[2][3][4][5][6] The group was first described by the China Daily newspaper in 2004 as "the world's four major beauty contests".
[7][8] In April 2008, the South China Morning Post described them as "four of the world's top beauty pageants";[9] the same description was also used by South Korea's leading newspaper, Chosun Ilbo in 2010.
[10] In 2017, the Latin Times considered the group as the "most important pageants in the world".
[12] Agencia EFE in 2019 classified them as the "four most influential beauty pageants in the world".
[13][14][15] Among the hundreds of thousands of beauty contests held annually,[16] the Big Four are considered the most prestigious,[17] widely covered and broadcast by media.
[76][77] The following countries and territories have won each Big Four pageant at least once: The first country to win all four major international pageant titles was Brazil, when it won Miss Earth 2004.
As of the Miss Universe 2024 edition that took place on 16 November 2024, there have been 15,533 entrants and 3,378 placements in the Big Four international beauty pageants.