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Eighty-four of the most beautifully confident and empowered women in the universe are in New Orleans, Louisiana, USA, competing in the 71st Miss Universe edition. They have been in the host city for over a week now and making the most of this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to represent their countries and territories on the prestigious global stage. The preliminary competition and final telecast are fast approaching and in less than a week, we will find out who will become the next Miss Universe. Based entirely on their official headshots posted at missuniverse.com and official app, meet our Top 12 favorites: TOP 12 (in alphabetical order) Albania - Deta Kokomani Angola - Swelia Da Silva Antonio Armenia - Kristina Ayanian Colombia - María Fernanda Aristizábal Indonesia - Laksmi De Neefe Suardana Jamaica - Toshami Calvin Kosovo - Roksana Ibrahimi Peru - Alessia Rovegno Philippines - Celeste Cortesi Spain - Alicia Faubel Venezuela - Amanda Dudamel Vietnam - Nguyễn Thị Ngọc Châu Special

The 71st Miss Universe contestants have been very busy with their pre-pageant events and activities ahead of the preliminary, national costume, and final competitions. Brennan's, a famous New Orleans restaurant located in the heart of the French Quarter, hosted the contestants a special dinner where they enjoyed delicious and authentic Creole cuisine. In addition to touring, filming, and rehearsing for the big show, a welcome press conference was held for the 84 contestants on Monday, January 9 at the New Orleans Morial Convention Center. Present were Mayor LaToya Cantrell, Jerry Reyes (President of the Ernest N. Morial New Orleans Exhibition Hall Authority Board of Commissioners) Kelly Schulz (Senior Vice President, Communications and Public Relations at New Orleans & Company), Miss Universe Organization President Paula Shugart, and outgoing queen Harnaaz Sandhu. The contestants were also taken to a welcome reception at Gallier Hall, a historic building on St. Charles Avenue.

Miss USA R'Bonney Gabriel went to social media to share a photo with her fellow Miss Universe contestant from Ukraine and wrote "I stand with Ukraine" along with their countries' flag emojis in the caption. The beauty queens, who are now in New Orleans competing in the 71st Miss Universe pageant, posed for a photo while combining their hands to form a heart-shaped gesture. R'Bonney expressed: "I am mesmerized by the strength and beauty of my Universe sister [Viktoria Apanasenko]. I had a few moments to sit and talk with her about protecting human rights. I support her resiliency and am inspired by her heart." Miss Universe Ukraine first shared the same photo on her page and said, "Yesterday we did interview together about war in Ukraine, about human rights, about future, about our countries." "I’m so grateful USA for supporting Ukraine, and all people who help Ukrainians in this difficult time overcome evil and fight against it," she

Miss Universe Curacao Gabriëla Dos Santos has finally been able to return to the 71st Miss Universe competition following her ordeal with COVID-19 infection. The 20-year-old certified life coach had to be put under quarantine when she tested positive for COVID-19 shortly after her arrival in New Orleans for the international pageant. Despite not knowing if she will be able to make it back to the competition, the beauty queen remained optimistic amid her unfortunate situation. She said: "These moments of difficulty should motivate us to become even stronger. It is challenging, but I chose to look at the silver lining and accept that life is full of unexpected twists and turns." "No matter what comes our way, we must never give up on ourselves or our dreams. I feel empowered knowing that I'm stronger than any challenge and ready to conquer anything," she added. Gabriëla was allowed to join her fellow contestants and continue her fight for her Miss Universe dream a

The 71st Miss Universe preliminary competition will be held on Wednesday, January 11 from 7 p.m. CST at the New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center in Louisiana, USA. Following the crucial part of the pageant where the contestants will parade in their opening dresses, evening gowns, and swimsuits in front of the judges, the national costume competition will take place at 9 p.m. CST. Their preliminary scores will help determine who will make it to the semifinals which will be announced during the final show on Saturday, January 14 from 7 p.m. CST at the same venue. Don't miss the extravaganza of beauty, confidence, elegance, and poise as the contestants make an impression on the selection committee and afterward showcase their rich cultures and traditions through their national costumes. Both important events will be streamed live across the world on the official YouTube channel of the Miss Universe pageant (@OfficialMissUniverse) and on Lazada App in the Philippines.

