The process of electing Miss Universe is a long one. Countries which want to participate must first hold contests in each city to elect a candidate to become the country's representative for Miss Universe. Then it must elect a candidate from among the women selected by each city. For example, in Finland, Miss Helsinki must compete against the women selected by the other Finnish cities. Once a country has selected a candidate she goes on to compete for the title of Miss Universe.
According to the organisers, the Miss Universe contest isn't won just on looks. Women who aspire to become Miss Universe must be intelligent, well-mannered and cultured. Many times, a candidate has lost the contest because she did not have a good answer to a question on the contest's question and answer round.
The first winner in 1952 was Armi Kuusela from Finland. There are 4 Venezuelan Miss Universes, 4 Puerto Rican Miss Universes and 7 Americans. Many other countries have won the contest once or twice.
One Miss Universe, 1981's Irene Saez, ran for President in Venezuela, losing to Hugo Chavez. Yet another one, 2002's winner Oxana Fedorova of Russia, became the first one to be stripped of her crown, making first runner up Justine Pasek of Panama, the first Panamanian ever to hold the title.
The Miss Universe contest's central offices are in New York, and the contest is held in different cities each year. All the contests until 1972 were held within the United States.
| Year | Miss Universe | From | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1952 | Armi Kuusela | Finland | |
| 1953 | Christiane Martel | France | |
| 1954 | Miriam Stevenson | USA | |
| 1955 | Hillevi Rombin | Sweden | |
| 1956 | Carol Morris | USA | |
| 1957 | Gladys Zender | Peru | |
| 1958 | Luz Marina Zuluaga | Colombia | Long Beach, California |
| 1959 | Akiko Kojima | Japan | |
| 1960 | Linda Bement | USA | |
| 1961 | Marlene Schmidt | Germany | |
| 1962 | Norma Nolan | Argentina | |
| 1963 | Idea Maria Vargas | Brazil | |
| 1964 | Corinna Tsopei | Greece | |
| 1965 | Apasra Hongsakula | Thailand | |
| 1966 | Margareta Arvidsson | Sweden | |
| 1967 | Sylvia Hitchcock | USA | |
| 1968 | Martha Vasconcellos | Brazil | |
| 1969 | Gloria Diaz | Philippines | |
| 1970 | Marisol Malaret | Puerto Rico | |
| 1971 | Georgia Risk | Lebanon | |
| 1972 | Kerry Anne Wells | Australia | Dorado, Puerto Rico |
| 1973 | Margarita Moran | Philippines | Athens, Greece |
| 1974 | Amparo Muñoz | Spain | |
| 1975 | Anne Marie Pohtamo | Finland | |
| 1976 | Rina Messinger | Israel | Hong Kong |
| 1977 | Janelle Commisiong | Trinidad and Tobago | |
| 1978 | Margarett Gardiner | South Africa | Acapulco, Mexico |
| 1979 | Maritza Sayalero | Venezuela | |
| 1980 | Shawn Weatherly | USA | |
| 1981 | Irene Saez | Venezuela | |
| 1982 | Karen Diane Baldwin | Canada | |
| 1983 | Lorraine Downes | New Zealand | |
| 1984 | Yvon Ryding | Sweden | |
| 1985 | Deborah Carthy-Deu | Puerto Rico | |
| 1986 | Bárbara Palacios Teyde | Venezuela | |
| 1987 | Cecilia Bolocco | Chile | |
| 1988 | Porntip Nakhirunkanok | Thailand | Taipei, Taiwan |
| 1989 | Angela Visser | Holland | Cancun, Mexico |
| 1990 | Mona Grudt | Norway | Los Angeles, California |
| 1991 | Lupita Jones | Mexico | Las Vegas, Nevada |
| 1992 | Michelle Mc Lean | Namibia | Bangkok, Thailand |
| 1993 | Dayanara Torres | Puerto Rico | Mexico City, Mexico |
| 1994 | Sushmita Sen | India | Manila, Philippines |
| 1995 | Chelsi Smith | United States | Windhoek, Namibia |
| 1996 | Alicia Machado | Venezuela | Las Vegas, Nevada |
| 1997 | Brook Lee | United States | Miami Beach, Florida |
| 1998 | Wendy Fitzwilliam | Trinidad and Tobago | Honolulu, Hawaii |
| 1999 | Mpule Kwelagobe | Botswana | Trinidad and Tobago |
| 2000 | Lara Dutta | India | Cyprus |
| 2001 | Denise Quiñones | Puerto Rico | |
| 2002 | Oxana Fedorova | Russia | |
| Justine Pasek | Panama | ||
| 2003 | Amelia Vega | Dominican Republic | Panama City, Panama |
See also: Miss Earth, Miss World