View source for Miss World 1981

{{Short description|Beauty pageant edition}}
{{EngvarB|date=November 2015}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2015}}
{{Infobox beauty pageant
| photo       = [[File:MW 1981 - Thames TV.png|250px]]
| caption     = Miss World 1981 Titlecard
| winner      = [[Pilín León]]
| represented = Venezuela
| date        = 12 November 1981
| presenters  = {{Hlist|[[Peter Marshall (UK broadcaster)|Peter Marshall]]|[[Judith Chalmers]]}}
| acts        = {{Hlist|[[Helen Reddy]]}}
| venue       = [[Royal Albert Hall]], [[London]], United Kingdom<ref name="Ribane 2006"/> 
| broadcaster = [[Thames Television]]
| entrants    = 67
| placements  = 15
| returns     = {{Hlist|Chile|El Salvador|French Polynesia|Iceland|Suriname}}
| withdraws   = {{Hlist|Mauritius|Panama|Paraguay|Swaziland|United States Virgin Islands}}
| before      = [[Miss World 1980|1980]]
| next        = [[Miss World 1982|1982]]
}}

'''Miss World 1981''', the 31st edition of the [[Miss World]] pageant, was held on 12 November 1981 at the [[Royal Albert Hall]] in [[London]], United Kingdom.<ref name="Ribane 2006">{{cite book |last=Ribane |first=N. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6hoFAQAAIAAJ&q=Miss+World+1981 |title=Beauty: A Black Perspective |publisher=University of KwaZulu-Natal Press |year=2006 |isbn=978-1-86914-087-8 |page=6 |quote=The Miss World of 1981, held at the Royal Albert Hall in London, only had three contestants from African countries: Zimbabwe, Lesotho and ...}}</ref><ref name="Rome News-Tribune">{{cite news | url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=348&dat=19811113&id=tNsvAAAAIBAJ&pg=3639,2277690&hl=en | title=New Miss World | newspaper=[[Rome News-Tribune]] | date=November 13, 1981 | access-date=25 January 2016}}</ref> The winner was [[Pilín León]] from [[Venezuela]],<ref name="Rome News-Tribune"/><ref name="Weeks"/> the first titleholder from her country since [[Miss World 1955|1955]]. She was crowned by [[Miss World 1980]], [[Kimberley Santos]] of Guam. Another Venezuelan, [[Irene Sáez]], had been crowned [[Miss Universe 1981]] in July, making Venezuela one of the few countries to hold both major international titles ([[Miss Universe]] and [[Miss World]]) in the same year. The Continental Queens of Beauty were awarded for the first time.

This edition marked the return of Suriname, which last competed in [[Miss World 1966|1966]] and Chile, El Salvador, French Polynesia (as Tahiti), Iceland last competed in [[Miss World 1979|1979]]. Mauritius, Panama, Paraguay, Swaziland, the United States Virgin Islands withdrew from the competition for unknown reasons.

== Results ==
=== Placements ===
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="font-size:95%;"
|-
! Placement
! Contestant
|-
| '''Miss World 1981'''
|
* '''{{flag|Venezuela|1954}}''' – '''[[Pilín León|Pilin León]]'''<ref name="Rome News-Tribune"/><ref name="Weeks"/> 
|-
| 1st runner-up
|
* {{flag|Colombia}} – Nini Johanna Soto
|-
| 2nd runner-up
|
* {{flag|Jamaica}} – Sandra Cunningham
|-
| Top 7
|
* {{flag|Australia}} – [[Melissa Hannan]]
* {{flag|Brazil|1968}} – Maristela Grazzia
* {{flag|United Kingdom}} – Michele Donnelly
* {{flag|United States}} – Lisa Moss
|-
| Top 15
|
* {{flag|Argentina}} – Helen Natali
* {{flag|Belgium}} – Dominique van Eeckhoudt
* {{flag|Canada}} – Earla Stewart
* {{flag|Ireland}} – Geraldine McGrory
* {{flag|Japan|1947}} – Naomi Kishi
* {{flag|Mexico}} – Dora Pontvianne
* {{flag|Trinidad and Tobago}} – Rachael Ann Thomas
* {{flag|Zimbabwe}} – Juliet Nyathi
|}

