{{pp-sock|small=yes}} {{Infobox beauty pageant | photo = Stella Marquez Araneta (1960).jpg | caption = Stella Marquez | winner = [[Stella Márquez]] | represented = Colombia | date = August 12, 1960 | presenters = {{Hlist|[[Byron Palmer]]}} | venue = [[Long Beach Municipal Auditorium]], [[Long Beach, California]], United States | congeniality = Julia Ann Adamson<br>British Guiana | photogenic = Sigridur Geirsdottir<br>Iceland | entrants = 52 | placements = 15 | next = [[Miss International 1961|1961]] | debuts = {{Hlist|Argentina| Australia|Austria|Belgium|Bolivia|Brazil|British Guiana|Canada|Ceylon|China|Colombia|Denmark|Ecuador|England|Finland|France|Greece|Holland|Hong Kong|Iceland|India|Indonesia|Israel|Italy|Japan|Jordan|Lebanon|Luxembourg|Malaya|Morocco|North Borneo|Norway|Paraguay|Peru|Philippines|Poland|Portugal|Puerto Rico|Singapore|South Africa|South Korea|South Pacific|Spain|Sweden|Switzerland|Tahiti|Tunisia|Turkey|United States|Uruguay|Venezuela|West Germany}} | image size = 100px }}
'''Miss International 1960''' was the first edition of the [[Miss International]] pageant, held at the [[Long Beach Convention and Entertainment Center|Long Beach Municipal Auditorium]] in [[Long Beach, California]], United States, on 12 August 1960.<ref name=colombia>{{cite web|url=https://www.srtacolombia.org/es/reinas/srta-colombiar-1959-maria-stella-marquez|title=Srta. Colombia® 1959 María Stella Márquez|language=es|publisher=[[Miss Colombia|Concurso Nacional de Belleza de Colombia]]|access-date=July 8, 2021}}</ref> The was created due to internal conflicts with the [[Miss Universe]] pageant.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=rG1YAAAAIBAJ&pg=7398,2385942&dq=&hl=en|title=Pageant shifted|access-date=July 8, 2021|newspaper=[[Spokane Daily Chronicle]]|date=August 22, 1959|author=[[Associated Press]]|location=[[Long Beach, California]]}}</ref>
At the end of the event, [[Stella Márquez]] of [[Colombia]] was crowned as the first Miss International.<ref name=colombia/> It is the victory of Colombia in the pageant's history.
Contestants from fifty-two countries and territories competed in this year's pageant. The pageant was hosted by [[Byron Palmer]].<ref name=":1">{{Cite web|last=Lo|first=Ricky|date=30 November 2015|title=The 1st Miss International pageant|url=https://www.philstar.com/entertainment/2015/11/30/1527588/1st-miss-international-pageant|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250125094836/https://www.philstar.com/entertainment/2015/11/30/1527588/1st-miss-international-pageant|archive-date=25 January 2025|access-date=14 October 2025|website=[[Philippine Star]]|language=en}}</ref>
== Background ==
=== Location and date === On 7 October 1959, Hank Meyer, city publicity director of Miami Beach, announced that the tenth anniversary of the Miss Universe pageant would be held in [[Miami Beach, Florida|Miami Beach]], Florida, instead of Long Beach, California in the United States. According to the Long Beach Beauty Congress, the competition had become "too commercialized" after the 1959 competition, leading them to withdraw their support for the pageant.<ref>{{Cite news|date=8 October 1959|title=Miss Universe Contest moving|language=en|pages=5|work=The Royal Gazette|url=https://bnl.contentdm.oclc.org/digital/collection/BermudaNP02/id/188564/rec/46|access-date=14 October 2025|via=Bermuda National Library}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|date=22 August 1959|title=May settle dispute over beauty pageant|language=en|pages=7|work=Lewiston Evening Journal|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=Hr4gAAAAIBAJ&sjid=pmkFAAAAIBAJ&pg=5725%2C4780422|access-date=14 October 2025|via=[[Google News Archive]]}}</ref> This decision led to the creation of a new beauty pageant by the Long Beach Beauty Congress.<ref name=":2">{{Cite news|date=2 September 1959|title=New International Beauty Congress at Long Beach|language=en|pages=5|work=The Royal Gazette|url=https://bnl.contentdm.oclc.org/digital/collection/BermudaNP02/id/187474/rec/50|access-date=14 October 2025|via=Bermuda National Library}}</ref> Later, this contest was named the International Beauty Congress, which is now known as Miss International.