The 71st Miss Universe experience in New Orleans, Louisiana will never be complete without the contestants taking part in the Mardi Gras celebration. Joined by reigning Miss Universe Harnaaz Sandhu of India, the selected contestants were wearing their national costumes, and others in their Portia and Scarlett opening dresses as they participated in the Krewe of Joan of Arc parade. Apart from its music, food, unique dialects, architecture, and vibrant nightlight, the city is also famous for its annual celebrations and festivals, most notably Mardi Gras. The French name Mardi Gras means Fat Tuesday and the first parade is recorded to have taken place in 1837. Don't miss the contestants further showcase their national costumes during the 71st Miss Universe Costume Show on Wednesday, January 11 live from the New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center. Photos: Miss Universe RELATED POSTS: 71st Miss Universe: Here's where to watch preliminary and national costume competition 71st

Five contestants of the ongoing 71st Miss Universe pageant were chosen to do a special shoot with official makeup sponsor MUBA Cosmetics. The chosen queens were Miss Universe Bahrain Evlin Khalifa, Miss Universe Philippines Celeste Cortesi, Miss Universe South Africa Ndavi Nokeri, Miss Universe Spain Alicia Faubel, and Miss Universe Thailand Anna Sueangam-iam. They were dolled up by the brand's makeup artists and wear creations by fashion designer Mario Parotto for the special shoot taken by Atlanta-based photographer Ida John. MUBA Cosmetics was founded by Miami-based Colombian makeup artist and hairstylist Andres Felipe Cabrera. Here's a glimpse of what took place during the shoot: View this post on Instagram A post shared by Andres Felipe (@andresfelipeofficial) Photos: MUBA Cosmetics RELATED POSTS: 71st Miss Universe: Here's where to watch final telecast and livestream 71st Miss Universe: Meet the contestants from The Americas 71st Miss Universe: Me

The first week of the 71st Universe pageant has been packed with pre-pageant events and activities in New Orleans, world-renowned for its distinctive music, Creole cuisine, and annual celebrations and festivals, most notably Mardi Gras. Witnessing the contestants together at the venue, while at their absolute best to make an impression on the universe, it became a little less difficult to spot the real frontrunners. The much-awaited preliminary competition on January 11, where the contestants will be scored in their evening gowns and swimsuits, will of course further showcase the best of the best from the group. Over 80 stunning contestants to choose from is no easy task and the selection committee will definitely have the most difficult job to determine who will make it to the semifinals. Now that the contestants have arrived and the competition has officially begun, it's about time to update our list of favorites. Meet our Top 16 post-arrival favorites: TOP 16 (in alphabetical or

The highly anticipated 71st Miss Universe final competition is fast approaching and the universe is excited to find out who will take home the coveted crown. One of more than 80 beauties representing various countries and territories around the world will walk away with the title and embark on a wonderful journey of a lifetime. Don't miss watching the final show to know who India's Harnaaz Sandhu will crown as her successor on "the most beautiful day in the universe." The 71st Miss Universe will air live from the New Orleans Morial Convention Center in New Orleans, Louisiana, USA on January 14 at 7 p.m. CST. Stream free on Roku, the Roku mobile app, therokuchannel.com , Samsung Smart TV, and Fire TV. For Spanish, tune in to Telemundo. If you do not have access to The Roku Channel, live streaming will be available on the Miss Universe's official  Youtube , and on the JKN18 channel's official  Facebook  and  YouTube . The pageant will also be broadcasted around

Twenty-eight contestants from the regions of Africa and the Asia Pacific are currently vying for the 71st Miss Universe title in New Orleans, Louisiana, USA. Bhutan joined for the first time while Indonesia, Kyrgyzstan, Lebanon, Malaysia, Myanmar, and Seychelles made a comeback. It is Seychelle's first participation since 1995. The Philippines still leading Africa and the Asia Pacific with four wins. India and South Africa (leading in Africa) followed with three wins each, and Australia, Japan, and Thailand with two wins each. Angola, Botswana, Israel, Lebanon, Namibia, and New Zealand have each won one time. Will Africa and the Asia Pacific manage to win another crown? Miss Universe 2021 Harnaaz Sandhu of India achieved the Asia Pacific region's last victory while Africa's last was in 2019 with Zozibini Tunzi of South Africa. Meet the contestants: ANGOLA - Swelia Da Silva António AUSTRALIA - Monique Riley BAHRAIN - Evlin Khalifa BHUTAN - Tashi Choden CAMBODIA - Manita