{{pp-semi-indef|small=yes}} {{short description|27th Miss Universe pageant}} {{Infobox beauty pageant | photo = Margaret Gardiner Miss Universe 1978.jpg | caption = [[Margaret Gardiner (Miss Universe)|Margaret Gardiner]] | winner = [[Margaret Gardiner (Miss Universe)|Margaret Gardiner]] | represented = South Africa | congeniality = Sophia Titus (Trinidad and Tobago) | best national costume = [[Alamjeet Kaur Chauhan]] (India) | photogenic = [[Maribel Guardia]] (Costa Rica) | date = 24 July 1978 | acts = {{Hlist|[[Robert Goulet]]|Violines Mágicos de Villafontana}} | presenters = {{Hlist|[[Bob Barker]]|[[Helen O'Connell]]}} | venue = Centro de Convenciones de Acapulco, [[Acapulco]], Mexico | broadcaster = [[CBS]] (international)<br />[[Televisa]] (official broadcaster) | entrants = 75 | placements = 12 | debuts = {{Hlist|Lesotho|New Hebrides}} | withdraws = {{Hlist|Antigua|British Virgin Islands|French Guiana|Guadeloupe|Haiti|Indonesia|Liberia|Mauritius|Saint Kitts|Saint Lucia|Sint Maarten|Yugoslavia}} | returns = {{Hlist|Bonaire|Guatemala|Morocco|Saint Vincent|Turkey}} | before = [[Miss Universe 1977|1977]] | next = [[Miss Universe 1979|1979]] }}
'''Miss Universe 1978''' was the 27th [[Miss Universe]] pageant, held at the Centro de Convenciones de Acapulco in [[Acapulco]], Mexico, on 24 July 1978.
At the conclusion of the event, [[Janelle Commissiong]] of Trinidad and Tobago crowned [[Margaret Gardiner (Miss Universe)|Margaret Gardiner]] of South Africa as Miss Universe 1978. This is first victory of South Africa in the pageant's history.
Contestants from seventy-five countries and territories participated in this year's pageant. The pageant was hosted by [[Bob Barker]] in his twelfth consecutive year, while [[Helen O'Connell]] provided commentary and analysis throughout the event.
== Background ==
=== Location and date === In a statement by Griff O'Neill of the Miss Universe Inc. in October 1976, it was stated that Singapore was one of the locations being considered for the Miss Universe pageant in 1978. According to the Singapore Tourist Promotion Board, although they were interested in hosting the Miss Universe pageant for Singapore's publicity, they were also considering whether the expense was proportionate to the promotional impact they would get, and its importance.<ref>{{Cite news|date=23 July 1976|title=STPB WILL HOST CONTEST IF PRICE IS RIGHT|language=en|pages=17|work=[[The Straits Times]]|url=https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/digitised/article/straitstimes19760723-1.2.104|access-date=27 April 2026|via=National Library Board}}</ref>
Two months after announcing that Miss Universe 1977 would be held in the Dominican Republic, Mexican Minister of Tourism Guillermo Rosell de La Lama announced on 11 March 1977 that the Miss Universe 1978 pageant would be held in Acapulco, Mexico on 24 July 1978 after Miss Universe accepted Mexico's invitation.<ref>{{Cite news|date=11 March 1977|title=Miss Universe keuze in Mexico|language=nl|trans-title=Miss Universe choice in Mexico|pages=6|work=Amigoe|url=https://resolver.kb.nl/resolve?urn=ddd:010639112:mpeg21:p006|access-date=27 April 2026|via=Delpher}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|date=11 March 1977|title=Universe|language=en|pages=3|work=Berita Harian|url=http://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/Digitised/Page/beritaharian19770311-1.1.3|access-date=27 April 2026|via=National Library Board}}</ref>
