A report on:
Secondary Research on Worldwide Beauty Pageants
on the Basis of Categories and Parameters
Submitted to:
Retd. Lt. Rita Gangwani
Submitted by:
Kasture Arpit Shilchand
Topics Covered

What is Beauty pageant

History of Beauty Pageants

Types of Beauty pageants for male, female and kids,natural and glitz pageants

Age and gender specific types of pageants and essential requirements

Top most pageants in India
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Details of all these pageants Requirements

Entry forms
1.
Introduction
A beauty pageant is a competition that has traditionally focused on the
physical beauty of its contestants, although such contests have evolved to also
incorporate personality, intelligence, talent, and answers to judges' questions as judged
criteria. The phrase almost invariably refers only to contests for women and girls; similar
events for men or boys are called by other names and are more likely to
be bodybuilding contests.
Winners of beauty contests are often called beauty queens. Children's beauty
pageants mainly focus on beauty, gowns, sportswear modelling, talent, and personal
interviews. Adult and teen pageants focus on makeup, hair and gowns, swimsuit
modelling, and personal interviews. Possible awards include titles, tiaras or crowns,
sashes, savings bonds, and cash prizes1
2. History
2.1.
National contests
The first modern beauty pageant was held during the Eglinton Tournament of 1859 held
by Archibald Montgomerie, 13th Earl of Eglinton, a re-enactment of a medieval joust
that was held in Scotland. The pageant was won byGeorgiana Seymour, Duchess of
Somerset, the wife of Edward Seymour, 12th Duke of Somerset and sister ofCaroline
Norton, and she was proclaimed as the 'Queen of Beauty'.
Entrepreneur Phineas Taylor Barnum staged the first modern American pageant in
1854, but his beauty contest was closed down by public protest. He previously held dog,
baby, and bird beauty contests. He substituted daguerreotypes for judging, a practice
quickly adopted by newspapers. Newspapers held photo beauty contests for many
decades.
It was in the 1880s that beauty pageants became more popular. In 1888 the title of
'beauty queen' was awarded to an 18 year old Creole contestant at a pageant in Spa,
Belgium. All participants had to supply a photograph and a short description of
themselves to be eligible for entry and a final selection of 21 were judged by a formal
panel.
The Miss America Pageant was established in 1921 and hosted the winners of local
newspaper beauty contests in the "Inter-City Beauty" Contest; a turnout of over one
hundred thousand people was achieved and sixteen-year-old Margaret Gorman of
Washington, D.C. won both the popularity and beauty contest and was awarded
$100. Similar national pageants were also established in Britain, Germany and other
countries in the 1920s
1
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beauty_pageant
2.2. International contests
In May 1920 promoter C.E. Barfield of Galveston organized a new event known as
"Splash Day" on the island. The event featured a "Bathing Girl Revue" competition as
the centerpiece of its attractions.
The event was the kick-off of the summer tourist season in the city and was carried
forward annually. The event quickly became known outside of Texas and, beginning in
1926, the world's first international contest was added, known as the "International
Pageant of Pulchritude." This contest is said to have served as a model for modern
pageants. It featured contestants from England, Russia, Turkey, and many other
nations and the title awarded at the time was known as "Miss Universe." The event was
discontinued in the United States in 1932 because of the Depression (the international
competition was revived briefly in Belgium).
The first extant international competition to be established was the Miss World pageant,
created in the United Kingdom by Eric Morley in 1951, and is still one of the most
publicised beauty contests in the world.
The competition started as the Festival Bikini Contest, in honour of the recently
introduced swimwear of the time, but was called "Miss World" by the media. It was
originally planned as a one-off event. Upon learning about the upcoming Miss
Universe pageant, Morley decided to make the pageant an annual event. Opposition to
the wearing of bikinis led to their replacement with more modest swimwear after the first
contest.
In 1959, the BBC started broadcasting the competition. The pageant's popularity grew
with the advent of television.
The Big Four international beauty pageants are Miss World (founded in 1951), Miss
Universe (begun in 1952), Miss International (1960) and Miss Earth (2001). They are
the most coveted beauty titles when it comes to international pageant competitions and
are considered to be as such since they are the four largest and most famous female
beauty pageants across the globe. Because of their prominence which already became
an institution in beauty pageant industry, many fans always anticipate these beauty
pageants each year.
3. Women’s Beauty pageants
All beauty pageants vary in judging criteria, but for the most part, all pageants judge
contestants on four attributes: speaking skills, physical fitness, appearance and talent.
Contestants are judged individually, not comparatively.
Interview
Beauty contestants need to communicate well and do a lot of public speaking as a title
holder. The interview portion of a beauty pageant consists of a question-and-answer
period with the judges, usually held in-private and not in front of an audience. During
this one-on-one session, judges talk to each female contestant about her goals, talents
and ambitions. Some of the questions may also be about current events. Judges are not
only grading contestants on their self-confidence, but also their poise, charm and
speaking skills. Some pageants may also feature on-stage interviews, when contestants
answer one question about a general topic. For this portion of the competition, judges
evaluate each contestant on her comfort with speaking in front of a large audience, her
response time, and overall answer.
Fitness
The fitness portion of the competition usually involves a swimsuit. This segment focuses
on the face, figure, and confidence of each contestant. If there is no swimsuit portion,
contestants may have to show their fitness performing some sort of dance or high
energy routine. According to the Miss Texas USA competition, physical measurements,
such as bust, waist and hip size, are never considered.
Evening Wear
During the evening gown portion of the competition, contestants can show judges their
sense of style. Every contestant picks her own dresses to wear for this part of the
competition. When selecting a dress, consider wearing a dress that flatters your figure.
In most cases, contestants have free range on the length, color and style of the dress.
Pick a dress that you feel confident wearing. Judges typically score a contestant's
overall appearance, sense of style and self-confidence while wearing the evening gown.
Talent
Some beauty pageants still judge contestants on their talent. During this segment of the
competition, contestants are expected to showcase artistic ability, whether it's playing a
musical instrument, performing a choreographed dance, or singing. Other options
include dramatic reading, performing magic, or poetry. Judges base their scores on
overall impression, technical skill, stage presence, quality of the performance and
entertainment value.2
2
http://entertainmentguide.local.com/judging-criteria-beauty-pageants-7356.html
3.1.
Major International Pageants
The following are the world's four largest and most famous female international
beauty pageants that have proven their importance and advocacies to the society
through the years:
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

