previously, Gray was crowned Miss Universe Philippines 2018 and Miss World Philippines 2016.
Miss World Bulgaria is a national beauty pageant in the Bulgaria that selects Bulgarian representatives to compete in two of the Big Four international beauty pageants: Miss World and Miss Universe and selects five other titleholders to participate in minor international pageants such as Miss Grand International, Miss Asia Pacific, Top Model of the World, Miss Tourism International and Miss Model of the World.
Miss Universe Philippines is a beauty pageant and organization that selects the Philippines' official representative to the Miss Universe pageant.
