Miss Universe 1981
| Miss Universe 1981 | |
|---|---|
| Date | 20 July 1981 |
| Presenters | Bob Barker, Elke Sommer |
| Entertainment |
|
| Venue | Minskoff Theatre, New York City, New York, United States |
| Broadcaster | |
| Entrants | 76 |
| Placements | 12 |
| Debuts |
|
| Withdrawals |
|
| Returns |
|
| Winner | Irene Sáez Venezuela |
| Congeniality | Linda Smith Bahamas |
| Best National Costume | Adriana Alves de Oliveira Brazil |
| Photogenic | Tina Brandstrup Denmark |
Miss Universe 1981 was the 30th anniversary of the Miss Universe pageant, held on 20 July 1981 at the Minskoff Theatre in New York City, New York. Irene Sáez of Venezuela was crowned by Shawn Weatherly of the United States. There were 77 contestants competing for the crown, but Miss Mauritius got homesick and withdrew.[1] The pageant originally was scheduled to be held in Guatemala City, Guatemala. However, for financial and political reasons, Miss Universe was moved to New York City.[2]
Results
Placements
| Placement | Contestant |
|---|---|
| Miss Universe 1981 |
|
| 1st runner-up |
|
| 2nd runner-up |
|
| 3rd runner-up |
|
| 4th runner-up |
|
| Top 12 |
|
| Winner | |
| First runner-up | |
| Second runner-up | |
| Third runner-up | |
| Fourth runner-up | |
| (#) | Rank in each round of competition |
Final Scores
| Country/Territory | Preliminary
Average |
Interview | Swimsuit | Evening Gown | Semifinal Average |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Venezuela[3] | 8.575 (1) | 8.966 (1) | 9.024 (1) | 8.887 (1) | 8.959 (1) |
| Canada[3] | 7.913 (12) | 8.167 (6) | 8.133 (5) | 8.508 (2) | 8.269 (4) |
| Sweden[3] | 7.967 (9) | 8.658 (2) | 8.050 (6) | 8.179 (4) | 8.296 (3) |
| Brazil[3] | 8.330 (4) | 8.191 (5) | 8.416 (3) | 7.824 (7) | 8.144 (5) |
| Belgium[3] | 8.223 (6) | 8.529 (3) | 8.881 (2) | 8.268 (3) | 8.559 (2) |
| Tahiti[3] | 7.940 (11) | 8.149 (7) | 8.137 (4) | 7.962 (5) | 8.082 (6) |
| Norway[3] | 8.259 (5) | 8.435 (4) | 7.717 (8) | 7.838 (6) | 7.997 (7) |
| Germany[3] | 8.400 (3) | 7.875 (8) | 8.041 (7) | 7.442 (10) | 7.786 (8) |
| Holland[3] | 8.133 (7) | 7.590 (9) | 7.633 (9) | 7.625 (9) | 7.616 (9) |
| United States[3] | 8.527 (2) | 7.427 (11) | 7.617 (10) | 7.653 (8) | 7.565 (10) |
| Ecuador[3] | 7.967 (9) | 7.442 (10) | 7.300 (12) | 7.317 (12) | 7.353 (11) |
| New Zealand[3] | 8.063 (8) | 6.950 (12) | 7.492 (11) | 7.350 (11) | 7.264 (12) |
Final Competition
Awards
| Special Awards | Winners |
|---|---|
| Miss Amity | Bahamas - Linda Smith |
| Miss Photogenic | Denmark - Tina Brandstrup |
| Best National Costume | Brazil - Adriana Alves de Oliveira |
Contestants
Seventy-six contestants competed for the title.