Miss Universe
Miss World
Miss Earth
Miss International
The Big Four is a group of the four largest and most famous female international beauty
pageants. These are: Miss World (founded in 1951), Miss Universe (1952), Miss
International (1960), Miss Earth (2001) only. These pageants have been recognized
and acknowledged around the globe by different government agencies and institutions
for their unparalleled contributions and clear advocacies to the society.
1. Miss World
The Miss World pageant is the oldest surviving major international beauty pageant. It
was created in the United Kingdom by Eric Morley in 1951. Since his death in 2000,
Morley's wife, Julia Morley, co-chairs the pageant.
The winner spends a year travelling to represent the Miss World Organisation and its
various causes. The current Miss World is Megan Young of the Philippines who was
crowned on September 28, 2013 in Bali,Indonesia. Traditionally, Miss World lives
in London during her reign.
In the year preceding the global finals, each delegate must win her national title or a
specially designated Miss World national preliminary. Miss World's national
preliminaries are conducted by their licence-holders, who hold the franchise to use the
"Miss World" name in their country. The annual final is typically a month long event, with
several preliminary galas, dinners, balls and activities, culminating in a globally telecast
final show in which the field is narrowed to between 15–20 delegates.
Since 2003 Miss World pageant also features Fast Track events during the preliminary
round. The winners of Fast Track events are automatically qualified to enter the final
round.
Since 2011 winners of the challenge events are no longer automatically qualified to the
final round. Instead, winners and finalists of these events will be awarded bonus points
to their preliminary scores. Delegates with the highest points (bonus of challenge events
included) are qualified to the final round.3
Challenge (Fast Track) events which have been used since 2003 are:

