Finalists

The Miss Universe contest is more than a beauty pageant, with women coming here aspiring to become Miss Universe required to be intelligent, cultured and a firm believer in values. From the eighty odd contestants, who participate in the Miss Universe, top five are declared the finalists amongst whom, the winner and four other runners up are declared. The final placement of the Miss Universe candidates is presently determined by a rank vote, where each judge ranks each of the final five candidates.

The contestants at the Miss Universe compete in preliminary rounds of judging, these days known as the ‘Presentation Show’. It is after the presentation show, that the competition is narrowed down to ten semi-finalists. The final five contestants after being decided by the judges are subject to answer a final question, to decide who is capable of wearing the Miss Universe crown. The title of the Miss Universe is earned by that contestant, whose answer appeals the most to the reputed judges for the evening.

Apart from the Miss Universe, from amidst the five finalist are announced the 1st runner-up, the 2nd runner-up, the 3rd runner-up and the 4th runner-up. Now, who is going to wear the Miss Universe 2008 crown, remains to be seen on July 14, 2008. The Miss Universe 2008 like earlier Miss Universes will be assigned a one-year contract with the Miss Universe Organization, under which she will travel widely across the globe, spreading the message of public awareness, humanity, health and peace.

Top five contestants Miss Universe 2008
The top five contestants of Miss Universe 2008 were chosen from amongst the top 10. The names of top five contestants of Miss Universe 2008 are Dayana Mendoza (Venezuela), Elisa Najera (Mexico), Marianne Cruz Gonzalez (Dominican Republic), Taliana Vargas (Columbia) and Vera Krasova (Russia)