Miss World Philippines 2016 On September 5, 2016, Gray was announced as one of the 40 candidates competing for the title of Miss World Philippines 2016. The pageant was held on October 2, at the
Manila Hotel. Early in the competition, Gray won four special awards—Best in Swimsuit, Best in Evening Gown, Best in Fashion Runway, and Best in Talent—as well as six awards from the pageant's corporate sponsors. Gray would progress to the top 12 question and answer round she was asked, "When you get up in the morning and look in the mirror, what do you see?". In her answer she recalled how she would reflect on her experiences to further her character. During the final question and answer round all the five finalists were asked the same question, "Why should you be Miss World Philippines 2016?". Gray emphasized her commitment to her title and her personal advocacy in her answer.
Miss World 2016 After winning the national competition, Gray competed at Miss World 2016 held in
MGM National Harbor, in
Oxon Hill, Maryland, United States. In pre-pageant contests, Gray won the Multimedia Award, was second in the Talent Award, and reached the top five for the Beauty with a Purpose project. During the question and answer portion in the pageant, she was asked by the reigning
Miss World 2015 Mireia Lalaguna, "Which qualities do you think it will take to wear my crown?". She would state "bravery" as the quality necessary for the title. Gray went on to finish as a top five finalist.
Stephanie Del Valle of Puerto Rico won the said pageant.
Binibining Pilipinas 2018 On January 8, 2018, Gray submitted her application for Binibining Pilipinas 2018. On January 16, she was confirmed as one of the 40 candidates competing for the six national titles contested in the pageant. During the national costume competition on March 3, Gray wore a
Mindanao-inspired golden princess gown designed by Jearson Demavivas in honor of Muslim women affected by the
Siege of Marawi the previous year. She was announced as one of the ten finalists for the Best in National Costume Award on March 9. The pageant was held on March 18, at the
Araneta Coliseum. Gray won five special awards: Best in National Costume, Best in Swimsuit, Best in Evening Gown, and two awards from the pageant's sponsors. She also obtained two popularity contest prizes. Gray progressed to the question and answer round, where
United States Ambassador to the Philippines Sung Kim asked the following: "After the devastating war—Marawi is now on its way to recovery, what will be your message to the young women of Marawi?". Gray would state the following: Gray would go on to win the pageant as Miss Universe Philippines 2018, being crowned by her predecessor
Rachel Peters. With her victory, Gray became the first Filipino to represent the country in both the
Miss World and
Miss Universe competitions, and the second to represent the Philippines in two major international pageants, the first being
Carlene Aguilar in 2005. On June 9, 2019, Gray crowned
Gazini Ganados as her successor at the
Binibining Pilipinas 2019 pageant.
Miss Universe 2018 As Miss Universe Philippines 2018, Gray represented the Philippines at Miss Universe 2018. During the national costume show presentation on December 10, Gray wore a beaded tribal suit featuring the indigenous tribes of the ancient pagan Filipinos, alongside an oversized
Parol painted lantern pulled by a roller device. The costume was accompanied by a pre-Christian
Shamanic dance of the historical
Babaylan paganism. The costume gained both praise and criticism, due to the perceived difficulty of walking and the failure of
LEDs to function. Gray cited her
scoliosis for such issues. In the pageant's preliminary contest, Gray did a
slow-motion walk, billed as the "lava walk", on the ramp in the swimwear competition wearing a pink swimsuit, which was praised by supermodels
Tyra Banks and
Ashley Graham, fashion commentators and
Internet viewers. Gray advanced to the top 10. She wore a pink Sirivannavari bikini and a cape with gold-winged shoulder straps at the swimsuit competition. At the evening gown competition, she wore a
Mak Tumang design made of
tulle encrusted with
Swarovski crystals in 12-toned color palette that ranged from yellow to dark red dubbed the
Mayon gown. The dress, which according to Tumang weighed 10 pounds, was a tribute to
Mayon Volcano, a tourist attraction in the province of
Albay, the hometown of Gray's mother. In an interview, Gray decided to pick the gown for the beauty pageant as her mother dreamed of her winning the Miss Universe crown wearing a red dress. Gray then advanced to top five. During the first question and answer round, Gray was asked by host
Steve Harvey, "Canada recently joined Uruguay as the second nation in the world to make
marijuana legal. What is your opinion on the legalization of marijuana?" She responded:"I'm for it being used for medical use, but not so for recreational use. Because I think if people were to argue: Then what about alcohol and cigarettes? Well, everything is good but in moderation." Gray advanced to the top three. In the final question and answer section, the top three contestants were asked the same question by Harvey: "What is the most important lesson you've learned in your life and how will you apply it to your time as Miss Universe?" She answered:''
Reign as Miss Universe 2018 In her capacity as Miss Universe, Gray visited Brazil, Indonesia, Thailand, South Africa, various cities and states across the United States, and the Philippines. She also visited Canada and United Arab Emirates to meet with her pageant sponsors and Filipino supporters. On December 20, 2018, Gray made a courtesy call with President
Rodrigo Duterte at the
Villamor Airbase in
Pasay. On January 22, 2019, Gray traveled to Indonesia to shoot a commercial for
C 1000, a vitamin brand in Indonesia. On February 16, 2019, Gray arrived in the Philippines for a week-long homecoming celebration with visits to the cities of
Manila,
Makati,
Pasay and
Quezon City. However, on February 23, 2019, the feather of the
Mikimoto Crown replica fell off during her homecoming parade at the Araneta Center. She also made courtesy calls to the
Congress of the Philippines,
Senate of the Philippines and
Malacañang Palace. On October 17, 2019, Gray attended the
2019 Latin Music Awards at the
Dolby Theatre,
Hollywood and Highlands in Los Angeles, California, where she presented the "Canción Favorita – Tropical" award for the song "Adicto" to
Marc Anthony and
Prince Royce. On December 5, 2019, Gray attended the release of the new Mouawad Crown for the
Miss Universe pageant, titled Power of Unity, upon the retirement of the
Mikimoto Crown. She crowned
Zozibini Tunzi of South Africa as her successor at the
68th Miss Universe pageant.
Post-Miss Universe Following her reign, Gray served as a judge on several national qualifying pageants for Miss Universe, having judged for the pageants in
Colombia in 2020 and
Vietnam in 2022. The latter pageant would receive backlash for introducing her as "Australian by birth" and misspelling her surname throughout the pageant. The national organization would issue an apology for their errors. == Entertainment career ==