Miss Universe 1979

Miss Universe 1979
Date	20 July 1979 (local time)
Presenters	Bob Barker, Helen O'Connell and Jayne Kennedy
Entertainment	Donny Osmond
Venue	Perth Entertainment Centre, Perth, Australia
Broadcaster	CBS, TVW
Entrants	75
Placements	12
Debuts	Bophuthatswana, Fiji, Transkei
Withdraws	Bonaire, Curaçao, Lebanon, Lesotho, New Hebrides, Nicaragua, Samoa
Returns	Antigua, British Virgin Islands, Portugal
Winner	Maritza Sayalero  Venezuela
Congeniality	Yurika Kuroda  Japan
Best National Costume	Elizabeth Busti  Uruguay
Photogenic	Carolyn Seaward  England

Countries and territories which sent delegates and results.

Miss Universe 1979 was held at Perth Entertainment Centre, Perth, Australia on 20 July 1979. 18-year-old Maritza Sayalero earned Venezuela's first Miss Universe crown. First runner-up Gina Swainson would go on to win the rival Miss World 1979 later in the year. Seventy-five contestants competed in the 1979 Miss Universe Pageant.

Results

Placements

Final results	Contestant
Miss Universe 1979	Venezuela - Maritza Sayalero
1st runner-up	Bermuda - Gina Swainson
2nd runner-up	England - Carolyn Seaward
3rd runner-up	Brazil - Martha Jussara da Costa
4th runner-up	Sweden - Annette Marie Ekström
Top 12	South Africa - Veronika Wilson  Belize - Sarita Diana Acosta  USA - Mary Therese Friel  Germany - Andrea Hontschik  Scotland - Lorraine Davidson  Argentina - Adriana Virginia Álvarez  Wales - Janet Beverly Hobson

Semifinal Scores

Country Preliminary Average Interview Swimsuit Evening Gown Semifinal Average  Venezuela 8.461 (1) 9.362 (1) 9.135 (1) 9.416 (1) 9.305 (1)  Bermuda 7.578 (9) 8.872 (2) 9.027 (2) 9.100 (2) 9.000 (2)  England 8.227 (2) 8.671 (3) 8.591 (4) 8.936 (3) 8.733 (3)  Brazil 7.715 (5) 8.509 (4) 8.764 (3) 8.818 (4) 8.697 (4)  Sweden 7.800 (4) 8.300 (5) 8.127 (7) 8.409 (6) 8.279 (5)  South Africa 8.103 (3) 7.918 (10) 8.330 (5) 8.454 (5) 8.234 (6)  Belize 7.654 (7) 8.118 (7) 8.279 (6) 8.118 (10) 8.172 (7)  USA 7.676 (6) 8.100 (8) 7.709 (12) 8.335 (7) 8.048 (8)  Germany 7.542 (10) 8.125 (6) 7.882 (10) 8.118 (10) 8.042 (9)  Scotland 7.609 (8) 7.764 (11) 8.118 (8) 8.218 (8) 8.033 (10)  Argentina 7.515 (11) 8.009 (9) 8.045 (9) 8.021 (12) 8.025 (11)  Wales 7.345 (12) 7.380 (12) 7.818 (11) 8.150 (9) 7.783 (12)

Winner      First Runner-up      Second Runner-up      Third Runner-up      Fourth Runner-up      Top 12 Semifinalist (#) Rank in each round of competition

Special Awards

Award	Contestant
Best National Costume	Uruguay - Elizabeth Busti  Brazil - Martha Jussara da Costa  South Africa - Veronica Wilson
Miss Congeniality	Japan - Yurika Kuroda
Miss Photogenic	England - Carolyn Seaward

Contestants

Antigua – Elsie Maynard  Argentina – Adriana Virginia Álvarez  Aruba – Lugina Liliana Margareta Vilchez  Australia – Kerry Dunderdale  Austria – Karin Zorn  Bahamas – Lolita Louise Ambrister  Barbados – Barbara Bradshaw  Belgium – Christine Linda Bernadette Cailliau  Belize – Sarita Diana Acosta  Bermuda – Gina Ann Cassandra Swainson  Bolivia – María Luisa Rendón  Bophuthatswana – Alina Moeketse Brazil – Martha Jussara da Costa  British Virgin Islands – Eartha Ferdinand  Canada – Heidi Quiring  Chile – María Cecilia Serrano Gildemeister Colombia – Ana Milena Parra Turbay  Costa Rica – Carla Facio Franco  Denmark – Lone Gladys Joergensen Dominican Republic – Viena Elizabeth García Javier  Ecuador – Margarita Plaza  El Salvador – Judith Ivette López Lagos  England – Carolyn Ann Seaward  Fiji – Tanya Whiteside  Finland – Päivi Uitto France – Sylvie Hélène Marie Parera Germany – Andrea Hontschik  Greece – Katia Koukidou  Guam – Marie Cruz  Guatemala – Michelle Marie Domínguez Santos  Holland – Eunice Bharatsingh  Honduras – Gina Maria Weidner Cleaves  Hong Kong – Olivia Chang Man-Ai  Iceland – Halldora Björk Jonsdóttir India – Swaroop Sampat  Ireland – Lorraine Marion O'Conner  Israel – Vered Polgar  Italy – Elvira Puglisi

