Sanya (China), Dec. 1 (AFP): Miss World this year will depart from tradition and allow the winner to be picked via telephone, SMS text and internet voting instead of a panel of judges, organisers said today.

?There won?t be a panel of judges anymore,? a spokeswoman for the organisers said.

Telephone, SMS text and internet voting started last Friday and will last until the competition?s finale on Saturday. The votes will be accumulated over the eight-day period. ?It really is ?Miss World ? you decide?,? the official Miss World website said.

Instead of being judges, a celebrity panel this year will ?offer opinions on each of the girls taking part? and present the final show, organisers said. Stars taking part include West Indian cricket great Viv Richards and Australian actor Kate Richie.