Miss World

Overview

The Miss World pageant is the longest running major international pageant. Miss World was created in 1951 by Eric Morley in the United Kingdom. Since his passing in 2000, the Miss World pageant has been run by co-chair and Eric’s wife, Julia Morley.  Miss World, and the Miss World Organization, work to raise money for children’s charities, and have raised more than 250 pounds (4 million U.S. dollars) since its creation in 1951.

Location

Most recently held in the same city as its headquarters in London, United Kingdom, the Miss World pageant is one the most publicized beauty pageants in the world. The newly crowned Miss World also fulfills her reign while residing in the headquarters in London, United Kingdom. The newly crowned Miss World also works closely with "Beauty with a Purpose". Established in 1972 by Julia Morley, Beauty with a Purpose works closely with many charitable organizations, primarily to give back to children around the world.

Charitable Causes

Beauty with a Purpose has helped in funding Cleft Palate Teams in South America, Sri Lanka and Russia, done three fundraising tours to support abandoned and neglected children in Vietnam, and provided long term support for both Operation Hunger and the Nelson Mandela Foundation in Africa. Additionally Beauty with a Purpose teamed up with Jackie Chan and the Chinese Red Cross in bringing financial aid to those most seriously affected by the Asian tsunami.

The Beauty with a Purpose Award is presented at the final pageant each year, after contestants present their community service and charitable projects. The contestant with the best project receives the award, which adds many points to their final score, as well as $10,000 to go to the charity the award winner has been working with. In 2011 the Beauty with a Purpose Award was presented in a special message from Nelson Mandela, which was read by his grandson, Chief Mandela.

The Competition

Each year, 80-90 national titleholders compete for the title of Miss World in six challenge events, as well and interviews. Miss World contestants participate in Beach Fashion, Beauty with a Purpose, Multi-Media, Sports, Talent, and Top Model, leading up to the final completion. At the Miss World final competition, contestants are narrowed down through a series of questions and interviews. There is also a category for People’s Choice at Miss World, with the contestant winning the people’s choice vote moving in the final line up.


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What does Miss World do after winning?

The winners of Miss World end up spending an entire year promoting and representing the Miss World Organization. This title comes with a huge amount of perks, including makeup, hair, shoes, clothing, and jewelry supplies as well as a slew of nutritionists, trainers, and PR personnel to help support the reigning Miss World.

A large part of the responsibility after earning the crown comes in traveling across the world and advocating on behalf of various humanitarian issues. The winners also typically use their international platform to promote their own community projects, entrepreneurial endeavors, or charities.

What does the winner of Miss World get?

In 2021 the winner of Miss World received an estimated 1.8 crore rupees (1.8 billion rupees) which translated to approximately $215,000 in prize money. In addition to this - they also received a number of benefits including:

-Free hotel and air travel for humanitarian issues
-Access to benefits from Miss World sponsors
-A year's supply of makeup, clothing, shoes, beauty products, and jewelry
-Access to professional stylists, designers, and nutritionists
-A team of assistants and makeup artists for the year
-International recognition

What is Miss World’s salary?

While there is a rumored six-figure salary for Miss World, there has never been an official announcement from the Miss World Organization that confirms this. While the benefits that come with the crown (as well as the prize money) can certainly support the winner for the year it is still unknown whether there is a separate salary.

Can you be married and be Miss World?

Much like the difference between Miss America and Mrs America (the latter catering to married contestants) - Miss World also requires contestants to be unmarried. Additionally - during their reign as Miss World contestants are also required to stay single until the following year when they relinquish their crown.

Can Miss World have children?

Miss World contestants are not allowed to have any children in order to compete. The same does not apply to the Mrs. World which does allow mothers and wives to compete as contestants.

Can Miss World have tattoos?

According to the rules of Miss World, contestants are allowed to have tattoos, but if the tattoos are visible when contestants are wearing a two-piece bathing suit or have your hair tied up then a tattoo is grounds for disqualification of the event.

What are the age requirements for Miss World?

The Miss World Organization requires contestants to be between 17 and 27 years old in order to compete. These requirements also vary by country - so it is important to contact your specific countries chapter in order to determine the age. For instance - the US requires contestants to be between 18 and 26 years old.

How many contestants are typically in Miss World?

The 2021 competition had a total of 97 contestants entering the Miss World Pageant. These numbers were slightly down due to COVID travel restrictions compared to previous years - but as recently as 2018 the pageant had a total of 118 contestants. As a rule, only one contestant per country is allowed to compete.

How tall do you have to be for Miss World?

There are not height requirements for the Miss World pageant - but contestants tend to say that women taller then 5’8” have a better chance of succeeding in the pageant. But - as of this day there is no specific height requirement for Miss World.

What Pageant Questions Are Asked In Miss World

Unlike the Miss Universe and Miss America pageant systems, the Miss World organization does not ask each contestant a different question in the on-stage interview. Instead, they ask each finalist the same question:

"Why do you think you should be the next Miss World?"

Then each of the finalists has the chance to answer the same question. Because in the Miss World pageant all of the contestants come from very different cultural and language backgrounds, it is not difficult for them to all have different messages and answers in response to this question. Similar to the onstage question in Miss America, the contestants each have 30 seconds to answer the question. A difference in the Miss World pageant is that the host may comment on and perhaps even add in a comment during the pageant contestant's answer, as Tim Vincent did in the Miss World 2014 pageant during Miss Hungary's answer.

Typical Responses in Miss World Interview

In response to why they should be the next Miss World, contestants use their 30 seconds to express their gratitude for their journey as well as how much they've learned during their time representing their country. Other topics that contestants most commonly use in their answers include recognizing how much of who they are is beneath the surface and how they hope to make changes in the world and look towards unity and world peace.