=== Selection of participants === Contestants from fifty-two countries and territories were selected to compete in the pageant. Two contestants were selected to replace the original dethroned winners.
==== Replacements and withdrawals ==== Miss Denmark, Antje Moller, was disqualified after it was discovered that she is only 16, and was replaced by her runner-up, Sonja Menzel.<ref>{{Cite news|date=22 April 1960|title=Young Danish beauty loses trip to U.S.|pages=12|work=St. Joseph Gazette|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_T9aAAAAIBAJ&dq=Miss+Internacional&pg=PA12|access-date=14 October 2025|via=Google Books}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|date=22 April 1960|title=Quartet of queens|language=en|pages=36|work=The Windsor Star|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7SQ_AAAAIBAJ&dq=Miss+Internacional&pg=PA36|access-date=14 October 2025|via=Google Books}}</ref>
==Results== [[File:Miss International 1960 Map.PNG|thumb|Miss International 1960 participating nations and results]]
=== Placements === {| class="wikitable sortable" style="font-size: 95%;" |- ! Placement ! Contestant |- | Miss International 1960 | * {{flagu|Colombia}} – [[Stella Márquez]]<ref name="colombia" /> |- | 1st Runner-Up | * {{flagu|India}} – Iona Pinto<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_sdkcan5dJoC|magazine=Current Events|volume=6|page=78-81|year=1960 |title=Current Events }}</ref> |- | 2nd Runner-Up | * {{flagu|Iceland}} – [[Sirry Steffen|Sigridur Geirsdóttir]] |- | 3rd Runner-Up | * {{flagu|England}} – Joyce Kay |- | 4th Runner-Up | * {{flagu|United States}} – Charlene Lundberg |- | Top 15 | * {{flagu|Austria}} – Elizabeth Hodacs * {{flagu|Israel}} – Lili Dajani<ref>Ofer Aderet, [https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/2021-09-05/ty-article/.highlight/the-secrets-of-miss-israel-contestant-born-to-an-arab-father-and-a-jewish-mother/0000017f-e768-d62c-a1ff-ff7bd0ef0000 'Half-Breed': The Secrets of Miss Israel Finalist Born to an Arab Father and Jewish Mother] [[Haaretz]] 5 September 2021</ref> * {{flagu|Italy}} – Maria Grazia Jacomell * {{flagu|Japan|1870}} – Michiko Takagi * {{flagu|Paraguay}} – Gretel Hedger Carvallo * {{flagu|Philippines|1936}} – Edita Resurreccion Vital * {{flagu|Poland}} – Marzena Malinowska * {{flagu|Singapore}} – Christl D'Cruz * {{flagu|Venezuela|1954}} – Gladys Ascanio * {{flagu|West Germany}} – Helga Kirsch |}
{| class="wikitable" style="width: 33em;" |+Special Awards !Awards !Contestant |- | style="width: 30%;" | {{center|Miss Friendship}} |{{flagu|British Guiana}} – Julia Ann Adamson |- |{{center|Miss Photogenic}} |{{flagu|Iceland}} – [[Sirry Steffen|Sigridur Geirsdóttir]]<ref>{{cite news |date=August 11, 1960 |title=Miss Photogenic |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=rG1YAAAAIBAJ&pg=7398,2385942&dq=&hl=en |url-access=subscription |access-date=July 8, 2021 |newspaper=[[Lawton Constitution]] |location=[[Lawton, Oklahoma]] |page=12}}</ref> |- |{{center|Miss Popularity}} |{{flagu|Belgium}} – Caroline Lecerf{{efn|Voted by parade viewers.}} |}