=== Selection of participants === Contestants from seventy-five countries and territories were selected to compete in the pageant. Two candidates were selected to replace the original dethroned winner.<ref name=":1">{{Cite news|date=10 May 1978|title=World Chance|language=en|pages=25|work=Times Colonist|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/107430190/world-chance/|access-date=27 April 2026|via=Newspapers.com}}</ref><ref name=":0">{{Cite web|last=Gnipate|first=Steeven|date=5 March 2015|title=Que devient la Calédonienne Pascale Taurua, Miss France 1978?|url=https://la1ere.francetvinfo.fr/2015/03/05/que-devient-pascal-taurua-la-caledonienne-miss-france-1978-235719.html|access-date=27 April 2026|website=Outre-mer la 1ère|language=fr-FR}}</ref>
==== Replacements ==== Miss Canada 1977 runner-up Andrea Eng was appointed to represent Canada after Catherine Swing stepped down as Miss Canada 1977 to get married.<ref name=":1" /><ref>{{Cite news|date=8 November 1977|title=Perennial problem|language=en|pages=2|work=The Windsor Star|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/107429960/the-windsor-star/|access-date=3 May 2026|via=[[Newspapers.com]]}}</ref> Miss France 1978 first runner-up Brigitte Konjovic was appointed to represent France after Miss France 1978 Pascale Taurua chose to return to her hometown of New Caledonia instead of living in France.<ref name=":0" /><ref>{{Cite web|last=Mitote|first=Pascal|date=8 March 2015|title=Pascale Taurua, Miss France 1978|url=https://la1ere.francetvinfo.fr/polynesie/tahiti/pascale-taurua-miss-france-1978-236573.html|access-date=3 May 2026|website=Polynésie la 1ère|language=fr-FR}}</ref>
==== Debuts, returns, and, withdrawals ==== This edition saw the debuts of Lesotho and New Hebrides, and the returns of Saint Vincent which last competed in [[Miss Universe 1964|1964]]; Bonaire which last competed in [[Miss Universe 1969|1969]];<ref name=":2">{{Cite news|date=12 April 1978|title=Bij verkiezing Miss Bonaire Programma uitgelopen|language=nl|trans-title=Election Miss Bonaire Program ended|pages=2|work=Amigoe|url=https://resolver.kb.nl/resolve?urn=ddd:010639269:mpeg21:p002|access-date=3 May 2026|via=Delpher}}</ref> Morocco which last competed in [[Miss Universe 1975|1975]]; and Guatemala and Turkey which last competed in [[Miss Universe 1976|1976]].
Nadine Defraites of Antigua, Mlue Debor of Guadeloupe, and Ingrid Desmarais of Mauritius withdrew for undisclosed reasons.<ref>{{Cite web|date=11 June 2004|title=Maria Allard, Miss Mauritius d?un décevant concours|url=https://lexpress.mu/article/maria-allard-miss-mauritius-dun-d%C3%A9cevant-concours|access-date=3 May 2026|website=L'Express|language=fr}}</ref>
==Results== [[File:Miss Universe 1978 Map.PNG|thumb|250px|Miss Universe 1978 participating nations and results]]
