Miss Universe 1978
Miss Universe 1978, the 27th Miss Universe pageant, was held on 24 July 1978 at the Centro de Convenciones de Acapulco in Acapulco, Mexico. Margaret Gardiner of South Africa was crowned by Janelle Commissiong of Trinidad and Tobago at the end of the event. This is the first time South Africa won the pageant.
Results
Placements
Final Competition
| Nation | Interview | Swimsuit | Evening Gown | Semifinal Average |
| ' | 6.791 | 6.590 | 6.373 | 6.584 |
| ' | 8.155 | 7.855 | 7.482 | 7.830 |
| ' | 6.500 | 6.870 | 7.545 | 6.971 |
| ' | 6.645 | 6.282 | 6.545 | 6.490 |
| ' | 7.518 | 7.300 | 7.355 | 7.391 |
| ' | 6.230 | 6.364 | 5.709 | 6.101 |
| ' | 5.073 | 5.064 | 4.536 | 4.891 |
| ' | 5.260 | 4.280 | 4.945 | 4.828 |
| ' | 5.320 | 3.260 | 4.145 | 4.241 |
| ' | 3.889 | 3.800 | 4.756 | 4.148 |
| 4.422 | 3.718 | 3.573 | 3.904 | |
| 3.911 | 2.890 | 3.573 | 3.458 |
Judges
The following celebrities judged the final competition:- 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
- Mario Moreno "Cantinflas" – Mexican comedian and stage and film actor
Contestants
- ' – Delia Stella Maris Muñoz
- ' – Margarita Marieta Tromp
- ' – Beverly Frances Pinder
- ' – Doris Elizabeth Anwander
- ' – Dulcie Louise Millings
- ' – Judy Margot Miller
- ' – Françoise Hélène Julia Moens
- ' – Christina Margarita Ysaguirre
- ' – Madeline Francine Joell
- ' – Raquel Roca Kuikanaga
- ' – Corinne Rosseley Hernandez
- ' – Suzana Araújo dos Santos
- ' – Andrea Leslie Eng
- ' – Marianne Müller Prieto
- ' – Mary Shirley Sáenz Starnes
- ' – Maribel Fernández García
- ' – Solange Abigail de Castro
- ' – Anita Heske
- ' – Raquel Josefina Jacobo Jaar
- ' – Mabel Ceballos Sangster
- ' – Iris Ivette Mazorra Castro
- ' – Beverly Isherwood
- ' – Seija Kaarina Paakkola
- ' – Brigitte Konjovic
- ' – Eva Marie Gabrielle Gottschalk
- ' – Marieta Kountouraki
- ' – Mary Lois Sampson
- ' – Claudia María Iriarte
- ' – Karen Ingrid Gustafsson
- ' – Olimpia Velásquez Medina
- ' – Winnie Chan Man-Yuk
- ' – Anna Björk Edwards
- – Alamjeet Kaur Chauhan
- ' – Lorraine Bernadette Enriquez
- ' – Dorit Jellinek
- ' – Andreina Mazzoti
- ' – Hisako Manda
- ' – Jung-eun Shon
- ' – Reine Antoine Semaan
- ' – Joan Libuseng Khoali
- ' – Yasmin Yusoff
- ' – Pauline Lewise Farrugia
- ' – Alba Margarita Cervera Lavat
- ' – Majida Tazi
- ' – Christine Spooner
- ' – Jane Simmonds
- ' – Claudia Herrera Cortés
- ' – Julias Salas Concepción
- ' – Jeanette Aarum
- ' – Diana Leticia Conte Vergara
- ' – Angelyn Muta Tukana
- ' – Rosa María Duarte Melgarejo
- ' – Olga Roxana Zumarán Tapullima
- ' – Jennifer Mitschek Cortez
- ' – Ada Cecilia Flores Perkins
- ' – Evelyn Pongerand
- ' – Palepa Sio Tauliili
- ' – Angela Mary Kate McLeod
- ' – Annie Mei Ling Lee
- ' – Margaret Gardiner
- ' – Guillermina Ruiz Domenech
- ' – Dlirukshi Wimalasooriya
- ' – Gailene Collin
- ' – Garrance Harriette Rustwijk
- ' – Cecilia Rhode
- ' – Sylvia von Arx
- Tahiti – Pascaline Tumia Teriireoo
- ' – Pornpit Sakornujit
- ' – Sophia Titus
- ' – Billur Lutfiye Bingol
- ' – María del Carmen da Rosa
- ' – Judi Lois Andersen
- ' – Marisol Alfonzo Marcano
- ' – Barbara Henderson
- – Elizabeth Ann Jones
Debuts
- '
- '
Returns
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- '
- '
- '
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Withdrawals
- ' - Nadine Defraites
- '
- '
- ' - Mlue Debor
- '
- '
- '
- ' - Maria Ingrid Desmarais
- '
- '
- '
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Did not Compete
- ' - Margaret Prudome
- ' - Catherine Marlin
Awards
- ' - Miss Amity
- ' - Miss Photogenic
- ' - Best National Costume
- ' - Miss Press
General references