Beach Fashion (Formerly known as Beach Beauty) (2003–present)
 Miss Talent (2003–present)
 Miss Sports (2003–2004, 2006–present)
 Beauty with a Purpose (2005–present)
 Top Model (2004, 2007–present)
 Multimedia Award (2012–present)
 People's Choice (2003, 2008, 2013)
 Personality (2003)
 Contestant's Choice (2004)
The elimination system in Miss World pageant is done in 3 rounds - the Preliminary,
the Semifinal, and the Final - each with its own scoring format. In addition, there are
also 5 special mini competitions known as Fast Tracks which will give bonus points for
the contestants during the Preliminary.
The Preliminary
In this round, each contestant will have a personal with the judges. The judges
will score them in 3 categories - the first being beauty, grace and charm - the second
being intelligence, poise and personality - and the third being figure and deportment.
Each judge would score them from 6 to 10 points in each category and, unlike in Miss
Universe which uses decimal numbers, the scores are given in whole numbers.
Therefore the minimum score that a contestant could earn from a judge is 18 points (if
she was scored 6 in all 3 categories) and the maximum score is 30 points (if she was
scored 10 in all 3 categories). The scores from all the judges would then be tabulated
into a single Preliminary score.
The Fast Tracks
Prior to 2011 edition, winner of each Fast Track event will automatically qualify
for the Semifinal. But in 2011, the winner is no longer guaranteed a spot in Semifinal.
Instead, the winner and all other contestants shortlisted as finalists for a particular Fast
Track would earn bonus points towards their Preliminary score. For each Fast Track,
the points would be distributed as the following - 20 points for the winner, 18 points for
second, 17 for third, 16 for fourth, 15 for fifth, 14 for sixth, 13 for seventh, 12 for eighth,
11 for ninth, 10 for tenth, and 5 points for the rest of the finalists. This point distribution
3
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miss_World
is applied for 4 out of 5 Fast Track events, which are Sports, Talent, Beach Beauty,
and Top Model.
The only deviation for this distribution is Beauty with a Purpose, which carries higher
points. For this particular event, the points would be distributed as the following - 30
points for the winner, 28 points for second, 27 for third, 26 for fourth, 25 for fifth, 24 for
sixth, 23 for seventh, 22 for eighth, 21 for ninth, 20 for tenth, 10 points for the rest of the
finalists, and 5 points for any contestants who did not make it as Beauty with a Purpose
finalist but had a project / presentation submitted for the Fast Track.
The Semifinal
Once the Preliminary and all Fast Tracks scores revealed, a selected number of
contestants with the highest combined scores will advance to the Semifinal. Unlike Miss
Universe, the scores that a contestant has accumulated in the previous round would not
be reset to zero. It would be carried over to the Final. For this round, the judges would
rank the semifinalists from the best to the last and their rank would be translated into
points as the following - 50 points for first place, 40 points for second, 30 points for third,
20 points for fourth, 15 points for fifth, 10 points for sixth and seventh, 5 points for eighth
to tenth, and 2 points for eleventh to fifteenth. Out of all rounds in Miss World
elimination system, the judging criteria in this round are the vaguest one. No one (aside
Miss World Organization themselves of course) actually know what is the base used by
the judges to rank these semifinalists from first to fifteenth. But the most speculated
criterion is the overall visual stage impression of these contestants during the Grand
Final.
The Final
After the Semifinal scores revealed, another elimination would occur and leave
us with even a smaller group of contenders. At this point, the judging is down to the final
question where each contestant would have one final chance to convince the people
that matter the most - the judges - that she is the one. Just like the Semifinal, once
again the judges would rank the finalists from the best to the last and their rank would
be translated into points as the following - 50 points for first place, 40 points for second,
30 points for third, 20 points for fourth, 15 points for fifth, 10 points for sixth and 5 points
for seventh. From there, all the scores will be combined and the one with the highest
score would be crowned as the new Miss World.
2. Miss Universe
Miss Universe is an annual international beauty contest that is run by the Miss
Universe Organization. The contest was founded in 1952 by California clothing
company Pacific Mills. The pageant
became part of Kayser-Roth and
then Gulf+Western Industries, before being acquired by Donald Trump in 1996.
The current Miss Universe is Gabriela Isler of Venezuela who was crowned on
November 9, 2013 in Moscow,Russia. Traditionally Miss Universe lives in New York
City during her reign.
Competition formats
During the early years of the pageant, the delegates who made the first cut were
announced after the preliminary competition. From 1965 to the present day, the
semifinalists were not announced until the night of the main event. The semifinalists
once again competed in evening gown and swimsuit and five finalists were announced.
An interview portion was introduced in 1960 to decide the runners-up and the winner.
From 1959 to 1964 there were slight format changes. From 1959 through 1963 there
