Miss World 1954

Miss World 1954
Antigone Costanda
Date	18 October 1954
Presenters	Eric Morley
Venue	Lyceum Ballroom, London, United Kingdom
Entrants	16
Placements	6
Debuts	Belgium Italy Turkey
Withdrawals	Israel Monte Carlo Norway
Returns	Ireland
Winner	Antigone Costanda Egypt
←  1953 1955  →

Miss World 1954 was the fourth Miss World pageant, held at the Lyceum Ballroom in London, United Kingdom on 18 October 1954.

At the end of the event, Denise Perrier of France awarded her successor Antigone Costanda of Egypt as Miss World 1954. This is the first and so far, only victory of Egypt in the history of the pageant.

Contestants from sixteen countries participated in this year's pageant. The pageant was hosted by Eric Morley.

Background

Selection of participants

Sixteen contestants were selected to compete in the pageant. Two contestants were appointed to represent their countries after being a runner-up in their national pageants.

Replacements

Miss Italy 1954 first runner-up Cristina Fanton was appointed to represent Italy after Miss Italy 1954 Eugenia Bonino was involved in an accident. ^{[1] [2]} Miss France 1954 second runner-up Claudine Bleuse was appointed to represent France after Miss France 1954 Monique Lambert chose not to fly to London to compete in Miss World. ^[3]

Debuts, returns, and withdrawals

This edition marked the debuts of Belgium, Italy and Turkey, and the return of Ireland who last competed in 1952. Malka Rozenblat of Israel withdrew after Israeli organizers discovered that she was married. Although married contestants are allowed to compete, Israel did not allow married titleholders to represent their country internationally. Mona Stornes of Norway withdrew after choosing to get married in the United States. ^{[4] [5]} Monte Carlo withdrew after their respective organization failed to hold a national competition or appoint a delegate.

Results

Miss World 1954 participating nations and results

Placement	Contestant
Miss World 1954	Egypt – Antigone Costanda [6] [7]
1st runner-up	United States – Karin Hultman [6]
2nd runner-up	Greece – Efi Mela [6]
3rd runner-up	France – Claudine Bleuse [6]
4th runner-up	West Germany – Frauke Walther [6]
5th runner-up	Denmark – Grete Hoffenblad [6]

Contestants

Sixteen contestants competed for the title. ^{[8] [9]}

Country	Contestant	Age [a]	Hometown
Belgium	Nelly Elvire Dehem [10]	19	Brussels
Ceylon	Jeannette de Jonk [11]	20	Colombo
Denmark	Grete Hoffenblad [12]	17	Rødovre
Egypt	Antigone Costanda [13]	21	Alexandria
Finland	Yvonne de Bruyn [14]	19	Helsinki
France	Claudine Bleuse [15]	16	Villeconin
Great Britain	Patricia Butler	23	Hoylake
Greece	Efi Mela [16]	21	Athens
Holland	Conny Harteveld [17]	22	Leiden
Ireland	Connie Rodgers [16]	24	Dublin
Italy	Cristina Fantonni [18]	17	Modena
Sweden	Margareta Westling [19]	19	Stockholm
Switzerland	Claudine Chaperon Du Larret [16]	20	Zürich
Turkey	Sibel Göksel [16]	18	Istanbul
United States	Karin Hultman [20]	22	Rochester
West Germany	Frauke Walther [21]	19	Düsseldorf

Notes

1. Age at the time of the pageant

References

1. "Beauty Contests Now Grim Business In Italy". The Newcastle Sun. 25 November 1954. p. 8. Retrieved 29 March 2025– via Trove.
2. "Miss Italia infortunata sarà sostituita da Cristina Fanton" [Injured Miss Italy will be replaced by Cristina Fanton]. La Stampa (in Italian). 13 October 1954. Retrieved 29 March 2025.
3. "No title". Barrier Miner. 22 October 1954. p. 11. Retrieved 29 March 2025– via Trove.
4. "Miss Norway of 1954 files suit for divorce". The Los Angeles Times. 25 February 1958. p. 2. Retrieved 29 March 2025.
5. "Blonde is queen". Spokane Daily Chronicle. 7 May 1954. p. 50. Retrieved 29 March 2025– via Google News Archive.
6. "Miss World". Het Nieuws: Algemeen Dagblad (in Dutch). 19 October 1954. p. 2. Retrieved 22 June 2024– via Delpher.
7. "Meet 'Miss World'". The Straits Times . 20 October 1954. p. 1. Retrieved 29 March 2025– via National Library Board.
8. "Judges' dilemma: Which to pick for 'Miss World'". The Straits Times . 19 October 1954. p. 2. Retrieved 22 June 2024– via National Library Board.
9. "Sono tenute sotto chiave le concorrenti a « Miss Mondo»" [Competitors in "Miss Mondo" are kept under lock and key]. La Stampa (in Italian). 16 October 1954. p. 3. Retrieved 22 June 2024.
10. "Candidaten uit zestien landen Wie zal „Miss World" voorden?" [Candidates from Sixteen Countries: Who will present “Miss World”?]. Twentsch dagblad Tubantia (in Dutch). 16 October 1954. p. 7. Retrieved 22 June 2024– via Delpher.
11. "Jeanette is the pick of Ceylon". The Newcastle Sun. 1 November 1954. p. 6. Retrieved 22 June 2024– via Trove.
12. "Wereldkampioenschap der schoonheid" [Beauty World Championship]. Het Parool (in Dutch). 16 October 1954. p. 3. Retrieved 22 June 2024– via Delpher.
13. "'Miss World' receives congratulations". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. 21 October 1954. p. 1. Retrieved 22 June 2024– via Google News Archive.
14. Seppänen, Mika (14 June 2013). "Entinen Miss Suomi kuoli yllättäen". Ilta-Sanomat (in Finnish). Retrieved 22 June 2024.
15. "She was France's first selection". The Newcastle Sun. 25 October 1954. p. 12. Retrieved 22 June 2024– via Trove.
16. "Wereldkampioenschap der schoonheid" [Beauty World Championship]. Het Parool (in Dutch). 16 October 1954. p. 3. Retrieved 22 June 2024– via Delpher.
17. "Miss Holland naar Londen" [Miss Holland to London]. Provinciale Drentsche en Asser courant (in Dutch). 13 October 1954. p. 2. Retrieved 22 June 2024– via Delpher.
18. "Cristina Fanton è giunta a Londra per l'elezione di Miss Mondo 1954" [Cristina Fanton has arrived in London for the election of Miss World 1954]. La Stampa (in Italian). 15 October 1954. p. 5. Retrieved 22 June 2024.
19. "Teenagers seek title". The Herald. 19 October 1954. p. 10. Retrieved 22 June 2024– via Trove.
20. "Kodak beauty tours London on of Miss World test". Democrat and Chronicle. 16 October 1954. p. 29. Retrieved 22 June 2024– via Newspapers.com.
21. "Too much sex appeal". The Sun. 20 October 1954. p. 1. Retrieved 22 June 2024– via Trove.

External links

• Miss World official website