Photos: For the first time, married women & mums will be allowed to participate in the next #MissUniverse

The next Miss Universe pageant, to be held in El Salvador later this year, will be historic in many ways.

At the annual beauty contest's 72nd event, married women and mums will be allowed to participate for the first time. 

Announced last year, the rule change is one of the biggest shake-ups in the history of the long-running competition, which previously only allowed single women, aged between 18 and 28, who have never been married or had children. 

Pakistan is set to send a representative for the first time, after Dubai company Yugen Group announced it had earned the franchise rights, while a number of countries who've been absent from the contest are set to return, including Egypt, Bangladesh, Guyana, Hungary, Ireland, Latvia, Mongolia, New Zealand, Norway and Zimbabwe. While a date has not been set for the next pageant, where reigning Miss Universe R'Bonney Gabriel from the US will crown her successor, a number of countries have selected their representatives including pageant powerhouses Philippines and Venezuela. 

Here are all the Miss Universe 2023 contestants crowned so far….. 

Miss Universe Philippines: Michelle Dee 

Miss Universe Venezuela: Diana Silva 

Miss Universe Peru: Camila Escribens 

Miss Universe Mauritius: Nilmani Devi Hurlall 

Miss Universe Kyrgyzstan: Diami Almazbekova 

Miss Universe Czech Republic: Vanesa Svedova 

Miss Universe Curacao: Kim Rossen 

Miss Universe Croatia: Andrea Erjavec 

Miss Universe Belgium: Emilie Vansteenkiste