There will be two Miss Universe pageants next year, the organiser announced on Wednesday.

The first Miss Universe Malaysia 2011 candidate will be crowned by February to compete in the 2011 Miss Universe pageant while Miss Universe Malaysia 2012 will be crowned in September 2011.

"The new format in 2011 aims to enable Malaysia to compete on equal grounds with countries like Mexico and Venezuela, who are famous for producing Miss Universe winners," Andrea Fonseka, the national director of Miss Universe Malaysia Organisation (MUMO) explained in a hotel here.

"Latin American nations typically have between eight to 12 months to train and groom their contenders whereas Malaysia has had to compress this process into just three months," she added.

MUMO aims to overcome this disadvantage by crowning both Miss Universe Malaysia 2011 and 2012 next year.

This marks the first time there will be two Miss Universe Malaysia pageants and winners in the same year.

"We are embarking on a nomination and voting process starting now to select our Miss Universe 2011 winner," Fonseka said.

"This is being done through the pageant's Facebook page, website and letters sent to us. The public nomination and voting results would then be combined with the views of a panel of judges to help select the country's next representative," she elaborated.

Meanwhile, the search for the 2012 candidate will start in February through a national roadshow, a reality television programme and casting calls that will be held nationwide.

Miss Universe Malaysia is part of the international Miss Universe franchise owned and managed by the Trump Organisation in joint venture with NBC Universal.