Editing Miss Universe (section)

==Contestant selection==
{{main|List of Miss Universe countries}}
To gain participation in Miss Universe, a country needs a local company or person to buy the local rights of the competition through a franchise fee. The fee includes the rights of image, brand and everything related to the pageant. Often the owner of the franchise returns the franchise to the Miss Universe Organization, which resells it to a new stakeholder. The reselling of the franchise from one owner to the next is recurrently common in the history of the event, sometimes for contractual breaches or financial reasons. The number of participants fluctuates annually because of the franchising of the pageant paired with conflicting schedules to the regular calendar, but has steadied above 70 countries since [[Miss Universe 1989|1989]].

Usually a country's candidate selection involves pageants in the nation's local subdivisions, where local winners compete in a national pageant, but there are some countries who opt for an internal selection. For example, from 2000 to 2004, Australian delegates were chosen by a [[modeling agency]]. Although such "castings" are generally discouraged by the Miss Universe Organization, [[Jennifer Hawkins]] was chosen to represent the country in Miss Universe in 2004 (where she would eventually win the crown). Australia would eventually reinstate its national pageant for Miss Universe from 2005 onwards.

Recent countries that debuted in the pageant include Cameroon (2020), Bahrain (2021), Bhutan (2022), Pakistan (2023), Belarus, Eritrea, Guinea, Macau, Maldives, Moldova, North Macedonia, Somalia, United Arab Emirates and Uzbekistan (2024). Macau is the latest newcomer and the most recent country to obtain its first ever semifinal placement at Miss Universe, after debuting in [[Miss Universe 2023|2024]] as a semifinalist in the Top 30. 

Meanwhile, Botswana remains the most recent first-time entry to ever win Miss Universe on its debut year (with [[Mpule Kwelagobe]] in [[Miss Universe 1999|1999]]), and Denmark is the most recent country to obtain its first ever national win in Miss Universe (with [[Victoria Kjær Theilvig]] in 2024).

Cultural barriers, particularly with the swimsuit competition, and the prohibitive franchise fees of the event have prevented some countries like Mozambique from participating. Nevertheless, the Miss Universe Pageant has historically proven popular in regions like the Americas, Africa and Asia, especially in countries like [[Miss USA|United States]], [[Miss Universe Philippines|Philippines]], [[Miss Universe Colombia|Colombia]], [[Miss Brazil|Peru]], [[Miss Venezuela|Venezuela]], [[Miss South Africa|South Africa]], [[Miss France|France]], [[Miss Universe Thailand|Thailand]] and [[Miss Universe Indonesia|Indonesia]], given their successful track record of multiple semifinal appearances in the last decade and combined multiple titles in the competition's history. {{As of |2024}}, only two countries have been present at every Miss Universe since its inception in 1952: Canada and France.{{Citation needed|date=January 2025}}

Since 2012, openly [[transgender]] women have been allowed to compete as long as they won their national pageants.<ref>{{cite news |last=Dillon |first=Nancy |date=April 10, 2012 |title=Transgender contestants can compete in Miss Universe |work=Daily News |location=New York |url=http://articles.nydailynews.com/2012-04-10/news/31320540_1_transgender-women-glaad-policy-change|archive-url=https://archive.today/20120707082743/http://articles.nydailynews.com/2012-04-10/news/31320540_1_transgender-women-glaad-policy-change|url-status=dead|archive-date=July 7, 2012}}.</ref> Six years after this rule went into effect, [[Angela Ponce]] of Spain became the first openly transgender candidate to compete in the contest, in the 2018<ref>{{cite web |date=July 9, 2018 |title=ÁNGELA PONCE: LA TRANSEXUAL MÁS HERMOSA DE ESPAÑA QUE CAMBIARÁ PARA SIEMPRE MISS UNIVERSO |url=https://www.bemiss.es/angela-ponce-la-transexual-mas-hermosa-de-espana-que-cambiara-para-siempre-miss-universo/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190328130228/https://www.bemiss.es/angela-ponce-la-transexual-mas-hermosa-de-espana-que-cambiara-para-siempre-miss-universo/ |archive-date=March 28, 2019 |access-date=November 17, 2018 |work=be Miss Universe Spain |language=es}}</ref> edition. In [[Miss Universe 2019|2019]], Myanmar's [[Swe Zin Htet]] became the first openly lesbian woman to compete in Miss Universe. Spain's [[Patricia Yurena Rodríguez]] is currently the highest-placed [[LGBT]] member at Miss Universe, placing second to Venezuela's [[Gabriela Isler]] in [[Miss Universe 2013|2013]], but did not come out until years after the competition.<ref>{{cite web |date=November 30, 2019 |title=Hoa hậu Myanmar thừa nhận đồng tính ngay khi thi Miss Universe 2019: Đầy bản lĩnh và đáng nể phục! |url=https://baomoi.com/hoa-hau-myanmar-thua-nhan-dong-tinh-ngay-khi-thi-miss-universe-2019-day-ban-linh-va-dang-ne-phuc/c/33149139.epi |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191212230246/https://baomoi.com/hoa-hau-myanmar-thua-nhan-dong-tinh-ngay-khi-thi-miss-universe-2019-day-ban-linh-va-dang-ne-phuc/c/33149139.epi |archive-date=December 12, 2019 |access-date=December 11, 2019 |language=vi}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |date=November 29, 2019 |title=#MissUniverseMyanmar2019 #RoadToMissUniverse2019 |url=https://www.instagram.com/p/B5dbKqxFL63/ |url-access=subscription |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/iarchive/instagram/swe_zin_htet/2188024474343095991 |archive-date=2021-12-23 |publisher=Swe Zin Htet}}{{cbignore}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Herbst |first=Diane |date=December 6, 2019 |title=Miss Universe's First Openly Gay Contestant Came Out Days Ago: 'I Just Started a New Chapter' |url=https://people.com/human-interest/miss-myanmar-is-miss-universe-first-openly-gay-contestant/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191211154739/https://people.com/human-interest/miss-myanmar-is-miss-universe-first-openly-gay-contestant/ |archive-date=December 11, 2019 |access-date=December 11, 2019 |magazine=People}}</ref> In 2021, the Philippines' [[Beatrice Gomez]] became the first openly [[bisexual]] (and LGBT) contestant to enter the Miss Universe semifinals, after finishing as a finalist in the Top 5 that year. In 2023, Portugal's [[Marina Machete]] became the first [[transgender]] contestant to enter the Miss Universe semifinals, after finishing as a semifinalist in the Top 20.

