A photo of the winning moment of Pia Wurtzbach, Miss Universe 2015. This year, the pageant has introduced some changes to its format. Reuters

MANILA -- The 65th Miss Universe competition will be featuring a new format.

According to the pageant's updated website, the preliminary competition will determine a top 12, instead of of a top 15. These pre-selected finalists will be announced at the start of the coronation night on January 30.

From the top 12, nine candidates will then move on to the next round based on the average scores of the judges and the fans' votes after the swimsuit portion. This is the second year in a row that the pageant has incorporated public votes, which can be cast online, in determining its finalists.

A top six will then be picked following the evening gown competition, again to be determined by the combined judges and vote scores.

This year's revamp will also include a change in the question and answer round. Instead of having the finalists go through two batches of questions, the candidates will only get to flaunt their "ability to articulate themselves under pressure while sharing a thoughtful, well-informed response" once. This will be during the top six.

The top three candidates who will manage to garner the highest average scores from judges and fans will move on to the final portion of the pageant.

"During the last stage of the competition, the judges and home viewers are asked to make a decision based on their overall performance through the Final Look. Rather than score, this segment is ranked, meaning the judges and home viewers base their vote on who they think should win the title," the new rules stated.