Miss Universe 2014
Paulina Vega, who was crowned Miss Universe 2014, hosted this year's preliminary competition in Las Vegas Reuters

The Miss Universe Organization held the preliminary competition in Las Vegas on 16 December at 10pm ET (3am BST) ahead of the 64th annual Miss Universe pageant. The show was hosted by reigning queen Paulina Vega of Colombia.

During the preliminary contest, all 80 contestants competed in the swimwear and evening gown rounds. Based on their performance in the preliminary competition along with an interview portion, the top 15 contestants will be announced during the pageant's finale show on 20 December.

The top 15 contestants will then compete for the DIC crown by participating in the last leg of the pageant, which is the question-and-answer session. Paulina Vega will crown the winner.

Watch live

The Miss Universe Preliminary Competition is usually not aired live on TV but can be watched online. A live stream of the contest is available on the official website of the Miss Universe Organization.

Live feeds are also available on the official Facebook and Twitter pages of the pageant. Feeds of the preliminary competition have been uploaded on the pageant's YouTube channel as well. Watch the video here.

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Miss Universe 2015 pageant

Hosted by Emmy Award winning talk show host Steve Harvey and Rush Hour 2 actress Roselyn Sanchez, the Miss Universe 2015 pageant will be aired live from Planet Hollywood Resort in Las Vegas at 7pm ET (12 midnight BST) on Fox.

The finale will have the top 15 contestants from the preliminary round compete in the interview round to be crowned Miss Universe 2015. The three-hour event will also see performances by Grammy Award-winning singer and songwriter Seal and Grammy Award-winning sibling trio The Band Perry and Golden Globe and Grammy Award-nominated Charlie Puth.

This year under its new owners, the pageant will have for the first time a Final Look round in which real-time voting from fans will help determine the next Miss Universe. Fans can also vote on each category and help decide the winner. Tickets are available for the finals and dress rehearsal.

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