The Miss Universe 2025 vote has revolutionized how fans worldwide engage with the pageant, introducing an unprecedented level of public participation in the 74th edition of the competition. Taking place today at the Impact Challenger Hall in Bangkok, Thailand, the pageant allows voters to influence multiple categories through a blockchain-powered mobile application, marking the most technologically advanced voting system in the competition’s 73-year history.
Revolutionary Changes to Miss Congeniality Voting
For the first time ever, the Miss Congeniality award will be decided through public voting rather than the traditional peer voting system among delegates. This historic shift represents a major departure from decades of tradition, where contestants themselves selected the winner based on grace, friendly demeanor, and overall attitude. The change gives millions of global fans direct influence over one of the pageant’s most beloved awards.
The Miss Universe Organization partnered with Zetrix, a Layer-1 public blockchain developer, to create the official voting app. This partnership ensures transparency and security, allowing every vote to be verified through blockchain technology. The app is available for download on both the Apple App Store and Google Play Store, providing easy access for supporters worldwide.
Eight Categories Open for Public Voting
Public voting for Miss Universe 2025 encompasses eight distinct categories, each offering fans the opportunity to support their favorite contestants. The categories include Miss Congeniality, Most Photogenic, People’s Choice, Best Skin, Best Evening Gown, Best National Costume, Beyond the Crown, and Most Beautiful People.
Each category serves a specific purpose within the competition. Beyond the Crown, for instance, allows contestants to share stories about their countries and champion the causes they advocate. This category emphasizes the pageant’s commitment to social impact and cultural representation beyond traditional beauty standards.
The voting categories rolled out gradually throughout the competition period, with Most Beautiful People and Beyond the Crown opening first, followed by other categories becoming available as announced through the app itself.
How to Cast Your Vote
Voting is exclusively available through the official Miss Universe mobile app. After downloading the application, users have two primary methods to cast their votes. Fans can earn free votes by watching advertisements on the platform, typically around 50 seconds per ad. Alternatively, users can purchase vote packages directly through the app using credit card or mobile operator billing.
The app features a star-based voting system with different colors indicating voting options. A yellow star allows one free vote per contest. A green star enables users to cast additional votes without limit. A gold star opens the purchase interface where voters can select voting packages of varying sizes.
The blockchain-powered system ensures complete transparency, with no hidden results or bias. Every vote is verified and counted through secure technology that maintains the integrity of the competition.
Philippines Dominates Fan Voting
Ahtisa Manalo, representing the Philippines, achieved an unprecedented clean sweep by ranking number one in all eight fan-vote categories. Her dominant performance includes leading in People’s Choice and Beyond the Crown, positioning her as the frontrunner heading into today’s grand finale.
The Philippines’ passionate pageant fan base mobilized massive support for Manalo, demonstrating the power of coordinated voting campaigns. She called for a spirit of bayanihan, a Filipino cultural value of community cooperation, urging fans to vote across all available categories.
Bangladesh Makes Strong International Showing
Bangladesh’s Tangia Zaman Methila emerged as another strong contender through public voting, climbing to third place in the People’s Choice category with 192,313 votes as of Wednesday evening. She also secured first place in Best National Costume, second in Miss Congeniality and Best Evening Gown, and third in Best Skin.
Her performance demonstrates how smaller countries can leverage passionate fan bases to compete with traditional pageant powerhouses through the new voting system.
Voting Controversies Create Tension
The People’s Choice voting period was scheduled to end on November 19, but organizers unexpectedly extended the voting window without prior notice. This sudden extension sparked controversy among fans and contestants, particularly as the Philippines, Bangladesh, and other countries were leading before the extension.
The unexpected change raised questions about voting fairness and transparency, despite the blockchain technology designed to ensure integrity. After the extension, Paraguay’s vote count rose significantly, adding to the confusion and frustration among supporters who had organized their voting strategies around the original deadline.
Technical Challenges Frustrate Users
Despite the advanced blockchain technology, users reported numerous technical issues with the voting app. Common complaints include constant lagging, keyboard failures when searching for contestants, and difficulties inputting vote quantities. The app also experiences frequent crashes, closing every 5 to 10 seconds for some users.
