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 | |
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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 |
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Miss Universe 1979 | |
1st runner-up | |
2nd runner-up | |
3rd runner-up | |
4th runner-up | |
Top 12 |
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Final Scores
Nation | Interview | Swimsuit | Evening Gown | Average |
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9.362 (1) | 9.135 (1) | 9.416 (1) | 9.304 (1) |
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8.872 (2) | 9.027 (2) | 9.100 (2) | 9.000 (2) |
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8.671 (3) | 8.591 (4) | 8.936 (3) | 8.733 (3) |
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8.509 (4) | 8.764 (3) | 8.818 (4) | 8.697 (4) |
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8.300 (5) | 8.127 (7) | 8.409 (6) | 8.279 (5) |
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7.918 (10) | 8.330 (5) | 8.454 (5) | 8.234 (6) |
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8.118 (7) | 8.279 (6) | 8.118 (10) | 8.171 (7) |
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8.100 (8) | 7.709 (12) | 8.335 (7) | 8.048 (8) |
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8.125 (6) | 7.882 (10) | 8.118 (10) | 8.042 (9) |
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7.764 (11) | 8.118 (8) | 8.218 (8) | 8.033 (10) |
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8.009 (9) | 8.045 (9) | 8.021 (12) | 8.025 (11) |
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7.380 (12) | 7.818 (11) | 8.150 (9) | 7.783 (12) |
Special Awards
Special Awards | Winners |
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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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