Miss Universe 2018

Catriona Gray of the Philippines was named Miss Universe 2018. Gray, whose mother is Filipina and father is Australian, wore a sparkling red dress she said was inspired by the iconic Mayon Volcano in her mother's home province of Albay. The 24-year-old singer and model said she wore red because "when I was 13 my mom said she had a dream that I would win Miss Universe in a red dress."

Up until the very end, it appeared as though South Africa might hold on to the Miss Universe title, as the 24-year-old contestant from the country, Tamaryn Green, looked to be a favorite. A medical student in Cape Town, Green spoke out about her own battle with tuberculosis and plans to use her time as first runner-up to focus on her #breakthestigma campaign to draw awareness to the disease.

Sthefany Gutierrez, 19, was crowned second runner-up in Bangkok. The law student from Venezuela told judges that she comes from a family of working women. She represented her country as Miss Venezuela 2017 through December 13, 2018, when she passed on her crown to Isabella Rodriguez.

Although she was not selected to enter the top 20 competition, Angela Ponce of Spain has already made history. The first transgender woman to be crowned Miss Universe Spain, she said ahead of the competition in Bangkok that just being there was enough. With her appearance on stage, she wanted to empower young women and families to be proud of who they are.

A 25-year-old business student from Stuttgart, Celine Flores Willers represented Germany at Miss Universe 2018. While she already works as a TV show host, Willers wants to start her own business within the next 10 years and hopes to see more women in leadership positions.