was no cut to reach the five finalists. The runners-up and winner were called from the
assembled 15 semifinalists.
In 1965 the pageant returned to the original format of a cut to five finalists, and
remained so until 1989.
In 1969 a final question was posed to the last five contestants. The final question was
an on-and-off feature of the pageant.
In 1990 it had taken root, and with every pageant since the final contestants have had to
answer a final question.
In 1990 the pageant implemented major changes in the competition itself. Instead of five
finalists, the field was reduced from ten semifinalists to six. Each contestant then
randomly selected a judge and answered the question posed by the judge. After that,
the field was narrowed down further to a final three. In 1998, the number of finalists was
reduced to five, although there still was a cut to a final three. This continued until 2001,
when the final five format was reinstated.
In the year 2000, the interview portion of the semifinal was dropped, and the
contestants competed only in swimsuits and evening gowns, as in the early years of the
pageant.4
In 2003, the number of semifinalists was increased to fifteen, with cuts made to ten, and
then to five contestants. The final question varied, each coming from the final delegates
themselves and the current Miss Universe.
4
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miss_Universe
In 2006, twenty semifinalists were selected for the swimsuit competition, ten of whom
went on to the evening gown competition. The five who passed that stage competed in
an interview round, after which the runners-up and winner were announced. The 2007
contest followed a similar format, with fifteen contestants competing in the swimsuit
stage.
In 2011, for the first time, one of the sixteen semifinalists was selected exclusively by
TV viewers via online voting.
Contestant selection
Local organizations that wish to select the Miss Universe contestant for their countries
must submit bids to the Miss Universe Organization for that right.
Usually a country's candidate selection involves pageants in major cities, with the
winners competing in a national pageant, but this does not always occur.
The organization makes continual efforts to expand the pageant, but the participation of
some countries such as Algeria has proven difficult due to cultural barriers to the
swimsuit competition, while others such as Mozambique, Armenia and Nepal have
balked at sending representatives due to the cost (in fact, of all the major international
pageants, the franchise fee for Miss Universe is the most expensive. As of 2010, only
four countries have been present at every Miss Universe since its inception in 1952:
Canada, France, Germany (East and West up to 1990), and the United States. Many
European countries allow 17-year-old contestants to compete in their pageants, while
Miss Universe's minimum age is 18, so national titleholders often have to be replaced
by their runners-up. Miss Universe also prohibits transsexual applicants and age
fabrication, but beginning in 2012, transgendered women will be allowed to compete, as
long as they win their national pageants or be designated in their countries.
Main pageant
The main Miss Universe Pageant is held over a two-week period in May and July. In the
1970s through the 1990s, the pageant was a month long. Currently, the final placement
of the finalists is determined by a ranked vote, where each judge ranks each of the final
three/five candidates, 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. The
winner is assigned a one-year contract with the Miss Universe Organization, going
overseas to spread messages about the control of diseases, peace, and public
awareness of AIDS. 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.
Final judgment
All the contestants compete in a preliminary round of judging (nowadays called the
"Presentation Show") where the field is narrowed to a select number of semifinalists.
There are 16 semifinalists, 15 chosen by judges and one chosen by most popular by
Internet votes.
In the early years, the contestants were judged in swimsuit and evening gown only. In
later years, the contestants also competed in a preliminary interview round in a one-onone meeting with each individual judge.
Interview [33%] – Pageant judges spend time with each delegate to learn about her
successes, talents, goals and ambitions. Attention is focused on her poise, charm, self –
confidence and her ability to communicate, as well as the substance of her answers.
Swimsuit competition [33%] – Attention is focused on beauty of face, figure, physical
fitness and the confidence with which each contestant carries herself. Numerical
measurements are not considered in the judging.
Evening gown competition [33%] – Each delegate wears a gown she has chosen for
herself. Attention is focused on each contestant’s overall appearance, self-confidence,
sense of style and the beauty she brings to the gown of her choice.
3. Miss International
Miss International, also called "Miss International Beauty", this pageant is not based
on looks alone. Contestants are expected to serve as "Ambassadors of Peace and
Beauty", showing tenderness, benevolence, friendship, beauty, intelligence, ability to
take action, and great international sensibility. The ultimate goal of the Miss
International beauty pageant is to promote world peace, goodwill, and
understanding.The current Miss International titleholder is Bea Santiago of
the Philippines who was crowned on December 17, 2013 in Tokyo, Japan.5
Judging Criteria:




