Miss Universe PH 2026: Everything you need to know about the pageant
The road to the crown is almost over as Miss Universe Philippines 2026 gears up for its much-awaited coronation night this May.
A total of 50 delegates from all over the country will be gracing the stage of the Mall of Asia Arena on Friday, May 1. The coronation night will see Miss Universe Philippines 2025 titleholder Ahtisa Manalo handing over her crown to the next winner.
The chosen queen will then represent the Philippines in the global 75th Miss Universe pageant, which is set to be held at the José Miguel Agrelot Coliseum in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Read on to know what to expect on the days leading up to the final night:
Preliminary activities
The candidates recently showcased their elegance and confidence during the preliminary evening gown competition that was held at the City of Dreams Manila on April 5. You can vote for the queen you think deserves the title for Best Evening Gown up until April 11.
Afterwards, the queens will be setting the stage on fire as they strut the runway in their swimwear for the preliminary swimsuit competition on Sunday, April 12, with the voting period happening up until April 18.
The segment is expected to be livestreamed on Empire PH’s YouTube channel at around 12 p.m.
The preliminary activities will be wrapped up with a closed-door interview with the candidates on Sunday, April 19, which will also posted on Empire PH's platform. Fans can then vote for their favorite aspirant up until April 25.
How to vote
Miss Universe Philippines has linked up with digital bank Maya as its official voting partner for the 2026 competition, allowing fans to vote for their favorite queens on the Maya app for free.
Once users upgrade their accounts by verifying it, they can unlock access to free daily votes for the Miss Universe Philippines 2026 candidates.
Every vote submitted through the Maya platform will be fed into the overall selection process. Expert evaluation from the judging panel, combined with the public votes, will determine the list of semifinalists, which will be announced on coronation night.
Fans will be given one free vote per day. If you want more, you will need to pay P10 for 10 votes, P50 for 50 votes, P100 for 100 votes, P300 for 300 votes, and P500 for 500 votes.
Ticket prices
If you want to witness the crowning moment in person, general admission tickets for the coronation night are set at P800, with Upper Box seating available for P2,100.
Got extra money to spend? Get the VIP regular for P5,700, VIP premium for P8,000, and SVIP for P11,300 to see the queens up close.
You can purchase the passes through the SM Ticket website.
Who are the judges?
For the selection committee, the members who will ba playing a crucial role in evaluating the candidates in the preliminary rounds include MUPh 2019 Gazini Ganados, MUPh National Director Ariella Arida, City of Dreams Manila Director Tes Parado Aranda, MUPh Executive Vice President Voltaire Tayag, Sparkle GMA Artist Center Vice President Joy Marcelo, and GMG Productions CEO and Owner Carlos Garcia Candal.
The organization has yet to reveal the roster of judges for the coronation night.