Many voters expressed frustration with the 50-second advertisement requirement for free votes, followed by another 50-second wait to upload the vote. These technical problems tested voter patience during the critical voting period, with some users unable to vote for their favorite contestants despite repeated attempts.
The Miss Universe Organization released updates aimed at improving stability and performance, though many users reported seeing no significant improvements after installation.
Understanding the Voting Impact
While public votes play a crucial role in the competition, they specifically determine placement in the Top 30 semifinals. The contestant with the highest number of votes in each category secures a spot among the semifinalists, but the final winner is chosen by judges based on performance in traditional competition segments.
Once the Top 30 are selected, judges evaluate contestants across swimsuit, evening gown, and question-and-answer segments during the grand finale. Judges receive tablets with the Red Arrow system to give scores, which are automatically accumulated each round. Results are sent to an independent accounting firm to ensure transparency and fairness.
The judging panel for 2025 includes notable figures such as Miss Universe 2005 Natalie Glebova from Canada, Zimbabwean army colonel Miniyothabo Francisca Baloyi, Brazilian artist Romero Britto, Cuban journalist Ismael Cala, and Indian badminton player Saina Nehwal, who won bronze at the 2012 Summer Olympics.
Scandal-Plagued Competition
The 2025 pageant has faced multiple controversies beyond voting disputes. Omar Harfouch, a Lebanese-French composer, resigned from the eight-member judging panel three days before the event. He claimed that 30 finalists were pre-selected by an impromptu jury that included individuals with romantic relationships to contestants.
Harfouch stated he was considering legal action against the Miss Universe Organization, citing emotional trauma and reputational damage. He alleged he was misled and publicly used to give credibility to an election process that was already compromised.
The Miss Universe Organization denied these allegations, stating no impromptu jury existed and that all competition evaluations followed established, transparent, and supervised protocols.
French football manager Claude Makélélé and Princess Camilla di Borbone delle Due Sicilie also stepped down citing personal reasons. Their resignations prompted the organization to adjust the final jury lineup, though the competition proceeded as scheduled.
Grand Finale Details
The Miss Universe 2025 grand finale takes place today, November 21, 2025, at 8:00 AM Thailand time. For U.S. viewers, this translates to 8:00 PM ET on November 20. American audiences can watch on Telemundo or stream via Peacock, while international viewers can access the free livestream on the Miss Universe YouTube channel.
The competition features over 120 contestants representing more than 100 countries, making it one of the most diverse editions in pageant history. The 2025 edition marks the debut of Cape Verde, Mayotte, Palestine, and Rwanda at Miss Universe.
Operating under the theme “The Power of Love,” the pageant celebrates compassion, inclusivity, and strength. American stand-up comedian and actor Steve Byrne hosts the event, with Miss Universe 1993 Dayanara Torres and Miss Universe 2022 R’Bonney Gabriel serving as commentary hosts. Denmark’s Victoria Kjær Theilvig will crown her successor at the end of the event.
The Future of Pageant Voting
The blockchain-powered voting system represents a significant evolution in how beauty pageants engage with global audiences. The technology allows fans from Mexico City to Manila, Lagos to Jakarta to participate equally, with every vote verified and counted transparently.
The Miss Universe Organization successfully tested the system in Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, and Hong Kong before rolling it out globally. This pilot program helped refine the app into the robust platform used for the 2025 competition.
The app also introduces AI-powered companions modeled after Miss Universe contestants, reflecting each contestant’s personality, values, and knowledge. These digital companions allow fans to learn about contestants’ passions and causes through meaningful conversations, creating a more immersive connection beyond the stage.
Download and Vote Before the Finale
With the grand finale happening today, the voting window is rapidly closing. Fans who want their voices heard must download the Miss Universe app immediately and cast their votes across all available categories. Whether supporting a favorite contestant or simply participating in pageant history, millions of fans worldwide are engaging with the most accessible and transparent voting system ever implemented at Miss Universe.
Will your favorite contestant secure her spot in the Top 30 and advance to compete for the crown? Download the Miss Universe app now and make your vote count before the grand finale crowns a new queen tonight!