5
Interview - 40%
Fitness - 20%
Evening Gown - 20%
Fun Fashion - 20%
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miss_International
4. Miss Earth
Miss Earth is an annual pageant organised by Philippines-based Carousel Productions,
through the Miss Earth Foundation. The non-profit organisation describes itself with
"aims to increase the awareness levels and knowledge on current environmental
issues and what actions can be done by power of broadcasting and other media
campaigns locally, nationally and globally". Apart from a strong emphasis on
environmental protection programs, MISS EARTH also aims to showcase and promote
various tourist destinations.6
Qualifications of a national candidate:
• NEVER BEEN MARRIED, single, never given birth
• 18-26 years of age
• Minimum height of 5 feet 5 inches (165.10 cm)
• Posses beauty of face and proportionate body structure
• Outgoing and friendly
• Excellent physical condition
• Has knowledge of her country's culture and environment
Important: A national delegate for MISS EARTH should be a national pageant winner or
an appointed delegate by a recognized MISS EARTH franchise holder.
6
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miss_Earth
2nd Tier Pageants
These are the emerging beauty contests where they were able to stage their
pageants very well, however, needs to prove their "advocacies" first, as what the big
four pageants have proven through the years



Miss Supranational
Miss Intercontinental
Miss Grand International
3rd Tier Pageants
 Miss Tourism International
 Miss Tourism Queen International
 Miss Tourism World
 Miss Asia Pacific World
 Miss United Continent
 Miss Heritage
Other international pageants
List of minor international pageants
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Miss Globe International
Miss Multiverse
Miss Progress International
Miss North America
Miss Chinese International Pageant
Miss Chinese Cosmos Pageant
Miss Model of the World
Top Model of the World
Queen of the Universe
Mrs. Universe
Mrs. World
World Miss University
World Muslimah
Phenomenal Bald Beauty® Pageant
3.2. Continental and Regional Pageants

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
Arab League

Miss Arab World
European Union

Miss Europe
Hispanic America

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Miss América Latina
Reina Hispanoamericana
Miss Continente Americano
Nuestra Belleza Latina
India

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

Indian Princess International
Miss Himalaya Pageant
Miss Tibet
Miss India Worldwide
Women's Prison Beauty Pageants
Some international jails are trying to inject a little sexiness into the penal system by
throwing inmate beauty pageants, where female felons compete -- bikini, evening gown,
and talent portions included -- for titles like Miss Prison, Miss Jail, and Miss Captivity.
4. Men's pageants
International pageants

