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 After establishing a track record in mounting world-class beauty pageants over the last decade, Carousel Productions Inc. decided to reinvent and improve the concept of beauty competitions for the new millennium.
Because many people admire and aspire to be a beauty queen, Carousel Productions, Inc. believed beauty queens would be a good and effective advocate of worthy causes. To give life to this vision, Carousel organized and launched in 2001 the MISS EARTH® Beauty Pageant, a beauty event whose raison d’être was to have its candidates and winners actively promote and get involved in the preservation of the environment and the protection of Mother Earth. The pageant winner is expected to become involved with international environmental projects. These projects are also promoted during the pageant's broadcast. The delegates also take part in tree planting ceremonies, environmental and cultural immersion programs, sponsor visits and tours.
In 2003, Miss Earth adopted the slogan "Beauties For a Cause". In 2004, the Miss Earth Foundation was created to further the pageant's environmental cause. The Miss Earth pageant has grown over the years, with an increasing number of countries participating each year. The number of national Miss Earth pageants has grown on every continent as well. Since it began the pageant has been held annually in the Philippines, either October or November, and televised nationwide via ABS-CBN with international delayed telecasts in more than 80 countries via STAR TV and The Filipino Channel. The 8th Miss Earth Pageant was held at the Clark Expo Amphitheater in Angeles City, Pampanga on November 9, 2008. Twenty-two year-old Karla Henry of the host country beat 84 other candidates.
Pageant system
Since the Miss Earth pageant has an environmental cause, it is primarily looking for young women who will stand for the protection and preservation of the planet. These women are pageant winners or chosen by national Miss Earth directors from different nations. On national level competitions, the Miss Earth's cause is carried out to assure that each of the participating candidates are not just physically beautiful, but environmentally knowledgeable. As soon as the national winners are chosen, they will be subject to evaluation by the pageant organizer.
During the pre-finals weeks, the candidates are evaluated on each activity and event they have. Preliminary swimsuit and evening gown competitions also take place and a panel interview where the candidates speak of their environmental platform and personal thoughts. As soon as the preliminary activities are completed, the judges and the executive staff will select sixteen candidates who will comprise the group of semi-finalists.
During the live finals, the sixteen (16) semi-finalists will be announced. All previous scores will be disregarded and thereafter compete in the swimsuit round. The top eight (8) scorers in swimsuit will move on the next level of competition. The final eight (8) portions will have interview and evening gown competition components. The scores from these two (2) events will be averaged and the four (4) highest scorers will continue with the last competition - the final interview. In the final interview, all four finalists will answer one environmental question; the candidates will be assessed based on the judges’ over-all impression on the candidate to determine the final ranking.
If in case the Miss Earth winner can no longer fulfill her duties and obligations as titleholder, the 1st runner-up will be the one who will take-over the title.
Titles and semi-finalists
The winner of the pageant is bestowed the title Miss Earth; her runners-up are also given titles named after the other natural elements: Miss Fire (equivalent to third runner-up), Miss Water (second runner-up), and Miss Air (first runner-up). Miss Earth is the only one of the "Big Four" pageants which has individual titles for the runners-up. |
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