===Placements=== {| class="wikitable sortable" style="font-size:95%;" |- ! Placement<ref name=":4">{{Cite news|date=25 July 1978|title=Sudafricana electa Miss Universo|language=es|pages=1, 4A|work=La Nacion|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=2cA0AAAAIBAJ&sjid=_tAEAAAAIBAJ&pg=1240%2C7333672|access-date=27 April 2026|via=[[Google News Archive]]}}</ref> ! Contestant |- | Miss Universe 1978 | * {{flagu|South Africa|1928}} – [[Margaret Gardiner (Miss Universe)|Margaret Gardiner]] |- | 1st Runner-Up | * {{flagu|United States}} – [[Judi Andersen]] |- | 2nd Runner-Up | * {{flagu|Spain|1977}} – Guillermina Ruiz |- | 3rd Runner-Up | * {{flagu|Colombia}} – Shirley Saenz |- | 4th Runner-Up | * {{flagu|Sweden}} – [[Cécilia Rodhe]] |- | Top 12 | * {{flagu|Belgium}} – Françoise Moens * {{flagu|Chile}} – Marianne Müller * {{flagu|Holland}} – Karen Gustafsson * {{flagu|Ireland}} – Lorraine Enriquez * {{flagu|Israel}} – Dorit Jellinek * {{flagu|Mexico}} – [[Alba Margarita Cervera]] * {{flagu|Peru}} – Olga Zumaran |}
== Pageant ==
=== Judges === The following celebrities judged the final competition:<ref name=latimes/> * [[Christiane Martel]] – [[Miss Universe 1953]] from France * [[Dewi Sukarno]] – Japanese socialite and former first lady of Indonesia * [[David Merrick]] – Tony Award-winning American theatrical producer * [[Line Renaud]] – French singer and actress * [[Miloš Forman]] – Film director from Czechoslovakia * [[Ursula Andress]] – Swiss actress and sex symbol of the 1960s * [[Melba Moore]] – American singer * [[Roberto Cavalli]] – Italian fashion designer * [[Wilhelmina Cooper]] – Founder of [[Wilhelmina Models]] * [[Anna Moffo]] – American opera singer * [[Cantinflas|Mario Moreno]] – Mexican comedian and stage and film actor
==Contestants== Seventy-five contestants competed for the title. {| class="wikitable sortable" style="font-size: 95%" !Country/Territory !Contestant !Age{{efn|Ages at the time of the pageant|name=A}} !Hometown |- |{{flagicon|ASM}} American Samoa |Palepa Sio Tauliili<ref>{{Cite news |date=24 July 1978 |title=Beauties all set for big contest |url=http://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/Digitised/Page/straitstimes19780724-1.1.13 |access-date=8 February 2026 |work=The Straits Times |pages=13 |via=National Library Board}}</ref> |21 |[[Pago Pago, American Samoa|Pago Pago]] |- |{{flagicon|ARG}} [[Miss Argentina|Argentina]] |Delia Muñoz |17 |[[Buenos Aires]] |- |{{flagicon|Aruba}} [[Miss Aruba|Aruba]] |Margarita Tromp<ref>{{Cite news |date=27 June 1978 |title=Miss Aruba naar Mexico |trans-title=Miss Aruba to Mexico |url=https://resolver.kb.nl/resolve?urn=ddd:010639331:mpeg21:p005 |access-date=8 February 2026 |work=Amigoe |pages=5 |language=nl |via=Delpher}}</ref> |26 |[[Oranjestad]] |- |{{flagicon|Australia}} [[Miss Australia|Australia]] |[[Beverley Pinder]]<ref>{{Cite news |date=3 November 1978 |title=Choice of the week |url=https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/267444569?searchTerm=%22Miss%20Universe%22 |access-date=8 February 2026 |work=Royal Australian Navy News |pages=3 |via=Trove}}</ref> |23 |[[Melbourne]] |- |{{flagicon|Austria}} [[Miss Austria|Austria]] |Doris Anwander |18 |[[Bregenz]] |- |{{flagicon|Bahamas}} [[Miss Bahamas|Bahamas]] |Dulcie Millings |18 |[[Nassau, Bahamas|Nassau]] |- |{{flagicon|Barbados}} [[Miss Universe Barbados|Barbados]] |Judy Miller<ref>{{Cite news |date=17 July 1978 |title=West Indian trio |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=82xOAAAAIBAJ&sjid=L0cDAAAAIBAJ&pg=3093%2C1745760 |access-date=8 February 2026 |work=[[The Virgin Islands Daily News]] |pages=10 |via=[[Google News Archive]]}}</ref> |20 |[[Saint Michael, Barbados|Saint Michael]] |- |{{flagicon|Belgium}} [[Miss Belgium|Belgium]] |Françoise Moens |18 |[[Brussels]] |- |{{flagicon|British Honduras}} [[Miss Universe Belize|Belize]] |Christina Ysaguirre |20 |[[Belmopan]] |- |{{flagicon|Bermuda}} [[Miss Bermuda|Bermuda]] |Madeline Joell |19 |[[Smith's Parish]] |- |{{flagicon|Bolivia}} [[Miss Bolivia|Bolivia]] |Raquel Roca |18 |[[Guayaramerín]] |- |{{flagicon|Netherlands Antilles}} [[Miss Bonaire|Bonaire]] |Corinne Hernandez<ref name=":2" /> |19 |[[Kralendijk]] |- |{{flagicon|Brazil|1968}} [[Miss Brazil|Brazil]] |Suzana Araújo |20 |[[Dionísio, Minas Gerais|Dionísio]] |- |{{flagicon|Canada}} [[Miss Dominion of Canada|Canada]] |Andrea Eng |22 |[[Vancouver]] |- |{{flagicon|Chile}} [[Miss Universe Chile|Chile]] |Marianne Müller |18 |[[Santiago]] |- |{{flagicon|Colombia}} [[Miss Colombia|Colombia]] |Shirley Sáenz |18 |[[Bogotá]] |- |{{flagicon|Costa Rica}} [[Miss Costa Rica|Costa Rica]] |[[Maribel Guardia|Maribel Fernández]] |19 |[[San José, Costa Rica|San José]] |- |{{flagicon|Netherlands Antilles}} [[Miss Curaçao|Curaçao]] |Solange de Castro |20 |[[Willemstad]] |- |{{flagdeco|DNK}} [[Miss Denmark|Denmark]] |Anita Heske |20 |[[Copenhagen]] |- |{{flagdeco|DOM}} [[Miss Dominican Republic|Dominican Republic]] |Raquel Josefina Jacobo |17 |[[San Cristóbal, Dominican Republic|San Cristóbal]] |- |{{flagdeco|ECU|1900}} [[Miss Ecuador|Ecuador]] |Mabel Ceballos |18 |[[Guayaquil]] |- |{{flagdeco|El Salvador}} [[El Salvador]] |Iris Mazorra |18 |[[San Salvador]] |- |{{flagdeco|ENG}} [[Miss England|England]] |Beverly Isherwood |19 |[[Bolton]] |- |{{flagdeco|FIN}} [[Miss Finland|Finland]] |Seija Paakkola<ref>{{Cite web |last=Lindfors |first=Jukka |date=22 November 2011 |orig-date=28 October 2009 |title=Seija Paakkola, Miss Suomi 1978 |trans-title=Seija Paakkola, Miss Finland 1978 |url=https://yle.fi/a/20-105332 |access-date=8 February 2026 |website=Yle |language=fi}}</ref> |19 |[[Oulu]] |- |{{flagdeco|FRA}} [[Miss France|France]] |Brigitte Konjovic<ref>{{Cite web|last=Lazaar|first=Liane|date=11 December 2021|title=Miss France : Une reine de beauté est la mère d'un comédien de Scènes de ménages !|url=https://www.purepeople.com/article/miss-france-une-reine-de-beaute-est-la-mere-d-un-comedien-de-scenes-de-menages_a467338/1|access-date=3 May 2026|website=Purepeople|language=fr}}</ref> |18 |[[Paris]] |- |{{flagdeco|FRA}} [[Miss Tahiti|French Polynesia]] |Pascaline Tumia Teriireoo |19 |[[Papeete]] |- |{{flagdeco|Greece|old}} [[Star Hellas|Greece]] |Marieta Kountouraki |21 |[[Thessaloniki]] |- |{{flagicon|GUM}} [[Miss Guam|Guam]] |Mary Lois Sampson |22 |[[Mangilao, Guam|Mangilao]] |- |{{flagicon|GTM}} [[Miss Guatemala|Guatemala]] |Claudia María Iriarte |20 |[[Guatemala City]] |- |{{flagdeco|NLD}} [[Miss Nederland|Holland]] |Karen Gustafsson |21 |[[Rotterdam]] |- |{{flagdeco|HND|1949}} [[Miss Honduras|Honduras]] |Olimpia Velásquez |20 |[[Tegucigalpa]] |- |{{flagicon|British Hong Kong}} [[Miss Hong Kong Pageant|Hong Kong]] |Winnie Chan |22 |[[Kowloon]] |- |{{flagdeco|ISL}} [[Miss