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Mister World
Mister International
Mister Global
Men Universe Model
Manhunt International
Mr. Asia Contest
Mister Gay World
Mister Gay Europe
Mister World
The Mister World competition is a male beauty pageant sponsored by the Miss World
Organization. The competition is biennial and was founded in 1996.The entrants
compete
in
various
activities
including waterskiing, mountain
biking,
and marathon running. The current Mister World is Nicklas Pedersen of Denmark who
was crowned on June 15, 2014 in Torbay, England. Traditionally, Mister World lives
in London during his reign. 7
Unlike conventional Male "Beauty Pageants", Mr World is a 2-3 week competition
designed to test the candidates in a variety of ways through a series of challenge
events, interviews and a final stage show. These challenges test every aspect deemed
necessary to be "The World's Most Desirable Man." A global event, each candidate
represents a single nation, with no two contestants representing the same territory.
FIVE challenge events take place: Fashion & Style, the Extreme Challenge,
the Multi-Media Award, the Sports Challenge & the Talent Competition. Each one of
these Challenges has a winner, who takes his place in the Final TOP TEN of the
competition. There are also collective points earned through the team based elements
of the challenges, with the contestants split into four teams throughout the event.
FIVE places remain for the other contestants, whose performances over the challenges,
their behaviour during the competition as well as their interviews with the judges will
determine who takes their place in the TOP TEN.
The Winner is then selected by the panel of judges who weigh up the performances of
each candidate before hearing from them on stage as to why they want to win Mr World,
and what it would mean to them.8
7
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mister_World
8
http://www.mrworld.tv/
Mister International
Mister International is an annual male beauty pageant founded in 2006. It is owned
and organized by the Mister Singapore Organization which also organizes the annual
Mister Singapore pageant. Since the first edition, 72 countries have sent their
representative to this contest, with an annual average of 31 contestants.
Men Universe Model
Men Universe Model originally called "Mister Universe Model" is the fourth largest
pageant for men in the world after the Manhunt International, Mister
International and Mister World. The contest is held since 2008 located in the Dominican
Republic. However, in 2015, it will locate in Japan due to Dominican Republic's
progress.
Mister Global
Mister Global, is an annual male beauty pageant founded in 2014. Since the first
edition, 16 countries have sent their representative to this contest. The first edition of
the Mister Global pageant, was held at Pak Chong, Thailandon March 27, 2014. At the
end of the event Myat Thuya Lwin from Myanmar was crowned as Mister Global 2014
Manhunt International
Manhunt International is an international male beauty pageant which began in 1993,
though the roots of the pageant go back a few years more to when one single national
preliminary was held in Singapore. The pageant is held by Metromedia Singapore and
Procon Leisure International.
Eligibility Criteria
Sex: Male, Age range:18 to 30, Marital status:Single, Height: at least 1.8 metres /
5'11", Skills: speak English (optional), modelling experience, Additional attributes:
photogenic, good physique (not bodybuilder's), wonderful personality, cool character,
enthusiastic.
Competition
Manhunt competition is staged on two rounds, preliminary and final. During the
preliminary round, the contestants are judged in national costume, swim wear, evening
wear, and fashion wear. The contestants with most scores will be named as finalists,
from which the judges will determine the winner and the runners up.
During the pageant final, several other awards are also given aside from the ultimate
title of Manhunt International. These awards are Best in National Costume, Best
Runway Model, Mister Photogenic, Mister Friendship, Mister Personality, Mister
Physique, and Mister Popularity (voted by people via internet). Since the 2005 edition,
Manhunt International has also given five continental awards to the best representatives
of each continent. In the 2007 edition, it was announced that the winner of Mister
Popularity would automatically advance to final round.
Mr. Asia Contest
Mr. Asia Contest is an male beauty pageant contest run by Mr. Asia contest
Organization based in Hong Kong
Mr Gay World
Mr Gay World is an annual international competition for gay and human rights. The
current 2014 Mr Gay World titleholder is Stuart Hatton, representing United Kingdom. It
is the most publicized gay contest in the world and features prominently in news media
across the globe.
Continental and regional pageants

Hispanic America

Mister Latin America
National pageants
Africa
 South Africa

Mr Gay South Africa
Asia
 China
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India

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Mr. Hong Kong
Mr Gay India

Mister United Nations India
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Mister World India
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Mister India International
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Mister India

Men Universe Model India
Indonesia

L-Men of The Year

Mister Indonesia
Lebanon

Mister Lebanon
Nepal

Little Miss World Nepal
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Manhunt International Nepal
Pakistan

