Bali: Miss Philippines Megan Young was crowned this year's Miss World in an event held under tight security on Indonesia's resort island of Bali on Saturday.
Young beat five other finalists, including France and Brazil, to win the coveted title in a contest broadcast to more than 180 countries worldwide.
Miss France, Marine Lorphelin, 20, took second place, while Miss Ghana, Carranzar Naa Okailey Shooter, 22, came in third.
Young thanked the judges for choosing her and promised to "be the best Miss World ever".
The 23-year-old pledged to "just be myself in everything I do, to share what I know and to educate people".
The Filipina beauty had been a crowd favourite to win the title. On Friday she was also declared winner in the Miss World Top Model competition, where she won awards in the Beach Fashion competition and in the multimedia contest.
Young, who took the crown from Wenxia Yu of China, the 2012 winner, was born in the United States. When she was 10 she moved to the Philippines, where she has appeared in films and as a television host.
She is also one of the National Peace Ambassadors alongside other local personalities such as Anne Curtis, Gerald Anderson, Mikael Daez and apl.de.ap of the Black Eyed Peas for the “I Am For Peace” campaign.
Saturday's Miss World pageant was moved to Bali following protests by Muslim hardline groups.
Despite threats from the Islamic Defenders Front to disrupt Saturday night's crowning, police say no rallies have been staged. The group has demonstrated for weeks, calling for the government to cancel the pageant because members say it goes against Islamic teachings.
Miss World organizers had earlier agreed to cut bikinis from the swimsuit competition, replacing them with more conservative sarongs. But pressure continued to mount, and more mainstream groups joined in and called for the show to be banned.
The 127 contestants vying for the crown on Saturday were introduced wearing evening gowns shimmering in sequins, many of them with plunging necklines and slits up the leg. Four candidates dropped out earlier, mainly due to illnesses, said Syafril Nasution, one of the local organisers.
With inputs from Manuel Almario, Community Editor, and agencies