| Country/Territory | Contestant | Age[a] | Hometown |
|---|---|---|---|
| Argentina | Susana Mabel Reynoso | 20 | Buenos Aires |
| Aruba | Synia Reyes | - | Brasília |
| Australia | Karen Sang | - | Sydney |
| Austria | Gudrun Gollop | - | Vienna |
| Bahamas | Linda Teresa Smith | 21 | Nassau |
| Belgium | Dominique van Eeckhoudt | 20 | Brussels |
| Belize | Ivette Zabaneh | - | Belmopan |
| Bermuda | Cymone Florie Tucker | 21 | Smith’s Parish |
| Bolivia | Vivian Zambrano | - | Santa Cruz de la Sierra |
| Brazil | Adriana Alves de Oliveira | 18 | Rio de Janeiro |
| British Virgin Islands | Carmen Nibbs | 18 | Tortola |
| Canada | Dominique Dufour | 22 | Laval |
| Cayman Islands | Donna Marie Myrie | 20 | George Town |
| Chile | María Soledad Hurtado Arellano | - | Valparaíso |
| Colombia | Ana Edilma Cano Puerta | 18 | Medellín |
| Costa Rica | Rosa Inés Solís Vargas | - | San José |
| Curaçao | Maria Maxima Croes | - | Willemstad |
| Cyprus | Katia Angelidou | 18 | Nicosia |
| Denmark | Tina Brandstrup | 20 | Copenhagen |
| Dominican Republic | Fausta Lucía Peña Veras | - | Puerto Plata |
| Ecuador | Lucía Isabel Vinueza Urejelles | 18 | Guayaquil |
| England | Joanna Longley | 25 | Windsor |
| Fiji | Lynn Michelle McDonald | - | Suva |
| Finland | Merja Orvokki Varvikko | - | Forssa |
| France | Isabelle Sophie Benard | 23 | Normandy |
| Gibraltar | Yvette Dominguez | 19 | Gibraltar |
| Greece | Maria Nikouli | - | Athens |
| Guadeloupe | Rosette Bivuoac | - | Basse-Terre |
| Guam | Bertha Antoinette Harmon | - | Hagåtña |
| Guatemala | Yuma Rossana Lobos Orellana | 19 | Guatemala City |
| Holland | Ingrid Johanna Marie Schouten | 20 | The Hague |
| Honduras | Leslie Nohemí Sabillón Dávila | - | Francisco Morazán |
| Hong Kong | Irene Lo Kam-Sheung | 21 | Hong Kong |
| Iceland | Elisabet Trausdóttir | 17 | Reykjavík |
| India | Rachita Kumar | 19 | Bombay |
| Ireland | Valerie Roe | 21 | Dublin |
| Israel | Dana Wexler | 17 | Giv'atayim |
| Italy | Anna Maria Kanakis | 20 | Messina |
| Japan | Mineko Orisaku | 20 | Kyoto |
| Malaysia | Audrey Loh Yin Fong | - | Kuala Lumpur |
| Malta | Susanne Galea | - | St Julians |
| Martinique | Ghislaine Jean-Louis | - | Fort-de-France |
| Mexico | Judith Grace González Hincks | 18 | Monterrey |
| Namibia | Antoinette Anuza | - | Windhoek |
| New Zealand | Donella Thomsen | 21 | Auckland |
| Northern Mariana Islands | Juanita Masga Mendiola | - | Tinian |
| Norway | Mona Olsen | 20 | Oslo |
| Panama | Ana María Henríquez Valdés | 21 | Panama City |
| Paraguay | María Isabel Urízar Caras | - | Asunción |
| Peru | Gladys Silva Cancino | - | Lima |
| Philippines | Maria Caroline de Vera Mendoza | - | Manila |
| Portugal | Ana Paula Machado Moura | - | Lisbon |
| Puerto Rico | Carmen Lotti Rodríguez | - | Guaynabo |
| Réunion | Patricia Abadie | - | Saint-Paul |
| Saint Kitts | Marva Warner | - | Sandy Point |
| Scotland | Anne McFarlane | 18 | Glasgow |
| Singapore | Florence Tan | 21 | Singapore |
| South Africa | Daniela di Paolo | - | Durban |
| South Korea | Lee Eun-jung | - | Seoul |
| Spain | Frances Ondiviela | 24 | Las Palmas |
| Sri Lanka | Renuka Varuni Jesudhason | - | Matale |
| Sweden | Eva-Lena Lundgren | 19 | Piteå |
| Switzerland | Bridget Voss | - | Bern |
| Tahiti | Tatiana Teraiamano | 18 | Papeete |
| Thailand | Massupha Karbprapun | 21 | Bangkok |
| Transkei | Kedibone Tembisa Letlaka | - | Tsolo |
| Trinidad and Tobago | Romini Samaroo | - | San Fernando |
| Turkey | Şenay Unlu | - | Ankara |
| Turks and Caicos Islands | Frances Gloria Rigby | - | Grand Turk |
| United States | Kim Seelbrede | 20 | Germantown |
| United States Virgin Islands | Marise Cecile James | - | Saint Croix |
| Uruguay | Griselda Dianne Anchorena | 20 | Montevideo |
| Venezuela | Irene Sáez Conde | 19 | Caracas |
| Wales | Karen Ruth Stannard | 22 | Newport |
| West Germany | Marion Kurz | 20 | Bavaria |
| Western Samoa | Lenita Marianne Schwalger | - | Apia |
Withdrawals
- Mauritius - Carole Fitzgerald was homesick and then withdrew.[1]
Notes
- ^ Ages at the time of the pageant
References
- ^ a b "Venezuelan wins title: Miss Universe". The Robesonian. Associated Press. July 21, 1981. Retrieved 13 November 2010.
- ^ "Miss Universe Facts & Figures". buzzle.com. Archived from the original on December 12, 2007. Retrieved 13 November 2010.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l "Miss Universe 1981 - Full Show". tttpageant. March 10, 2013. Retrieved July 6, 2025 – via YouTube.