Mr. Pakistan World
Thailand

Mister Thailand
Europe
 Ireland

Mr Gay Ireland
 Spain

Mister Spain
 Sweden

Mr Gay Sweden
 Sveriges Man
 United Kingdom
 Mr Gay UK
North America
 Canada
 Mr. Canada
 Mr. World Canada
 Mexico
 El Modelo Mexico
 Nicaragua
 Mister Nicaragua
 Panama
 Mister Panamá
 Puerto Rico
 Misters of Puerto Rico
South America
 Brazil
 Mister Brazil
 Venezuela
 Mister Venezuela
5. Child beauty pageant
A child beauty pageant is a beauty contest featuring contestants under 18 years of age.
Competition categories may include talent, interview, sportswear, casual wear, swim
wear, western wear, theme wear, outfit of choice, decade wear, and evening wear.
Depending on the type of pageant system (Glitz/Natural) contestants may be found
wearing makeup to fake teeth, known as flippers, as well as elaborate hairstyles and
custom, designed and fitted, outfits to present their routines on stage.
While most beauty pageants cater strictly to girls, there are a growing number that
include boys as well. Often, age divisions for boys run through age 6 with very few
going beyond that due to lack of participation and public perception. Age divisions will
often have names such as "Baby Miss", "Petite Miss", "Little Miss" and more. Age
divisions are generally broken as follows: 0-11 Months, 12-23 Months, 2-3 Years, 4-6
Years, 7-9 Years, 10-12 Years, 13-15 Years, 16-18 Years. For boys, sometimes two
age divisions would be merged such as 0-3 Years, 4-6 Years, etc
In Glitz pageants, it is expected that girls will have different "routines" for every segment
of competition. Routines are composed of different movements sometimes described as
"sassy walk" and "pretty feet" and more. Facial expressions can include liberal amounts
of "duckface". This style of modelling is often referred to as "Pro-Am Modeling". Big hair
(including fake hair), flawless makeup, spray tans, flippers (fake teeth) and nail
extensions are also expected of contestants. Glitz pageants may best be described as
"anything goes".
In contrast, natural pageants have fairly strict guidelines regarding clothing, makeup,
hair extensions, etc. Programs such as National American Miss forbid any makeup
other than non-shiny lipgloss and mascara for girls on stage. Modeling style is often
referred to "Miss America-Style". Some pageants have a prescribed set of movements
while others allow a little more latitude in how girls will use the stage/runway.9
9
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Child_beauty_pageant
6. Major Indian Beauty Pageants
Indian Princess International
INDIAN PRINCESS INTERNATIONAL is an annual Beauty Pageant for young Non
Residential Indian girls. It is organized by Atharva Group in association with Esselvision.
It was introduced in 2012.
The Indian Princess beauty pageant has not only created waves in the Fashion and
Beauty industry in the country but also made a global impact through its globally popular
Indian Princess International. Participation in IP is from 20 states of India and in IPI from
more than 15 countries like South Africa, Netherlands, U.K, U.S.A, Malaysia, Germany,
New Zealand, Latavia, India, UAE, Middle East, Spain, Singapore.
Contestants after auditions from the different regions are trained in the areas of diction,
fitness, grooming, etiquette, ramp walk, make up, styling, photo shoots and international
mannerism by eminent experts from all over the world who groom them to achieve
PERFECTION at the Five Star Blue Ocean Resort and Spa…Hospitality Division of
Atharva
Group.
The pageant is conceptualised by Shri Sunil Rane chairman Indian Princess and
organised by Atharva Group in association with Esselvision.10
Eligiblity Criteria
 Should be a Non Resident Indian or a person of India origin or must have Indian
Roots.
 Must not be married, pregnant or a parent
 Age Group between 18-27 years on or before 1st Jan, 2012
 Minimum height of 5'ft 7’Inc (170 cm).
 You or your immediate family is not related to any person employed by the
Organisers or Sponsors.
 You are a natural-born female and not had a sex change.
 You are not under any commercial contract with any modeling agency at the time of
appearing for the auditions.
 Once you are shortlisted, you cannot be a part of any other commercial contract or
pageant.11
10
http://www.indianprincessinternational.com/About-Us.php
11
http://www.indianprincessinternational.com/Eligiblity_Criteria.php
Miss Himalaya Pageant
Miss Himalaya Pageant is an annual pageant having headquarters in India. The
pageant is open to young women from Himalayan Region between the ages of 17 to 25
years in the states of Jammu and Kashmir,Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Sikkim,
and Arunachal
Pradesh including
recent
arrivals Meghalaya, Nagaland,Manipur, Mizoram, and Tripura, as well as the hilly
regions
of
two
states Assam and West
Bengal in India andNepal, Bhutan,
12
and Tibet outside India.
The pageant is produced and directed by Lobsang Wangyal of Lobsang Wangyal
Productions, which has also been producing the Miss Tibet Pageant since 2002.
Lobsang Wangyal has been producing events since 2000 "to promote art, culture, and
understanding.13
The purpose of the annual event is "to bring women from the entire Himalayan region
onto one platform to celebrate the beautiful cultures, people, and nature of the
Himalayan region.
Eligibility Criteria
 Applicants should be born to parents of Himalayan cultural background.
 Between 17 and 25 years of age.
 Minimum 165 cm in height.
 Unmarried and not having given birth