=== Special awards ===
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="font-size:95%;"
!Award
!Winner
|-
|Miss Photogenic
|
* {{flagicon|AUS}} Australia – [[Melissa Hannan]]<ref>{{cite web |title=MELISSA HANNAN |url=https://www.melissahannan.com/ |accessdate=28 December 2020 |website=melissahannan.com }}</ref>
|-
|Miss Personality
|
* {{flagicon|MEX}} Mexico – Dora Pontvianne<ref>{{cite web |date=7 November 2020 |title=DORIS PONTVIANNE REINA DEL DEPORTE Y LA BELLEZA|url=https://www.pressreader.com/mexico/el-sol-de-tampico/20201107/282900913110122 |accessdate=28 December 2020 |via=PressReader |language=es}}</ref>
|}

== Contestants ==<!-- FOR NAMES OF COUNTRIES OR TERRITORIES, PLEASE STRICTLY ADHERE TO WP:COMMONNAME POLICIES, DO NOT CHANGE IT JUST BECAUSE THAT IS WHAT MISS WORLD USES. -->
[[File:Miss World 1981 Map.PNG|thumb|250px|Countries and territories which sent delegates and results for Miss World 1981<ref name="Ribane 2006" /><ref name="Weeks" /><ref name="W.W. Gaunt & Sons 1987" />]]67 contestants competed for the title.
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="font-size: 95%;"
|-
! Country/Territory  
! Contestant 
! Age{{efn|name=I|Ages at the time of the pageant}} 
! Hometown 
|-
| {{flagicon|ARG}} [[Belleza Argentina|Argentina]] || Helen Natali || 21 || [[Villa María, Córdoba|Villa María]]
|-
| {{flagicon|ARU}} [[Miss Aruba|Aruba]] || Gerarda Roepel || 24 || [[Oranjestad, Aruba|Oranjestad]]
|-
| {{flagicon|AUS}} [[Miss World Australia|Australia]] || [[Melissa Hannan]] || 19 || [[Mosman, New South Wales|Mosman]]
|-
| {{flagicon|AUT}} [[Miss Austria|Austria]] || Beatrix Kopf || 21 || [[Lustenau]]
|-
| {{flagicon|BAH}} [[Miss Bahamas|Bahamas]] || Monique Ferguson || 18 || [[Nassau, Bahamas|Nassau]]
|-
| {{flagicon|BEL}} [[Miss Belgium|Belgium]] || Dominique van Eeckhoudt || 19 || [[Waterloo, Belgium|Waterloo]]
|-
| {{flagicon|BER}} [[Miss World Bermuda|Bermuda]] || Cymone Tucker || 21 || [[Smith's Parish]]
|-
| {{flagicon|BOL}} [[Miss Bolivia|Bolivia]] || Carolina Díaz || 17 || [[Pando Department|Pando]]
|-
| {{flagicon|BRA|1968}} [[Miss Brazil World|Brazil]] || Maristela Grazzia || 17 || [[São Paulo]]
|-
| {{flagicon|CAN}} [[Miss World Canada|Canada]] || Earla Stewart || 22 || [[Pembroke, Ontario|Pembroke]]
|-
| {{flagicon|CAY|old}} [[Miss Cayman Islands|Cayman Islands]] || Donna Marie Myrie || 20 || [[George Town, Cayman Islands|George Town]]
|-
| {{flagicon|CHI}} [[Miss World Chile|Chile]] || Susanna Bravo || 19 || [[Santiago]]
|-
| {{flagicon|COL}} [[Señorita Colombia|Colombia]] || Nini Johanna Soto || 18 || [[Bucaramanga]]
|-
| {{flagicon|CRC|state}} [[Reinas de Costa Rica|Costa Rica]] || Sucetty Salas || 18 || [[San José, Costa Rica|San José]]
|-
| {{flagdeco|ANT|1959}} [[Miss Curaçao|Curaçao]] || Mylene Gerard || 21 || [[Willemstad]]
|-
| {{flagicon|CYP}} [[Miss Cyprus|Cyprus]] || Elena Andreou || 19 || [[Nicosia]]
|-
| {{flagicon|DEN}} [[Miss Denmark|Denmark]] || Tina Brandstrup || 21 || [[Copenhagen]]
|-
