Miss Universe 1979
Miss Universe 1979, the 28th Miss Universe pageant, was held on 20 July 1979[lower-alpha 1] at the Perth Entertainment Centre in Perth, Australia. Margaret Gardiner of South Africa crowned her successor Maritza Sayalero of Venezuela. This marks as the first time a woman from Venezuela won the pageant. It was the first time in the pageant's history that the event was held in Australia.
| Miss Universe 1979 | |
|---|---|
![]() | |
| Date | 20 July 1979[lower-alpha 1] |
| Presenters | |
| Entertainment | Donny Osmond |
| Venue | Perth Entertainment Centre, Perth, Australia |
| Broadcaster | CBS (international) Seven Network (TVW-7) (official broadcaster) |
| Entrants | 75 |
| Placements | 12 |
| Debuts | |
| Withdrawals | |
| Returns | |
| Winner | Maritza Sayalero |
| Congeniality | Yurika Kuroda |
| Best National Costume | Elizabeth Busti |
| Photogenic | Carolyn Seaward |
For the third time in the pageant's history (after 1961 and 1974), the first runner-up went on to be crowned Miss World later in the year.
Results

Miss Universe 1979 participating nations and results
Placements
| Placement | Contestant |
|---|---|
| Miss Universe 1979 | |
| 1st runner-up | |
| 2nd runner-up | |
| 3rd runner-up | |
| 4th runner-up | |
| Top 12 |
|
|
Final Scores
| Nation | Interview | Swimsuit | Evening Gown | Average |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9.362 (1) | 9.135 (1) | 9.416 (1) | 9.304 (1) | |
| 8.872 (2) | 9.027 (2) | 9.100 (2) | 9.000 (2) | |
| 8.671 (3) | 8.591 (4) | 8.936 (3) | 8.733 (3) | |
| 8.509 (4) | 8.764 (3) | 8.818 (4) | 8.697 (4) | |
| 8.300 (5) | 8.127 (7) | 8.409 (6) | 8.279 (5) | |
| 7.918 (10) | 8.330 (5) | 8.454 (5) | 8.234 (6) | |
| 8.118 (7) | 8.279 (6) | 8.118 (10) | 8.171 (7) | |
| 8.100 (8) | 7.709 (12) | 8.335 (7) | 8.048 (8) | |
| 8.125 (6) | 7.882 (10) | 8.118 (10) | 8.042 (9) | |
| 7.764 (11) | 8.118 (8) | 8.218 (8) | 8.033 (10) | |
| 8.009 (9) | 8.045 (9) | 8.021 (12) | 8.025 (11) | |
| 7.380 (12) | 7.818 (11) | 8.150 (9) | 7.783 (12) |
Special Awards
| Special Awards | Winners |
|---|---|
| Best National Costume | |
| Miss Photogenic | |
| Miss Amity |
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 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 – Maria Lynda Allard
Mexico – Blanca María Luisa Díaz Tejeda
New Zealand – Andrea Karke
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
Saint Vincent – June de Nobriga
Scotland – Lorraine Davidson
Singapore – Elaine Tan Kim Lian
South Africa – Veronica Wilson
Spain – Gloria María Valencia 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
United States – Mary Therese Friel
United States Virgin Islands – Linda Torres
Venezuela – Maritza Sayalero
Wales – Janet Beverly Hobson
Notes
Debuts
Withdrawals
Bonaire
Curaçao
Lebanon
Lesotho
New Hebrides
Morocco
Nicaragua - Patricia Pineda Chamorro
American Samoa
Did not compete
Turks and Caicos Islands - Rosemary Forbes
References
- The event was held at 8:00 am Australia Time (UTC+08:00); for the Americas, this was July 19 in their local times including the United States.
- "Universe contestants endure stage fright". Wisconsin State Journal. 21 July 1979. p. 3. Retrieved 16 May 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
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