Iceland|Iceland]] |Anna Björk Edwards |19 |[[Reykjavík]] |- |{{flagdeco|IND}} [[Femina Miss India|India]] |[[Alamjeet Kaur Chauhan]] |23 |[[New Delhi]] |- |{{flagdeco|IRL}} [[Miss Ireland|Ireland]] |Lorraine Enriquez<ref>{{cite news |date=1 July 1978 |title=Miss Ireland flies out |pages=11 |work=[[Irish Independent]] |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/irish-independent-miss-ireland-flies-out/175034975/ |access-date=17 March 2026 |via=[[Newspapers.com]]}}</ref> |19 |[[Dublin]] |- |{{flagdeco|ISR}} [[Miss Israel|Israel]] |Dorit Jellinek |19 |[[Haifa]] |- |{{flagicon image|Flag of Italy (1946–2003).svg}} [[Miss Italia|Italy]] |Andreina Mazzoti |21 |[[Brescia]] |- |{{flagdeco|JPN|1870}} [[Miss Japan|Japan]] |[[Hisako Manda]] |20 |[[Osaka]] |- |{{flagdeco|LBN|1943}} [[Miss Lebanon|Lebanon]] |Reine Antoine Semaan |17 |[[Beirut]] |- |{{flagdeco|LES|variant=1966}} [[Lesotho]] |Joan Libuseng Khoali |21 |[[Maseru]] |- |{{flagdeco|MYS}} [[Miss Universe Malaysia|Malaysia]] |[[Yasmin Yusuff]] |22 |[[Kuala Lumpur]] |- |{{flagdeco|MLT}} [[Miss Malta Universe|Malta]] |Pauline Farrugia |22 |[[Żebbuġ]] |- |{{flagdeco|MEX}} [[Señorita México|Mexico]] |[[Alba Margarita Cervera]]<ref>{{cite web |date=January 25, 2015|title=Jan. 25, 2015 - Mexico - MÉXICO, D.F. Competition Concurso-Miss Universo.- Alba Margarita Cervera Lavat fue Señorita México |url=https://www.imago-images.com/st/0066146853 |accessdate=March 31, 2026 |website=imago-images}}</ref> |19 |[[Yucatán|Yucatan]] |- |{{flagdeco|MAR}} [[Miss Maroc|Morocco]] |Majida Tazi |18 |[[Rabat]] |- |{{flag|New Hebrides}} |Christine Spooner |18 |[[Luganville]] |- |{{flagdeco|NZL}} [[Miss Universe New Zealand|New Zealand]] |Jane Simmonds<ref>{{cite news |date=18 May 1978 |title=Miss N.Z. title goes north |url=https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/press/1978/05/18/1 |access-date=29 January 2026 |work=[[The Press]] |location=[[Christchurch]], New Zealand |page=1 |via=[[National Library of New Zealand#Papers Past|Papers Past]]}}</ref> |21 |[[Auckland]] |- |{{flagdeco|NIC|1908}} [[Miss Nicaragua|Nicaragua]] |Claudia Herrera |19 |[[Masaya]] |- |{{flagicon|NMI|variant=1972}} [[Miss Marianas|Northern Mariana Islands]] |Julias Salas Concepción |17 |[[Saipan, Northern Mariana Islands|Saipan]] |- |{{flagdeco|NOR}} [[Miss Norway|Norway]] |Jeanette Aarum |19 |[[Oslo]] |- |{{flagicon image|Flag of Panama (1925-2017).svg}} [[Señorita Panamá|Panama]] |Diana Leticia Conte |20 |[[Panama City]] |- |{{flagdeco|PNG}} Papua New Guinea |Angelyn Muta Tukana |21 |[[Bougainville Island|Bougainville]] |- |{{flagdeco|PRY|1954}} [[Miss Paraguay|Paraguay]] |Rosa María Duarte |26 |[[Asunción]] |- |{{flagdeco|PER}} [[Miss Peru|Peru]] |Olga Zumarán |19 |[[Lima]] |- |{{flagdeco|PHL|1936}} [[Binibining Pilipinas|Philippines]] |Jennifer Cortes<ref>{{Cite web |last=Lo |first=Ricky |date=16 March 2016 |title=Whatever happened to Jennifer Cortes? |url=https://www.philstar.com/entertainment/2016/03/16/1563640/whatever-happened-jennifer-cortes |access-date=8 February 2026 |website=[[Philippine Star]]}}</ref> |17 |[[Manila]] |- |{{flagicon|PUR|variant=1952}} [[Miss Puerto Rico|Puerto Rico]] |[[Ada Perkins]] |18 |[[San Juan, Puerto Rico|San Juan]] |- |{{flagicon|Réunion}} [[Miss