Miss Grand International 2016 is closing in on crowning its new queen, with the Philippines’ Nicole Cordoves vying to win the country’s first MGI crown — though our representative looks set for a tough fight, with plenty of strong contenders in the running this year.

We watched today’s preliminary competition as it streamed on Facebook Live from Las Vegas. Production-wise, MGI 2016 isn’t as glamorous as Miss Universe, but it’s a clear step above most of the newer beauty pageants out there, which is likely why it’s grown more popular with pageant fans worldwide than most of its younger rivals.

Picking a winner still feels like a puzzle, since sash factor doesn’t seem to carry much weight here — last year’s winner seemed to owe her crown mostly to her personal story, and months later, she handed it off to her runner-up, who’s now the reigning queen. Even so, judging purely on beauty and performance in today’s prelims, this year’s batch has plenty of contestants worth rooting for.

The following candidates stand out to us as real threats to the Philippines’ Cordoves.

Miss Grand Philippines Nicole Cordoves did well. Even before the prelims, we loved her National Costume and how she carries herself in competition — her queenly grace, understated looks, and stage presence all worked in her favor. It’s very Filipina, and it sets her apart from competitors who lean into a more generic Miss Universe-style look. Her pictorials are lovely, aside from that one swimsuit photo posted on the MGI website. She handled the catwalk beautifully during the prelims, especially with those graceful sways and kicks during the swimsuit round. Her gown was just okay, but she wore it with real poise. Hand her the mic during the final Q&A, and she could very well bring the crown home. Trust us.

But this is a competition, and nothing’s final until results are in. Based purely on what’s been shared publicly so far, here are a few stunning ladies who could make it hard for Nicole to take the crown home:

1.) Indonesia’s Ariska Putri Pertiwi. She’s been making waves online even before the prelims, and not just because of her fanbase — her beautiful face and grace stand out in a way many Indonesian candidates haven’t quite managed before. We loved her performance in both the evening gown and swimsuit rounds, on top of a beautiful national costume. If we had to pick beyond Nicole, Miss Indonesia would be our Miss Grand International 2016.

2.) Venezuela remains our toughest competitor in pageantry, and nobody’s arguing that. Miss Grand Venezuela Debora Paola Medina is out to prove it once again. A model and dancer, she champions education back home, which is simply a beautiful thing to stand for.

3.) With curves like that (34-24-35) and modeling agency experience under her belt as a catwalk pro, Ukraine’s Veronika Mykhailyshyn is another serious threat. There’s a quality to her beauty that sets her apart from the rest of the field.

4.) Asian beauties are having a strong showing this year, and if we had to pick another, it would be Thailand’s Supaporn Malisorn. Stunning on her own merits, and her prelim performance only confirms she’s another contender worth watching closely. We wouldn’t mind seeing her in the Top 3.

5.) Rounding out our top contenders list is Madison Sara Anderson of Puerto Rico. That beauty speaks for itself.

Then there’s Romania’s Ioana Mihalache. She reads more like model material to us than a classic beauty queen, but that hardly matters — she could very well be the next face of Miss Grand International.

Other beauties to watch out for

We’re not settling for just our top picks, though — we don’t have that luxury. Some of pageantry’s bigger names are here to prove they know how to make queens too. Latina beauties Paulina Flores of Mexico, Priscila Howard of Peru, and Renata Sena of Brazil are among the sexiest in this batch. Then there’s Colombia’s Juliana Florez, who looks ready to avenge fellow Colombian beauty queen Adriana Gutierrez’s runner-up finish to the Philippines’ Pia Wurtzbach at Miss Universe.

But a few other Asian beauties might just change our minds too. Miss Malaysia Ranmeet Jassal is equally stunning, and there’s also this beautiful model from Macau, Hio Man Chan. And who could overlook the most striking Black contestant in the batch? Yes, folks, we’re talking about South Sudan’s Teresa Yuol.

Who are your bets? Let us know in the comments.