Miss India Worldwide
Miss India is a title that usually refers to Femina Miss India/Indian Diva 2013, a national
beauty pageant in India that annually selects representatives to compete globally. The
winner of Femina Miss India vies in Miss World, the first runner up competes in Miss
Earth, and the second runner up goes to compete in Miss International. It is organised
by Femina, a women's magazine published by Bennett, Coleman & Co. Ltd.
Femina Miss India used to select three winners who were then sent to Miss World, Miss
Universe, and Miss Asia Pacific International pageants, respectively. In 1994, after
India's historic win at the International pageants, the organization ended the practice of
crowning a single winner and instead decided that the top three winners were
designated as winners with equal visibility and prizes.In 2002, the third winner was
designated to Miss Earth instead of Miss Asia Pacific. In 2010, Femina Miss India
12
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miss_Himalaya_Pageant
13
http://www.misshimalaya.com/about/
decided that they would no longer send a representative to Miss Universe, and
relinquished the Miss Universe franchise, choosing instead to designate the third winner
to represent India in Miss International pageant14
Mr Gay India
Mr Gay India represents India at Gay pageants globally. The current Mr Gay India is 24
years old Sushant Divgikar. He will be representing India at Mr Gay World 2014.
The primary purpose of Mr. India Gay is to identify leaders who will take responsibility of
being a spokesperson not only in his own community but on a global stage speaking out
for equal and human rights. Mr India Gay is a positive role model and will work on
humanizing being gay and/or LGBTI in the media bothLGBTI and mainstream. It was
introduced in 2008.15
Mr United Nations India
Mr United Nations Indiais a national beauty pageant in India that selects its winner to
compete in Mister United Nations Pageant. The current Mister United Nations India is
Rajan Sra. He won Mister United Nations 2014 in Jamacia giving India its first back to
back victory at the pageant. Rahul Vyas was the first Indian and Asian to win the
Pageant. He represented India at Mister United Nations Pageant held in Jamaica and
was crowned the eventual winner. It was introduced in 2012.16
Mister India World
Mr India World is a national beauty pageant that selects its winner to compete in Mister
Worldpageant. The pageant is biennial started in 2014. Earlier Grasim Industries held
the franchise forMister World in India. In 2007, Haywards 5000 took the franchise for
Mister World and organizedHaywards 5000 Mr India World 2007 Pageant to select
India's representative at Mister World 2007. Since 2014 Bennett, Coleman & Co.
Ltd owns this franchise. It also holds the franchise forMiss World India in India.17
14
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miss_India_Worldwide_India
15
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mr_Gay_India
16
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mr_United_Nations_India
17
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mr_India_World
Mister India International
Mister International is a male pageant founded by the Mister Singapore Organization in
the year 2006. The main objective behind the pageant as propounded by the
Organization is to support and advance today’s men. It is also committed to increasing
HIV/AIDS awareness and works towards this end by designating the winners of the
pageant as ambassadors for the cause.
The ultimate objective is that by “ forging relationships with organizations committed to
research and education, such as Action for AIDS, the men who champion these causes
during their term personify the combination of handsomeness and intelligence that
defines the 21st Century.” As such, the criteria for selection of the winners remains the
same – handsomeness, intelligence, a pleasant personality and one with a deep social
consciousness and concern at a global level.18
Mister India
Mr India is a national Male beauty pageant in India that annually selects
representatives to compete globally.It was organised by Grasim Industries,In year 2008
Hayward 5000 had the franchise of Mr India World, but later Bennett, Coleman & Co.
Ltd acquired the franchise in 2013. A separate pageant calledMister World India is
conducted that selects its winner who represents India at Mister World. Prateik Jain
fromBangalore in the current titleholder of Mr. India.
The first Mister India of modern era was Bikram Saluja, from Punjab, who won in 1995.
Over the decade, Indian participation in the international picture has grown.19
Men Universe Model India
Men Universe Model India originally Mister Universe Model India is a national Male
beauty pageant in India that annually selects representatives to compete in Mister
Universe Model. India has been participating in Mister Universe Model since its
inception in 2008.20
18
http://misterinternationalindia.net/index.html
19
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mister_India
20
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Men_Universe_Model_India
Entry Forms
Some of the entry forms for the beauty pageants can be found on the below mentioned
links:




http://www.misshimalaya.com/apply/form/
http://beautypageants.indiatimes.com/feminacontestform2014.cms
http://beautypageants.indiatimes.com/mrindia2015.cms
http://www.indianprincessfashion.com/audition.asp
Sample entry form of Indian Princess
Sample entry form of Child Beauty Pageant