A beauty pageant is a competition that has traditionally focused on judging and ranking the physical attributes of the contestants. Pageants have now evolved to include inner beauty, with criteria covering judging of personality, intelligence, talent, character, and charitable involvement, through private interviews with judges and answers to public on-stage questions. The term beauty pageant refers originally to the Big Four international beauty pageants.
Miss Universe is an annual international major beauty pageant that is run by a United States and Thailand-based Miss Universe Organization. Along with Miss World, Miss International, and Miss Earth, it is one of the Big Four beauty pageants.
Miss India or Femina Miss India is a national beauty pageant in India that annually selects representatives to compete in Miss World, one of the Big Four major international beauty pageants. It is organised by Femina, a women's magazine published by The Times Group. Since 2013, Femina also organises Miss Diva as a separate competition, with representatives competing at Miss Universe.
Chelsi Mariam Pearl Smith was an American actress, singer, tv host and beauty queen who was crowned Miss USA 1995 and Miss Universe 1995. Smith was the third Miss USA of African-American origin, after Carole Gist (1990) and Kenya Moore (1993), in addition to being the sixth American woman to win Miss Universe and the first since Shawn Weatherly was crowned Miss Universe 1980.
The Most Beautiful Girl in Nigeria – often 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. Since 2005, the pageant has produced multiple representatives, but the MBGN World recipient is considered the overall winner. Miss Universe Nigeria was reestablished in 2023, breaking away from MBGN and operating as an entirely different pageant.
Anneline Kriel is a South African actress, model and beauty pageant titleholder who won Miss South Africa 1974 and was later crowned Miss World 1974. She is the second of three South African women to hold the Miss World title after Penelope Coelen in 1958 and before Rolene Strauss in 2014. In South Africa she achieved "icon" status where she became known as a "Princess Diana" figure and also appeared in several local film and television projects such as Kill and Kill Again in 1981. She was also in a high-profile marriage (1980-1985) with the late South African hotelier, Sol Kerzner.
Tara Elizabeth Conner is an American model, television personality, and beauty pageant titleholder who was crowned Miss USA 2006 and has also competed in the Miss Teen USA and Miss Universe pageants. Apart from her role as Miss USA, Conner has been employed as a model. She was a featured model on the HDNet series Bikini Destinations in 2004, posing in Lake Tahoe. She has also held the titles Miss Kentucky Teen USA 2002, Miss Kentucky County Fair 2004, and Miss Kentucky USA 2006.
Toyin Enitan Raji is a Nigerian former actress and beauty pageant titleholder who was crowned Most Beautiful Girl in Nigeria 1995 and represented her country at the Miss Universe 1995 pageant in Windoek Namibia and at the Miss World 1995 pageant held in Sun City South African.Raji distinguished herself as Nigeria’s representative at the 1995 Miss Universe pageant in Namibia, finishing in 11th place. Miss South Africa had finished in 10th to deny Raji the chance of becoming Nigeria’s first Miss Universe semi–finalist, although she was awarded the "Miss Cogeniality" prize. The irony became more glaring later in 1995 when Raji went to South Africa for the Miss World contest. A huge favourite for the crown, Raji was prevented from participating following political controversy over Sani Abacha’s decision to execute nine dissidents. However, she was awarded the "Miss Personality" prize.
The Miss South Africa is a national beauty pageant in South Africa that selects South African representatives to compete in one of the Big Four international beauty pageants Miss Universe, and also selects another representative to participate in Sub-major international pageant Miss Supranational. The Miss South Africa organisation resorted to a contemporary format in selecting representatives which was inaugurated in 2018. Following their newer method, both a Miss World South Africa and a Miss Universe South Africa were selected as representatives. From 2021 onwards, the winner of Miss South Africa will be competing in Miss Universe, and Miss Supranational. The current Miss South Africa 2023 is Natasha Joubert. On May 11, 2023, the Miss South Africa Organisation has lost its license as a Miss World licensee holder to Carol Bouwer Productions, which has taken over the license of Miss World South Africa pageant.
Bokang Montjane is a South African model and beauty pageant titleholder who was crowned Miss South Africa 2010, becoming the official representative of her country to the Miss Universe 2011 and Miss World 2011 pageants. She also participated in Miss International 2009 and placed in the Top 16 at Miss Earth 2007, finished as one of the Top 7 finalists and named Miss World Africa at Miss World 2011.
Leila Luliana da Costa Vieira Lopes Umenyiora is an Angolan model and beauty queen who was crowned Miss Universe 2011. She had previously won Miss Angola UK 2010 and Miss Angola 2010.
Sharie De Castro is a Virgin Islander beauty pageant titleholder and politician. She was crowned Miss British Virgin Islands 2012 and represented the British Virgin Islands in the 2013 Miss Universe pageant. She is an At-large representative for the House of Assembly of the British Virgin Islands, a position that she has held since the 2019 general election. She is the current Minister for Education, Culture, Youth Affairs, Fisheries and Agriculture.
Marilyn Ramos is a South African designer, model and beauty pageant titleholder who was crowned Miss South Africa 2012, becoming the official representative of her country to Miss Universe 2013 and Miss World 2013. Ramos represented South Africa at Miss World 2013 and Miss Universe 2013, failing to place in both competitions. She entered the pageant twice before she emerged the winner. She also held the title for the longest in SA pageant history- 16 months until she has crowned Rolene Strauss on 30 March 2014 as her successor.
Erin Joyce Brady is an American TV host, model and beauty pageant titleholder who won Miss USA 2013. She then represented the US at Miss Universe 2013 in Moscow, Russia, on November 9, where she placed in the Top 10. Brady is the first woman from the state of Connecticut ever to be crowned Miss USA.
Rolene Strauss is a South African doctor and beauty queen who won Miss South Africa 2014 and was later crowned Miss World 2014 in London. She is the third South African woman to be crowned Miss World, after Penelope Anne Coelen in 1958 and Anneline Kriel in 1974.
Carla Viktor, born Carla Catherine Viktor, is a South African beauty pageant titleholder and model who was crowned as Miss Earth South Africa 2015 and South Africa's representative in Miss Earth 2015.
Demi-Leigh Tebow is a South African model and beauty queen who was crowned Miss Universe 2017. She was crowned Miss South Africa 2017, and the second Miss Universe winner from South Africa, following Margaret Gardiner, who was crowned Miss Universe 1978.
Zozibini Tunzi, also known as Zozi Tunzi, is a South African model, actress and beauty pageant titleholder who was crowned Miss Universe 2019. Tunzi had previously been crowned Miss South Africa 2019. She is the third woman from South Africa and the first black South African woman to win the title.
Natasha Joubert is a South African model and beauty pageant titleholder who was crowned Miss South Africa 2023. She was previously the second runner-up in Miss South Africa 2020, and later represented South Africa at the Miss Universe 2020 pageant.
Miss South Africa 2021 was the 63rd edition of the Miss South Africa pageant. It was held on 16 October 2021 at the Grand West Arena, Cape Town. Shudufhadzo Musida crowned Lalela Mswane as her successor at the end of the event. She went on to represent South Africa at Miss Universe 2021 and Miss Supranational 2022. She finished as second-runner up at Miss Universe 2021 and was later crowned as Miss Supranational 2022.
