Miss International (Miss International Beauty or The International Beauty Pageant) is a Japanese-based international beauty pageant organized by The International Culture Association. First held in 1960, Miss International is one of the Big Four international beauty pageants.
The Miss International Organization and the brand are currently owned, along with Miss International Japan, by ICA (International Cultural Association) and Miss Paris Group. The pageant crown used by the organization is supplied and patented by the Mikimoto pearl company.
The current Miss International is Mariem Velazco of Venezuela who was crowned on 9th November 2018 in Tokyo, Japan. Miss International 2019 will be held on 12th November 2019 in Tokyo, Japan.
Below are a few interesting facts about Miss International pageant –
1. Miss International made its debut in the year 1960, and has been held every year since then except in the year 1966. Since the Miss International 1966 pageant was cancelled, the 1965 winner Ingrid Finger's reign was the longest among titleholders totalling 624 days.
2. Miss International is the only one of the Big 4 international pageants with no winner resigned or dethroned so far.
3. Stella Marquez from Colombia was the first ever beauty queen to be crowned Miss International on August 12' 1960.
4.Venezuela has won the maximum number of Miss International titles till date (8 titles so far).
5. Philippines is just two titles behind Venezuela (6 titles so far).
6. India, the powerhouse of beauty, is yet to win any Miss International title.
7. No country from Africa has ever won Miss International title. The highest placement the continent witnessed was when Ibticem Lahmar from Tunisia was adjudged the first runner-up at Miss International 1996.
8. Gemma Teresa Cruz of Philippines became the first Asian beauty to be crowned Miss International on 14th August 1964.
8 Christina Sawaya of Lebanon became the first girl from Middle East to be crowned Miss International on 30th September 2002.
9. Melanie Marquez of Philippines is the youngest winner of Miss International pageant. She was just 15 when she was crowned Miss International 1979.
Here are the title holders of Miss International from the inception till now –
Miss International Titleholders from 1960 - 1970
Stella Marquez Araneta Miss International 1960 from Colombia
Stanny van Baer Miss International 1961 from Holland
Tania Verstak Miss International 1962 from Australia
Gudrun Bjarnadottir Miss International 1963 from Iceland
Gemma Teresa Guerrero Cruz Miss International 1964 from Philippines
Ingrid Finger Miss International 1965 from Germany
Mirta Teresita Massa Miss International 1967 from Argentina
Maria da Gloria Carvalho Miss International 1968 from Brazil
Valerie Holmes Miss International 1969 from Great Britain
Aurora Pijuan Miss International 1970 from Philippines
Miss International Titleholders from 1971 to 1980
Jane Cheryl Hansen Miss International 1971 from New Zealand
Linda Hooks Miss International 1972 from Great Britain
Anneli Bjorkling Miss International 1973 from Finland
Brucene Smith Miss International 1974 from USA
Lidija Manic Miss International 1975 from Yugoslavia
Sophie Perin Miss International 1976 from France
Pilar Medina Miss International 1977 from Spain
Katherine Ruth Miss International 1978 from USA
Melanie Marquez Miss International 1979 from Philippines
Lorna Chavez Miss International 1980 from Costa Rica
Miss International Titleholders from 1981-1990
Jenny Annette Derek Miss International 1981 from Australia
Christie Claridge Miss International 1982 from United States of America
Gidget Sandoval Herrera Miss International 1983 from Costa Rica
Ilma Julieta Urrutia Miss International 1984 from Guatemala
Nina Sicilia Miss International 1985 from Venezuela
Helen Fairbrother Miss International 1986 from England
Laurie Simpson Miss International 1987 from Puerto Rico
Catherine Gude Miss International 1988 from Norway
Iris Klein Miss International 1989 from Germany
Silvia de Esteban Miss International 1990 from Spain
Miss International Titleholders from 1991 to 2000
Agnieszka Kotlarska Miss International 1991 from Poland
Kirsten Davidson Miss International 1992 from Australia
Agnieszka Pachalko Miss International 1993 from Poland
Christina Lekka Miss International 1994 from Greece
Anne Lena Hansen Miss International 1995 from Norway
Fernanda Alves Miss International 1996 from Portugal
Consuelo Adler Miss International 1997 from Venezuela
Lía Borrero Miss International 1998 from Panama
Paulina Gálvez Miss International 1999 from Colombia
Vivian Urdaneta Miss International 2000 from Venezuela
Miss International titleholders from 2001 to 2010
Malgorzata Rozniecka Miss International 2001 from Poland
Christina Sawaya Miss International 2002 from Lebanon
Goizeder Azúa Miss International 2003 from Venezuela
Jeymmy Vargas Miss International 2004 from Colombia
Lara Quigaman Miss International 2005 from Philippines
Daniela di Giacomo Miss International 2006 from Venezuela
Priscila Perales Miss International 2007 from Mexico
Alejandra Andreu Miss International 2008 from Spain
Anagabriela Espinoza Miss International 2009 from Mexico
Elizabeth Mosquera Miss International 2010 from Venezuela
Miss International Titleholders from 2011 – 2020
Fernanda Cornejo Miss International 2011 from Ecuador
Ikumi Yoshimatsu Miss International 2012 from Japan
Bea Santiago Miss International 2013 from Philippines
Valerie Hernandez Miss International 2014 from Puerto Rico
Edymar Martínez Miss International 2015 from Venezuela
Kylie Verzosa Miss International 2016 from Philippines
Kevin Lilliana Miss International 2017 from Indonesia
Mariem Velazco Miss International 2018 from Venezuela
Sireethorn Leearamwat Miss International 2019 from Thailand
(Miss International 2020 was not held due to covid-19)
Miss International Titleholders from 2021 – Till Now
(Miss International 2021 was not held due to covid-19 pandemic)
Jasmin Selberg Miss International 2022 from Germany
Andrea Rubio Miss International 2023 from Venezuela