Japan – Yurika Kuroda  Korea – Jae-hwa Seo Malaysia – Irene Wong Sun Ching  Malta – Dian Borg Bartolo  Mauritius – Marie Chanea Allard  Mexico – Blanca María Luisa Díaz Tejeda New Zealand – Andrea Kake  Northern Mariana Islands – Barbara Torres  Norway – Unni Margrethe Öglaend  Panama – Yahel Cecile Dolande  Papua New Guinea – Molly Misbut  Paraguay – Patricia Lohman Bernie  Peru – Jacqueline Brahm  Philippines – Criselda Flores Cecilio  Portugal – Marta Maria Mendoça de Gouveia Puerto Rico – Teresa López  Réunion – Isabelle Jacquemart Saint Kitts – Cheryl Chaderton St. Vincent – June de Nobriga  Scotland – Lorraine Davidson  Singapore – Elaine Tan Kim Lian  South Africa – Veronica Wilson Spain – Gloria María Valenciano Rijo  Sri Lanka – Vidyahari Vanigasooriya  Surinam – Sergine Lieuw-A-Len Sweden – Annette Marie Ekström  Switzerland – Birgit Krahl  Tahiti – Fabienne Tapare Thailand – Wongduan Kerdpoom  Transkei – Lindiwe Bam  Trinidad and Tobago – Marie Noelle Diaz  Turkey – Fusin Tahire Dermitan  Uruguay – Elizabeth Busti USA – Mary Therese Friel  U.S. Virgin Islands – Linda Torres Venezuela – Maritza Sayalero Fernández  Wales – Janet Beverly Hobson

Preliminary Swimsuit Scores

8.673 Venezuela 8.382 England 8.218 South Africa 7.936 Belize 7.899 Sweden 7.791 Wales 7.773 Brazil 7.600 Uruguay 7.591 Singapore 7.582 Austria 7.564 Scotland 7.536 Germany 7.491 Holland 7.455 Portugal 7.445 Bermuda 7.418 Réunion 7.418 Spain 7.409 Peru 7.400 Switzerland

7.373 USA 7.173 France 7.141 Hong Kong 7.127 Australia 7.127 St. Vincent 7.077 Finland 6.991 Denmark 6.945 Colombia 6.936 Argentina 6.873 Costa Rica 6.845 Mexico 6.818 Canada 6.809 Bophuthatswana 6.800 Japan 6.736 Dominican Republic 6.727 New Zealand 6.718 Ireland 6.718 Sri Lanka 6.655 Malta

6.636 Norway 6.627 Chile 6.563 Trinidad & Tobago 6.555 Barbados 6.545 Israel 6.545 Puerto Rico 6.536 Honduras 6.518 Malaysia 6.473 Surinam 6.439 Korea 6.427 Philippines 6.409 Guatemala 6.309 Turkey 6.291 Thailand 6.286 Paraguay 6.209 Belgium 6.155 Bolivia 6.127 Greece 6.118 Iceland

6.109 Guam 6.091 El Salvador 6.082 India 6.068 Italy 6.064 Aruba 5.982 Bahamas 5.882 Tahiti 5.791 Ecuador 5.727 Panama 5.727 US Virgin Islands 5.641 Northern Mariana Islands 5.591 Transkei 5.582 Antigua 5.582 Fiji 5.545 Mauritius 5.364 British Virgin Islands 5.355 Papua New Guinea

Trivia

• Bophuthatswana, Fiji, and Transkei competed in Miss Universe for the first time.
• Belize and Bermuda made the semi-finals for the first (and in Belize's case, only thus far) time. Bermuda placed 1st runner-up in Miss Universe and was also crowned as Miss World 1979 four months later.
• England, Scotland and Wales had made into the semi-finals in Miss Universe for the second time after 1976. England, however, placed as 2nd runner-up in Miss Universe. She also became the 1st runner-up in Miss World 1979 four months later, represented as Miss United Kingdom.
• Other than Bermuda and England, Austria, Belgium, Denmark, El Salvador, France, Germany, Guatemala, Honduras, and Mauritius also competed in Miss World four months later. Germany, Andrea Hontschik made into the semi-finals in both Miss Universe and Miss World at the same year. Austria's Karin Zorn made the semi-finals here and later the finals of Miss World that same year. She also won the award for Miss Photogenic in Miss World.
• 20 contestants were involved in the collapse of part of the stage after contestants and news photographers rushed to the throne of the new Miss Universe. Costa Rica, Carla Facio Franco, and Philippines, Criselda Flores Cecilio, had suffered bruises. Malta, Dian Borg Bartolo, and Turkey, Fusin Tahire Dermitan, had leg injuries.

Panel of Judges

Ita Buttrose Lana Cantrell Yves Cornassiere Don Galloway Apasra Hongsakula Julio Iglesias

Tony Martin Robin Moore Rossana Podestà Anne Marie Pohtamo Constance Towers

External links

• Pageantopolis Miss Universe 1979
• Jimmy's Pageant Page