PAGEANT Circle

The 69th Miss Universe Top 5 delegates were asked to pick a topic during the final statement round of the competition held at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Florida on Sunday, May 16. They were each given 30 seconds to speak out on social issues such as mental health, global poverty, and climate change. Here are the final statements of the finalists: Mexico, Andrea Meza Changing beauty standards "We live in a society that more and more is more than advanced and as we advance as a society, we've also advanced with stereotypes. Nowadays, beauty isn't only the way we look. For me, beauty radiates not only in our spirit but in our hearts and the way that we conduct ourselves. Never permit someone to tell you that you're not valuable." India, Adline Castelino Free speech and the right to protest "The right to protest, we've seen many protests in the recent days. Especially I want to point out the protests that women have made throughou

Chihuahua native Andrea Meza became the third Mexican woman to win the Miss Universe crown on Sunday, May 16 at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Florida. Here are 10 facts about the new Miss Universe: 1. She has a degree in software engineering and is proud to be a woman who graduated in a male-dominated field of study. 2. She is an activist, focused on women's rights and inclusion and currently works closely with the Municipal Institute for Women, which aims to end gender violence. 3. She has been part of a global charity association raising funds in India, Indonesia, and China for the downtrodden. 4. She is a certified make-up artist and model, who is also passionate about being active. 5. She practices CrossFit and extreme sports, such as rappel and sandboarding. 6. Her concern for the wellbeing of the world and animals led her to become a vegan. 7. She is the official Tourism Brand Ambassador for Chihuahua, promoting the best touristic attractions and ric

Andrea Meza of Mexico was crowned as the 69th Miss Universe in a glittering competition held at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Florida, USA on Sunday, May 16. She succeeds Zozibini Tunzi of South Africa. The 26-year-old beauty who hails from Chihuahua bested 73 other delegates from around the world to win the third Miss Universe title for her country. She previously placed first runner-up at Miss World 2017 pageant. Julia Gama of Brazil was named first runner-up while Janick Maceta of Peru finished second runner-up. Adline Castelino of India and Kimberly Jiménez of the Dominican Republic were the third and fourth runners-up, respectively. Completing the Top 10 were the delegates from Australia, Maria Thattil, Costa Rica, Ivonne Cerdas, Jamaica, Miqueal-Symone Williams, Puerto Rico, Estefanía Soto, and Thailand, Amanda Obdam. The rest of the Top 21 were from Argentina, Alina Luz Akselrad, Colombia, Laura Olascuaga, Curacao, Chantal Wiertz, France, Amandine Petit

In just a few hours, South Africa's Zozibini Tunzi will crown her successor at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Florida. The 69th Miss Universe pageant that airs live tonight at 8 p.m. ET will be hosted by former Miss Universe Olivia Culpo and "Access Hollywood" co-host Mario Lopez. Former Miss USA Cheslie Kryst along with past winners Paulina Vega and Demi-Leigh Tebow will serve as correspondents. An all-women panel of judges including former Miss Universe Zuleyka Rivera and Brook Lee will select the most deserving woman to win the coveted title. Who will be the next Miss Universe? Meet our final favorites to win the crown: BRAZIL - Julia Gama CANADA - Nova Stevens COLOMBIA - Laura Olascuaga JAMAICA - Miqueal-Symone Williams MEXICO - Andrea Meza NEPAL - Anshika Sharma PERU - Janick Maceta PUERTO RICO - Estefanía Soto ROMANIA - Bianca Tirsin THAILAND - Amanda Obdam Close shots: Dominican Republic, Philippines, Finland, France, India, Vietnam, Costa

Our top choice for the 69th Miss Universe Best in National Costume is Nicaragua's Ana Marcelo. Her costume “La Gritería en Leon” designed by Jorge Salazar Caliz represents the joy and hubbub experienced every year during “La Gritería” festival, an important celebration in Nicaragua that best portrays its national identity. Ukraine's Yelyzaveta Yastremska and Nepal's Anshika Sharma came in second and third places, respectively, while Finland's Viivi Altonen and Malaysia's Francisca Luhong James completed the Top 5. Photo: Benjamín Askinas / Miss Universe Organization

Our top choice for the 69th Miss Universe Miss Photogenic is the beautiful 23-year-old entrepreneur from South Africa, Natasha Joubert. Russia's Alina Sanko and Thailand's Amanda Obdam came in second and third places, respectively. Photo: Hanri Human Photography

Our top choice for the 69th Miss Universe Top Model is the 24-year-old model from Jamaica, Miqueal-Symone Williams. Canada's Nova Stevens and Curacao's Chantal Wiertz came in second and third places, respectively. Photo: Benjamín Askinas / Miss Universe Organization