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Few people know when it is being held and fewer still will watch the pageant, since the pretty parade will not be on TV this year.
MediaCorp, which has been producing the pageant show for the past seven years, has dropped it because of sliding viewership and declining sponsorship money.
The title's local franchise holder, event company Derrol Stepenny Promotions (DSP), has had to select the beauties, find the sponsorship and put together the show on its own.
'I just want the show to go on. As long as it's not cheap-looking, and everyone enjoys the night,' said Mr Daryl Pang, 35, the company's business and promotions director, with a hint of resignation.
The event will now be held at the Marriott Hotel ballroom as a dinner show. He would say only that the show cost 'a five-figure sum' to produce. All 30 tables, costing between $2,000 and $5,000 each, have been taken up.
A spokesman for MediaCorp said it decided to discontinue televising the pageant as ratings have been declining consistently over the last three years by up to 32 per cent compared with its peak.
'Sponsorship interest has also declined and it has been a show with negative returns for some years now,' he said. 'While we do telecast shows even if they have negative returns, the significant fall in ratings and commercial support attests to a decline in viewer interest.'
Market research firm Taylor Nelson Sofres' numbers show that 290,000 viewers tuned in to the pageant show in 2004. In 2006 and last year, it was down to an average of 248,000.
It takes about $750,000 to produce the show every year, said Mr Pang. But now that the event will be held on a much smaller scale and with less hype, funds have been harder to come by.
The pageant's appointed marketing agent, Ms Nadia Johari, 24, said she faced 'a lot of rejections' when approaching potential sponsors.
'The first thing they ask is, 'Is it going to be on TV?'' said the director of Stiletto Marketing and PR, a former beauty-pageant contestant herself.
Seven out of 10 potential sponsors approached said no.With less money, the organiser did not advertise for participants but resorted to posting the news in online forums and social networking site Facebook as well as alerting modelling agencies.
While Mr Pang declined to reveal the number of applicants this year, he said it was down 'a little' from last year. He said he could not remember how many applicants there were last year, but it was more than 100.
Up until yesterday, the 16 finalists still did not know what they stood to win. Some said they had asked DSP but were told it was still working out the details with the sponsors.
When asked why he had not told the contestants about the prizes, Mr Pang said: 'I don't want to disappoint them.'
But he revealed to The Sunday Times that the winner will get $5,000 cash and $17,650 worth of products and services from sponsors. The first runner-up will get $3,000 cash and $9,550 worth of products, while the second runner-up will take home $1,000 cash and $7,600 worth of products. Last year's winner, flight attendant Jessica Tan, 26, received a $25,000 cash prize and also signed a one-year contract with MediaCorp.
The franchise, which DSP has held since 2000 and which it pays a yearly 'high five-figure sum' for, does not stipulate that a local contest has to be held to pick a country representative. The franchiser, New York-based Miss Universe Organisation, did not respond to The Sunday Times by press time.
Why hold a local pageant then, when in Mr Pang's words, there is no money to be made? 'It's a passion. You have to love your job,' he said.
Besides beauty pageants, DSP also organises events and fashion shows.
He is hoping more sponsors will come forward next year. 'Singapore is a small country. If we don't support one another, who is going to support us?'
The international Miss Universe contest will be held in Vietnam in July.
At least one contestant is glad the show is off the air. Said 26-year-old public relations executive Alyssa Kokilah: 'I won't have to worry about the entire Singapore judging me.'
Would you want to watch Miss Singapore Universe on TV? Log on to straitstimes.com to vote.