What Happens in the Preliminary Interview at Miss World?

Is there a preliminary interview portion to the Miss World competition? The answer is yes, each contestant does get a personal time with the judges, but the score is not based heavily on contestants answers. The contestants are judged on three criteria during the interview; The first is beauty, grace and charm, the second is intelligence, poise and personality, and the third is figure and deportment. Unlike in the Miss America pageant, where contestants answer specific answers to detailed current events issues, the Miss World contestants are evaluated in response to their global ideals and their hopes for their individual countries.

Questions Focused on Getting to Know the Contestant's Journey

Most communication with contestants is based on what brought them to the competition and why they want to win and any supplemental information likely relates back to that question. This gives you the opportunity to get to know the contestants but their ability to market themselves is brought to the forefront of the competition because of the limited verbal communication segments. Some portions of the contestant's interview with the judges is displayed in a video for the finalists, as they showed at Miss World 2013.

Here again, the contestants are focused on answering what brought them to the Miss World pageant and why they want to win. When the video is included before the contestants answer why they want to be Miss World it gives them a little bit of background so that in their 30 seconds they can delve into what the Miss World Organization represents and how their values and ideals as a contestant make them perfect for the job of Miss World. Because there is only one question in the interview portion of the Miss World pageant, contestants display their personality and passions through challenge events including beauty with a purpose, multimedia, sports and fitness, talent, and top model, which all contribute to their final score.

Pageant Questions About Beauty With a Purpose

The beauty with with a purpose portion is where contestants may present their chosen charity project. By winning this challenge, the contestant not only wins points towards their final score, but they also win $10,000 for the charity that they've been working alongside. Beauty with a purpose gives the Miss World contestants the opportunity to present their charity of choice and why it's important and how they intend to help, which would be presented in the interview in the Miss America and Miss Universe pageants. This is unique in that it allows one contestant to contribute significantly towards her charity, regardless of whether or not she wins the crown.

Apart from the on stage question for finalists, the multimedia challenge also gives contestants the opportunity to interact with their fan base and gather support. Using social media contestants may display their unique personalities and interests as well as support for their charity and unlike in most pageants, it is part of their score. This is another way in which the girls can communicate what they want the judges to see outside of an interview.

Miss World Titleholders

Check out the winners of the Miss World pageants in the past:

Miss World 2018 – Vanessa Ponce de Leon
Miss World 2017 – Manushi Chhillar
Miss World 2016 – Stephanie Del Valle
Miss World 2015 – Mireia Lalaguna
Miss World 2014 – Rolene Strauss
Miss World 2013 – Megan Young
Miss World 2012 – Yu Wenxia
Miss World 2011 – Ivian Sarcos
Miss World 2010 – Alexandria Mills
Miss World 2009 – Kaiane Aldorino
Miss World 2008 – Ksenia Sukhinova
Miss World 2007 – Zhang Zilin
Miss World 2006 – Tat’ana Kucharova
Miss World 2005 – Unnur Birna Vilhjalmsdottir
Miss World 2004 – Maria Julia Mantilla
Miss World 2003 – Rosanna Davison
Miss World 2002 – Azra Akin
Miss World 2001 – Agbani Darego
Miss World 2000 – Priyanka Chopra
Miss World 1999 – Yukta Mookhey
Miss World 1998 – Linor Abargil
Miss World 1997 – Diana Hayden
Miss World 1996 – Irene Skliva
Miss World 1995 – Jacqueline Aguilera
Miss World 1994 – Aishwarya Rai
Miss World 1993 – Lisa Hanna
Miss World 1992 – Julia Kourotchkina
Miss World 1991 – Ninibeth Leal
Miss World 1990 – Gina Tolleson
Miss World 1989 – Aneta Kreglicka
Miss World 1988 – Linda Petursdottir
Miss World 1987 – Ullsa Weigerstorfer
Miss World 1986 – Giselle Laronde
Miss World 1985 – Holmfriour Karlsdottir
Miss World 1984 – Astrid Carolina Herrera
Miss World 1983 – Sarah-Jane Hutt
Miss World 1982 – Mariasela Alvarez
Miss World 1981 – Pilin Leon
Miss World 1980 – Kimberly Santos
Miss World 1979 – Gina Swainson
Miss World 1978 – Silvana Suarez
Miss World 1977 – Mary Stavin
Miss World 1976 – Cindy Breakspeare
Miss World 1975 – Wilnelia Merced
Miss World 1974 – Anneline Kriel
Miss World 1973 – Marjorie Wallace
Miss World 1972 – Belinda Green
Miss World 1971 – Lucia Petterle
Miss World 1970 – Jennifer Hosten
Miss World 1969 – Eva Rueber-Staier
Miss World 1968 – Penelope Plummer
Miss World 1967 – Madeline Hartog-Bel
Miss World 1966 – Reita Faria
Miss World 1965 – Lesley Langley
Miss World 1964 – Ann Sidney
Miss World 1963 – Carole Joan Crawford
Miss World 1962 – Catharina Lodders
Miss World 1961 – Rosemarie Frankland
Miss World 1960 – Norma Cappagli
Miss World 1959 – Corine Rottschafer
Miss World 1958 – Penelope Anne Coelen
Miss World 1957 – Marita Lindahl
Miss World 1956 – Petra Schurmann
Miss World 1955 – Susan Duijm
Miss World 1954 – Antigone Costanda
Miss World 1953 – Denise Perrier
Miss World 1952 – May-Louise Flodin
Miss World 1951 – Kiki Hakansson