Miss Universe 1981

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, United States. 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. 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.

Judges

 * Sammy Cahn
 * Chang Kang Jae
 * Pelé
 * Julio Iglesias
 * Itzik Kol
 * Lee Majors
 * Mary McFadden
 * David Merrick
 * Anna Moffo
 * LeRoy Neiman
 * Lorin Netherlandser
 * Francesco Scavullo
 * Corinna Tsopei - Miss Universe 1964 from Greece

Contestants

 * 🇦🇷 – Susana Mabel Reynoso
 * 🇦🇼 – Synia Reyes
 * 🇦🇺 – Karen Sang
 * 🇦🇹 – Gudrun Gollop
 * 🇧🇸 – Linda Teresa Smith
 * 🇧🇪 – Dominique van Eeckhoudt
 *  British Honduras – Ivette Zabaneh
 * 🇧🇲 – Cymone Florie Tucker
 * 🇧🇴 – Vivian Zambrano
 * 🇧🇷 Brazil – Adriana Alves de Oliveira
 * 🇻🇬 – Carmen Nibbs
 * 🇨🇦 – Dominique Dufour
 * 🇰🇾 Cayman Islands – Donna Marie Myrie
 * 🇨🇱 – María Soledad Hurtado Arellano
 * 🇨🇴 – Ana Edilma Cano Puerta
 * 🇨🇷 – Rosa Inés Solís Vargas
 *  Netherlands Antilles – Maria Maxima Croes
 * 🇨🇾 Cyprus – Katia Angelidou
 *  – Tina Brandstrup
 * 🇩🇴 – Fausta Lucía Peña Veras
 * 🇪🇨 – Lucía Isabel Vinueza Urjelles
 * 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 – Joanna Longley
 * 🇫🇯 – Lynn Michelle McDonald
 * 🇫🇮 – Merja Orvokki Varvikko
 * 🇫🇷 – Isabelle Sophie Benard
 *  FRG – Marion Kurz
 * 🇬🇮 Gibraltar – Yvette Dominguez
 * 🇬🇷 – Maria Nikouli
 * 🇬🇵 Guadeloupe – Rosette Bivuoac
 * 🇬🇺 – Bertha Antoinette Harmon
 * 🇬🇹 – Yuma Rossana Lobos Orellana
 *  Holland – Ingrid Johanna Marie Schouten
 * 🇭🇳 Honduras – Leslie Nohemí Sabillón Dávila
 *  British Hong Kong – Irene Lo Kam-Sheung
 * 🇮🇸 – Elisabet Traustadóttir
 * 🇮🇳 – Rachita Kumar
 * 🇮🇪 – Valerie Roe
 * 🇮🇱 – Dana Wexler
 * 🇮🇹 – Anna Maria Kanakis
 * 🇯🇵 Japan – Mineko Orisaku
 * 🇰🇷 KOR – Lee Eun-jung
 * 🇲🇾 – Audrey Loh Yin Fong
 * 🇲🇹 – Susanne Galea
 * 🇲🇶 Martinique – Ghislaine Jean-Louis
 * 🇲🇽 – Judith Grace González Hincks
 *  South West Africa – Antoinette Anuza
 * 🇳🇿 – Donella Thomsen
 * 🇲🇵 – Juanita Masga Mendiola
 * 🇳🇴 – Mona Olsen
 * 🇵🇦 – Ana María Henríquez Valdés
 * 🇵🇾 Paraguay – María Isabel Urízar Caras
 * 🇵🇪 – Gladys Silva Cancino
 * 🇵🇭 Philippines – Maria Caroline de Vera Mendoza
 *  – Ana Paula Machado Moura
 * 🇵🇷 Puerto Rico – Carmen Lotti Rodríguez
 * 🇷🇪 – Patricia Abadie
 *  – Anne McFarlane
 * 🇸🇬 – Florence Tan
 * 🇿🇦 South Africa – Daniela di Paolo
 * 🇪🇸 Spain – Frances Ondiviela
 * 🇱🇰 – Renuka Varuni Jesudhason
 *  Saint Christopher-Nevis-Anguilla – Marva Warner
 * 🇸🇪 – Eva-Lena Lundgren
 * 🇨🇭 – Bridget Voss
 * 🇫🇷 Tahiti – Tatiana Teraiamano
 * 🇹🇭  – Massupha Karbprapun
 *  Transkei – Kedibone Tembisa Letlaka
 * 🇹🇹 – Romini Samaroo
 * 🇹🇷 – Şenay Unlu
 * 🇹🇨 – Frances Gloria Rigby
 * 🇺🇾 – Griselda Dianne Anchorena
 * 🇺🇸 – Kim Seelbrede
 * 🇻🇮 – Marise Cecile James
 * 🇻🇪 Venezuela – Irene Sáez Conde
 * 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 – Karen Ruth Stannard
 *  Western Samoa – Lenita Marianne Schwalger

Debuts

 *  South West Africa
 *  Western Samoa
 *  Western Samoa

Returns
Last competed in 1957:
 * 🇲🇶 Martinique

Last competed in 1974:

Last competed in 1979:
 *  Saint Christopher-Nevis-Anguilla
 * 🇿🇦 South Africa
 *  Transkei
 * 🇿🇦 South Africa
 *  Transkei

Replacements

 *  British Hong Kong - Doris Loh was replaced by Irene Lo Kam-Sheung.

Withdrawals

 * 🇮🇩 - Rossje Soeratman
 * 🇲🇺 - Carole Fitzgerald was homesick and then withdrew.
 * 🇵🇬 - Jennifer Abaijah was completed at Miss World 1981 instead.
 *  Netherlands Antilles

Did not compete

 *  Saint Vincent – Marsha Ann Morris
 * 🇸🇷 – Joan Boldewijn went to Miss World instead.