Réunion|Réunion]] |Evelyn Pongerand |19 |[[La Possession]] |- |{{flagicon|Saint Vincent|variant=colonial}} [[Miss Saint Vincent and the Grenadines|Saint Vincent]] |Gailene Collin |22 |[[Kingstown]] |- |{{flagicon|SCO}} [[Miss Scotland|Scotland]] |Angela McLeod |20 |[[Fife]] |- |{{flagdeco|SGP}} [[Miss Universe Singapore|Singapore]] |Annie Lee |20 |Singapore |- |{{flagdeco|ZAF|1928}} [[Miss South Africa|South Africa]] |[[Margaret Gardiner (Miss Universe)|Margaret Gardiner]] |18 |[[Cape Town]] |- |{{flagdeco|KOR|1949}} [[Miss Korea|South Korea]] |Jung-eun Shon |23 |[[Seoul]] |- |{{flagdeco|ESP|1977}} [[Miss Spain|Spain]] |Guillermina Ruiz |21 |[[Barcelona]] |- |{{flagdeco|LKA}} [[Miss Universe Sri Lanka|Sri Lanka]] |Dlirukshi Wimalasooriya |27 |[[Colombo]] |- |{{flagdeco|SUR}} [[Miss Suriname|Suriname]] |Garrance Rustwijk |18 |[[Paramaribo]] |- |{{flagdeco|SWE}} [[Miss Sweden|Sweden]] |[[Cécilia Rodhe]] |17 |[[Gothenburg]] |- |{{flagdeco|CHE}} [[Miss Switzerland|Switzerland]] |Sylvia von Arx |20 |[[Appenzell Innerrhoden]] |- |{{flagicon image|Flag of Thailand (non-standard colours).svg}} [[Miss Thailand|Thailand]] |Pornpit Sakornvijit |23 |[[Bangkok]] |- |{{flagicon|Trinidad}} [[Miss Trinidad and Tobago|Trinidad and Tobago]] |Sophia Titus |18 |[[Port of Spain]] |- |{{flagicon|Turkey}} [[Miss Turkey|Turkey]] |Billur Lutfiye Bingol |19 |[[Istanbul]] |- |{{flagdeco|USA}} [[Miss USA|United States]] |[[Judi Andersen]] |20 |[[Honolulu]] |- |{{flagicon|USVI}} [[Miss US Virgin Islands|United States Virgin Islands]] |Barbara Henderson |23 |[[Christiansted, U.S. Virgin Islands|Christiansted]] |- |{{flagdeco|URY}} [[Miss Uruguay|Uruguay]] |María del Carmen da Rosa |21 |[[Salto, Uruguay|Salto]] |- |{{flagdeco|VEN|1954}} [[Miss Venezuela|Venezuela]] |Marisol Alfonzo |21 |[[Caracas]] |- |{{flagicon|WAL}} [[Miss Wales|Wales]] |Elizabeth Ann Jones |20 |[[Welshpool]] |- |{{flagdeco|DEU}} [[Miss Universe Germany|West Germany]] |Eva Marie Gabrielle Gottschalk |26 |[[Berlin]] |}
== Notes == <references group="lower-alpha" responsive="1"></references>
==References== <references> <ref name=latimes>{{cite news|title=Once More... Who's the Fairest|url=https://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/latimes/access/670176612.html?dids=670176612:670176612&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:AI&type=historic&date=Jul+24%2C+1978&author=&pub=Los+Angeles+Times&desc=Once+More...+Who%27s+the+Fairest&pqatl=google|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130131173001/http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/latimes/access/670176612.html?dids=670176612:670176612&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:AI&type=historic&date=Jul+24,+1978&author=&pub=Los+Angeles+Times&desc=Once+More...+Who's+the+Fairest&pqatl=google|url-status=dead|archive-date=January 31, 2013|access-date=10 July 2011|newspaper=[[Los Angeles Times]]|date=July 24, 1978}}</ref> </references>
==External links== * [http://www.missuniverse.com/ Miss Universe official website]
{{Miss Universe}} {{Miss Universe 1978 delegates}}
[[Category:Miss Universe by year|1978]] [[Category:1978 in Mexico]] [[Category:1978 beauty pageants]] [[Category:Beauty pageants in Mexico]] [[Category:July 1978 in Mexico]]