Miss International 1960 was the first edition of the Miss International pageant, held at the Long Beach Municipal Auditorium in Long Beach, California, United States, on 12 August 1960. The was created due to internal conflicts with the Miss Universe pageant.
At the end of the event, Stella Márquez of Colombia was crowned as the first Miss International. It is the first victory of Colombia in the pageant's history, although later they would win in 1999, 2004 and the recent edition in 2025.
Contestants from fifty-two countries and territories competed in this year's pageant. The pageant was hosted by Byron Palmer.
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, 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. This decision led to the creation of a new beauty pageant by the Long Beach Beauty Congress. 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.
Results
Placements Placement Contestant Miss International 1960 – Stella Márquez 1st Runner-Up – Iona Pinto 2nd Runner-Up – Sigridur Geirsdóttir 3rd Runner-Up – Joyce Kay 4th Runner-Up – Charlene Lundberg Top 15 – Elizabeth Hodacs – Lili DajaniOfer Aderet, 'Half-Breed': The Secrets of Miss Israel Finalist Born to an Arab Father and Jewish Mother Haaretz 5 September 2021 – Maria Jacomell – Michiko Takagi – Gretel Carvallo – Edita Resurreccion Vital – Marzena Malinowska – Christl D'Cruz – Gladys Ascanio – Helga Kirsch
+Special AwardsAwardsContestant – Julia Ann Adamson – Sigridur Geirsdóttir – Caroline Lecerf
+Preliminary Competition WinnersAwardsContestant Day 1: – Sigridur GeirsdóttirDay 2: – Joyce KayDay 3: – Charlene LundbergDay 1: – Stella MárquezDay 2: – Marzena MalinowskaDay 3: – Lise HammerDay 1: – Gladys AscanioDay 2: – Sigridur GeirsdóttirDay 3: – Yvonne Gunawardene
Contestants
– Slavica Lazaric – Joan Stanbury – Elizabeth Hodacs – Caroline Lecerf – Edmy Arana Ayala – Magda Renate Pfrimer – Julia Ann Adamson – Margaret Powell – Yvonne Eileen Gunawardene – Stella Márquez – Sonja Menzel – Magdalena Dávila Varela – Joyce Kay – Marketta Nieminen – Yvette Suzanne Degrémont – Kiki Kotsaridou – Katinka Bleeker – Lena Woo – Sigridur Geirsdóttir – Iona Pinto – Wiana Sulastini – Lili Dajani – Maria Grazia Jacomelli – Michiko Takagi – Gulnar Tucktuck – Juliana Reptsik – Liliane Mueller – Zanariak Zena Ahmad – Raymonde Valle – Elizabeth Voon – Lise Hammer – Gretel Hedger Carvallo – Irma Vargas Fuller – Edita Resurreccion Vital – Marzena Malinowska – Maria Josabete Silva Santos – Carmen Sara Latimer – Christl D'Cruz – Nona Sherriff – Kim Chung-ja South Pacific – Patricia Apoliona (from Honolulu) – Elena Herrera Dávila-Núñez – Gunilla Elm – Mylene Delapraz – Teura Marguerite Teuira – Janet Lin Chin-Yi – Habiba Ben Abdallah – Guler Kivrak – Charlene Lundberg – Beatriz Liñares – Gladys Ascanio – Helga Kirsch
Did not compete – Gordean Leilehua Lee (withdrew) – Tania Velic
Notes
References