Previously, official rules had stated that pageant contestants, "must not have ever been married, not had a marriage annulled nor given birth to, or parented a child. The titleholders are also required to remain unmarried throughout their reign."<ref>{{Cite web |date=2019-04-17 |title=Beauty queen stripped of crown after getting pregnant |url=https://nypost.com/2019/04/17/beauty-queen-stripped-of-crown-after-getting-pregnant/ |access-date=2023-09-16 |language=en-US |archive-date=September 19, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230919123148/https://nypost.com/2019/04/17/beauty-queen-stripped-of-crown-after-getting-pregnant/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2018-09-26 |title=Miss Ukraine stripped of crown over contest rules violation — she's a divorced mother |url=https://www.nydailynews.com/2018/09/26/miss-ukraine-stripped-of-crown-over-contest-rules-violation-shes-a-divorced-mother/ |access-date=2023-09-16 |website=New York Daily News |language=en-US}}</ref> However, in August 2022, the Miss Universe Organization announced that mothers, married, or pregnant women are eligible to compete in the pageant.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://mb.com.ph/2022/08/06/surprise-miss-universe-colombia-to-accept-contestants-who-are-married-with-kids-will-muph-follow-suit/ |location=Manila |work=Manila Bulletin |first=Robert |last=Requintina |title=SURPRISE! Miss Universe Colombia to accept contestants who are married with kids. Will MUPh follow suit? |date=August 6, 2022 |archive-date=August 10, 2022 |access-date=August 6, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220810223517/https://mb.com.ph/2022/08/06/surprise-miss-universe-colombia-to-accept-contestants-who-are-married-with-kids-will-muph-follow-suit/ |url-status=live }}.</ref> The new rule has been instituted since 2023. Accepting married contestants reinvigorates tension between the American-based Miss Universe pageant and the European-based [[Mrs. Universe]] pageant, which was previously the only avenue for married women to compete for the Universe title. Later that same year, Colombia's [[Camila Avella]] became the first candidate to become a mother before clinching a semifinal placement at Miss Universe, after finishing as a finalist in the Top 5. 

Moreover, Miss Universe has always strictly prohibited [[age fabrication]]. While the pageant's minimum age limit has been set at 18 years old, this presents a problem for several European countries that allow 17-year-old contestants to compete in their pageants. National titleholders under 18 years of age must be replaced by their runner-up or another candidate in the main pageant. In recent years, all Miss Universe candidates have been required to be at least [[academic degree|university degree holders]] or working [[professionals]] from the onset of their national pageants. In September 2023, [[R'Bonney Gabriel]] announced that the organization would be dropping the upper age limit. Previously, contestants had to be between 18 and 28 years old by the start of the pageant. Beginning in 2024, "every adult woman in the world will be eligible to compete to be Miss Universe."<ref>{{Cite web |title=Miss Universe Pageant Puts an End to Age Limits — Soon, All Women Over 18 Will Be Allowed to Compete |url=https://people.com/miss-universe-pageant-ends-age-limit-all-women-over-18-allowed-compete-7969273 |access-date=2023-09-16 |website=Peoplemag |language=en}}</ref>