GB Awards 2018: Miss Universe wins "Best Preliminary Competitions" Award

After the Last Vegas preliminary competitions fiasco in 2017, Miss Universe was back on its feet and, in a very tough battle for gold with Miss World and Miss Grand International, it is the Yulia winner for “Best Preliminary Competitions” in 2018. It pulled a fantastic Best National Costume presentation and the Preliminary show, webcast live, was excellent, proving that what we saw last year was an exception, not the rule. The truth is: most pageant fans appreciate the traditional runway events they are used to, when nicely executed.

But it was not an easy choice! Our judges were divided and very close behind the winner, was Miss World, taking the silver medal in this category. If the gown parade and Top Model competitions deserved a better and more professional live webcast, at least they happened in high class. But the highlight of Miss World´s preliminary competitions is without a doubt, the Head to Head Challenge, an original creation of Miss World which allows the fans to really get to know the candidates. Not further behind is Miss Grand International, taking 3rd place. MGI once again delivered well produced and fun to watch preliminary competitions, inluding Best National Costume, Best in Swimsuit and the Preliminary Show, which is always greatly produced.

Very far behind in Miss Supranational, in 4th place. Its preliminary competitions (swimsuit, gown, talent and Top Model) were nicely done, but not really up to the level of the three pageants who made it to the podium in this category. And much further behind, in 5th place, in Miss International. We must give credit to it for finally putting together a preliminary swimsuit competition, but yet, there was no production whatsoever, as it happened in a hotel room, with no decoration and a poor transmission.

WINNER: MISS UNIVERE - 74 points
2nd - Miss World - 68 points
3rd - Miss Grand Int´l - 66 points

4th - Miss Supranational - 39 points / 5th - Miss International - 14 points

See how the judges voted (from number 1 to 5. 1st receives 12 points, 2nd - 7 points, 3rd - 4 points, 4th - 2 points, 5th - 1 point):

Vandercasteele - S W G U I
Bande - U W G S I
Fawcett - U G S I W
Palmero - W G U S I
Medel - W U G S I
Guiraldes - G W U S I
Rodriguez - U W G S I
Duarte - G U S W I
Isa - U G I S W
Maes - W S G U I

Our judges: Jean-Marie Vandercasteele from Belgium, Sifiso Bande from South Africa, Sally-Ann Fawcett from the UK, Paul Palmero from the Philippines, Jose “Pepe” Medel from Mexico, Ricardo Guiraldes from Chile, Julio Rodriguez from Venezuela, Rafael Duarte from Brazil, Richard Isa from Curaçao, Katia Maes from the Netherlands.