ABOUT US

Mission

The Miss Universe Organization (MUO)
is a global, inclusive organization that celebrates all cultures, backgrounds and religion. We create and provide a safe space for women to share their stories and drive impact.

The Miss Universe Organization provides women who participate in this international platform with the tools to affect positive change personally, professionally, and philanthropically serving as inspirational leaders and role models to their communities and fans around the world.

MUO empowers women to realize their ambition and build self-confidence. The MUO community is a sisterhood that is committed to uplifting and empowering one another.

The delegates and titleholders that have participated in the MUO system are able to cultivate their personal, professional, and philanthropic goals. These women are forward thinking and motivated to not just talk about change, but to initiate it.  

Research has shown the #1 obstacle for women to overcome in reaching their potential is a lack of self-confidence. By developing self-confidence through MUO experiences, women have gone onto high-profile careers in government, business, finance, broadcasting and entertainment.

MUO prioritizes the importance of being involved and giving back through a dedicated international platform of charitable partnerships. As leaders and role models within their communities, our delegates and titleholders affect positive change through volunteering, fundraising and advocacy.

Vision

The Miss Universe Organization exists to advocate for a future forged by women with courage to push the limits of what’s possible, who are curious in the discovery, and the audacity to do it again. We know how important it is to reach gender equity for the good of all people.

MU History

The first MISS UNIVERSE pageant took place in 1952 in Long Beach, California, featuring 29 delegates vying for the crown.

The first woman crowned MISS UNIVERSE was Armi Helena Kuusela, 17-years old high-school student from Finland.  She was crowned with the priceless crown of the Romanoff’s that was worn by the last three czarinas of Imperial Russia, containing 1.529 diamonds with combined weight of 300 carats.

The year 1960 would bring the competition its first coast-to-coast network telecast and in 1966, the event was broadcast in “living-color-telecast” for the first time. In 1972, the MISS UNIVERSE competition was held for the first time out of the USA in Puerto Rico, where the first broadcast via satellite would be staged, and would bring the pageant into the homes of viewers and fans around the globe.

A lot has changed in past 71 years in the world and so is MISS UNIVERSE.

Today’s delegates are more often aimed to achieve a higher level of education, political aspirations, charitable involvement or entrepreneurs.

In 2018 at the finals held in Thailand, for the first time transgender contestant (Miss Universe Spain) participated in the MISS UNIVERSE competition and 2023 marks the year when major rule changes: now married and divorced women as well as mothers can compete for the MISS UNIVERSE title.

Titleholders have gone on to high profile careers in government, engineering, medicine, law, business, finance, genetic research, broadcasting, publishing, fashion, film and television.

Today’s MISS UNIVERSE is a fast-paced competition featuring some of the world’s most ambitious and accomplished women. These are women of power and grace, intelligence, commitment, substance and style.

Miss Universe Croatia pageant was held for the first time in 1997, in Opatija, when the organizer was Hrvatska tiskara. First Croatian winner was Kristina Čerina of Split.

In 1998 Vladimir Kraljević takes over organization of the pageant, and develops the project into most prestigious beauty pageant in Croatia.