Man of the World is a major international male beauty pageant competition. The contest and organization center on relevant advocacies and causes—"Masculinity with Responsibility"—emphasizing character and well-roundedness, the importance of quality education, fitness, sports, health and wellness, arts and creative pursuits, philanthropy, and overall personal and professional career development—positioning itself as the "Olympics of Male Beauty."
The pageant, which records over 80 participating countries since its inception, was created in 2017 by Philippine-based multinational conglomerate Prime Events Productions Philippines (PEPPs) Foundation, Inc., which also organizes the annual Misters of Filipinas competition, and specializes in multimedia content production and talent management through its entertainment company PEPPs TV, LLC.
The current Man of the World is Jin Wook Kim of Korea, who was crowned on 16 June 2023.
Olympics of Male Beauty
Besides the conventional preliminary casual wear, swimwear, and formal wear competitions, as well as the finals, the Man of the World contest also includes several segmented competitions scattered all throughout the duration of each annual edition building up to coronation night. These individual competitions are aimed at determining the holistic capacities and capabilities of each delegate.
Individual Competitions
The competitions include resorts wear, beach wear, national costume, talent, arrival outfit and look, modeling, fashion of the world, creative male fashion, sports and fitness challenges, speech and engagement, social media, tourism campaign, charity auction, environmental awareness campaign, educational campaign (school tours and speaking engagements), most photogenic, mister personality, best physique, press favorite, people's choice, sponsor's choice (each major sponsor may choose at least one winner as brand ambassador), multimedia (media tour and appearances), closed-door and preliminary panel interviews, among others.
Three winners emerge from these competitions, who are then bestowed gold, silver, and bronze medals in an awards ceremony that culminates in the singing of the gold medalist's national anthem. Winners in these competitions gather points, which would further their chances in the finals. Altogether, these individual competitions' results and each delegate's accrued points inform the judges' decisions and play a considerable weight and bearing in determining every edition's Man of the World titleholder.
Man of the World crowns
A feature of the Man of the World competition and organization is its crown. While most other male beauty pageants only bestow winning sashes and trophies to their annual titleholders during finals, the Man of the World Organization has always featured a winner's crown since the competition's inception and inaugural edition in 2017.
Inaugural crown (2017)
The inaugural crown, used in the 2017 edition, was of a solid sterling metal of silver and platinum, featuring fleur-de-lis, sampaguita, and other monarchical heraldry emblems from the seven continents. Designed by Filipino international jewellery master Manuel Halasan and insured by Axa International, the first Man of the World crown, estimated to be over 3 million Philippine pesos (around 54,000 US dollars), was meant to pay homage to the masculine beauty ideal, and denote the responsibilities that come with leadership.
Ginto crown (2018)
The Ginto crown, used in 2018, was designed by Manuel Halasan and insured by the M Lhuillier Group of Companies. Ginto (gold in English), valued at over 5 million Philippine pesos (around 90,000 US dollars), still carried adornments of fleur-de-lis, sampaguita, chrysanthemum, peony, and various other flowers and symbols of imperial heraldry from the seven continents of the world. It is an elevation of the inaugural crown, denoting excellence in responsible leadership, the ideal masculine beauty, and celebrating the modern man.
Current crown (2019—present)
The current Man of the World crown was designed and crafted by jewellery artist George Wittels, through the initiative of Richard James White of Realty World Regency in Hercules, California, United States. Made in Venezuela, the crown is worth over a million US dollars. The design consists of a gold and platinum monarchical diadem base, encrusted and adorned with precious stones that include emeralds, sapphires, rubies, diamonds, and golden Philippine south sea pearls, paying homage to the ideal masculine form and beauty, denoting responsible leadership, and "celebrating the endless possibilities of the future".