{| class="wikitable" style="width: 33em;" |+Preliminary Competition Winners !Awards !Contestant |- | style="width: 30%;" | {{center|Best in Playsuit}} |Day 1: {{flagu|Iceland}} – [[Sirry Steffen|Sigridur Geirsdóttir]]<br>Day 2: {{flagu|England}} – Joyce Kay<br>Day 3: {{flagu|United States}} – Charlene Lundberg |- |{{center|Best in Evening Gown}} |Day 1: {{flagu|Colombia}} – [[Stella Márquez]]<br>Day 2: {{flagu|Poland}} – Marzena Malinowska<br>Day 3: {{flagu|Norway}} – Lise Hammer |- |{{center|Best National Costume}} |Day 1: {{flagu|Venezuela}} – Gladys Ascanio<br>Day 2: {{flagu|Iceland}} – [[Sirry Steffen|Sigridur Geirsdóttir]]<br>Day 3: {{flagu|Ceylon}} – Yvonne Gunawardene |}
==Contestants== {{div col|colwidth=30em}} * {{flag|Argentina}} – Slavica Lazaric * {{flag|Australia}} – Joan Stanbury * {{flag|Austria}} – Elizabeth Hodacs * {{flag|Belgium}} – Caroline Lecerf * {{flag|Bolivia}} – Edmy Arana Ayala * {{flag|Brazil|1960}} – Magda Renate Pfrimer * {{flag|British Guiana}} – Julia Ann Adamson * {{flag|Canada|1957}} – Margaret Powell * {{flag|Ceylon|1951}} – Yvonne Eileen Gunawardene * {{flag|Colombia}} – [[Stella Márquez]] * {{flag|Denmark}} – Sonja Menzel * {{flag|Ecuador}} – Magdalena Dávila Varela * {{flag|England}} – Joyce Kay * {{flag|Finland}} – Marketta Nieminen * {{flag|France}} – Yvette Suzanne Degrémont * {{flag|Greece|old}} – Kiki Kotsaridou * {{flag|Holland}} – Katinka Bleeker * {{flag|Hong Kong|1910}} – Lena Woo * {{flag|Iceland}} – [[Sirry Steffen|Sigridur Geirsdóttir]] * {{flag|India}} – Iona Pinto * {{flag|Indonesia}} – Wiana Sulastini * {{flag|Israel}} – Lili Dajani * {{flag|Italy}} – Maria Grazia Jacomelli * {{flag|Japan|1870}} – Michiko Takagi * {{flag|Jordan}} – Gulnar Tucktuck * {{flag|Lebanon}} – Juliana Reptsik * {{flag|Luxembourg}} – Liliane Mueller * {{flag|Malaya}} – [[Tunku Puan Zanariah|Zanariak Zena Ahmad]] * {{flag|Morocco}} – Raymonde Valle * {{flag|Crown Colony of North Borneo|name=North Borneo}} – Elizabeth Voon * {{flag|Norway}} – Lise Hammer * {{flag|Paraguay}} – Gretel Hedger Carvallo<ref>{{Cite web |date=August 8, 1960 |title=Latin Lovely Ardent Yoga Enthusiastic |url=https://www.newspaperarchive.com/us/california/long-beach/press-telegram/1960/08-08/page-9 |access-date=August 31, 2024 |website=Press Telegram |language=en}}</ref> * {{flag|Peru}} – Irma Vargas Fuller * {{flag|Philippines|1936}} – Edita Resurreccion Vital * {{flag|Poland}} – Marzena Malinowska * {{flag|Portugal}} – Maria Josabete Silva Santos * {{flag|Puerto Rico}} – Carmen Sara Latimer * {{flag|Singapore}} – Christl D'Cruz * {{flag|South Africa|1928}} – Nona Sherriff * {{flag|South Korea}} – Kim Chung-ja * {{flagicon image|Flag of the Governor of the South Pacific Mandate.svg}} [[South Pacific]] – Patricia Apoliona (from [[Honolulu]]) * {{flag|Spain}} – Elena Herrera Dávila-Núñez * {{flag|Sweden}} – Gunilla Elm * {{flag|Switzerland}} – Mylene Delapraz * {{flag|Tahiti}} – Teura Marguerite Teuira * {{flag|Taiwan}} – Janet Lin Chin-Yi{{efn|Chin-Yi competed as "Miss China".}} * {{flag|Tunisia}} – Habiba Ben Abdallah * {{flag|Turkey}} – Guler Kivrak * {{flag|United States}} – Charlene Lundberg * {{flag|Uruguay}} – Beatriz Liñares * {{flag|Venezuela|1954}} – Gladys Ascanio * {{flag|West Germany}} – Helga Kirsch {{div col end}}
===Did not compete=== * {{flag|Hawaii}} – Gordean Leilehua Lee (withdrew) * {{flag|Yugoslavia}} – Tania Velic
==Notes== {{notelist}}
==References== {{Reflist}}
{{Miss International}} {{Miss International 1960 delegates}}
[[Category:Miss International|1960]] [[Category:1960 beauty pageants]] [[Category:Beauty pageants in the United States]] [[Category:1960 in California]] [[Category:20th century in Los Angeles County, California]]