| {{flagicon|DOM}} [[Miss Dominican Republic|Dominican Republic]] || Josefina Cuello || 24 || [[Santo Domingo]]
|-
| {{flagicon|ECU}} [[Miss Ecuador|Ecuador]] || Lucía Vinueza || 19 || [[Guayaquil]]
|-
| {{flagicon|ESA}} [[Reinado de El Salvador|El Salvador]] || Martha Alicia Ortíz || 19 || [[San Salvador]]
|-
| {{flagicon|FIN}} [[Miss Finland|Finland]] || Pia Nieminen || 20 || [[Tampere]]
|-
| {{flagicon|FRA}} [[Miss France|France]] || Isabelle Benard || 19 || [[Vernon, Eure|Vernon]]
|-
| {{flag|French Polynesia}}{{Efn|Competed as Tahiti in the pageant}} || Maimiti Kinnander || 20 || [[Huahine]]
|-
| {{flagicon|GIB|ensign}} [[Miss Gibraltar|Gibraltar]] || Yvette Maria Bellido || 18 || [[Gibraltar]]
|-
| {{flagicon|GRE}} [[Star Hellas|Greece]] || Maria Argyrokastritou || 22 || [[Athens]]
|-
| {{flagicon|GUM}} [[Miss World Guam|Guam]] || Rebecca Arroyo || 21 || [[Mangilao]]
|-
| {{flagicon|GUA}} [[Miss Guatemala|Guatemala]] || Beatriz Bojorquez || 23 || [[Guatemala City]]
|-
| {{flagicon|NED}} [[Miss Nederland|Holland]] || Saskia Lemmers || 23 || [[Amsterdam]]
|-
| {{flagicon|HON|1949}} [[Miss Honduras|Honduras]] || Xiomara Sikaffy || 20 || [[San Pedro Sula]]
|-
| {{flagicon|British Hong Kong}} [[Miss Hong Kong|Hong Kong]] || Winnie Chin || 18 || [[Hong Kong Island]]
|-
| {{flagicon|ISL}} [[Miss Iceland|Iceland]] || Ásdís Hannesdóttir || 23 || [[Reykjavík]]
|-
| {{flagicon|IND}} [[Femina Miss India|India]] || [[Deepti Divakar]] || 22 || [[Bengaluru]]
|-
| {{flagicon|IRL}} [[Miss Ireland|Ireland]] || Geraldine McGrory || 22 || [[Derry]]
|-
| {{IMN}} || Nicola-Jane Grainger || 18 || [[Dalby, Isle of Man|Dalby]]
|-
| {{flagicon|ISR}} [[Miss Israel|Israel]] || Ninnette Assor || 22 || [[Tel Aviv]]
|-
| {{flagicon|ITA}} [[Miss World Italy|Italy]] || Marisa Tutone || 17 || [[Turin]]
|-
| {{flagicon|JAM}} [[Miss Jamaica World|Jamaica]] || Sandra Cunningham<ref name="W.W. Gaunt & Sons 1987">{{cite book | title=Jamaica | publisher=W.W. Gaunt & Sons | series=W.I.L.I.P. series | year=1987 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7_fpD9s0V2AC&q=Miss+World+1981|page=92 | isbn=9780245540240 | quote=They enthusiastically choose a Miss Jamaica Universe each May and a Miss Jamaica World each September And there are ... have been second runners-up in the Miss World finals — Debbie Campbell in 1979 and Sandra Cunningham in 1981.}}</ref> || 24 || [[Kingston, Jamaica|Kingston]]
|-
| {{flagicon|JPN|1947}} [[Miss World Japan|Japan]] || Naomi Kishi || 18 || [[Kawasaki, Kanagawa|Kawasaki]]
|-
| {{flag|JEY|name=Jersey}} || Elizabeth Walmsley || 18 || [[Saint Helier]]
|-
| {{flagicon|LIB}} [[Miss Lebanon|Lebanon]] || Zeina Challita || 19 || [[Beirut]]
|-
| {{flag|LES|name=Lesotho|1966}} || Palesa Joyce Kalele<ref name="Ribane 2006" /> || 18 || [[Maseru]]
|-
| {{flagicon|MAS}} [[Miss Malaysia|Malaysia]] || Cynthia de Castro || 20 || [[Malacca]]
|-
| {{flagicon|MLT}} [[Miss World Malta|Malta]] || Elizabeth-Mary Fenech || 19 || [[Żebbuġ]]
|-
| {{flagicon|MEX}} [[Miss Mexico Organization|Mexico]] || Doris Pontvianne || 18 || [[Tampico]]
|-
| {{flagicon|NZL}} [[New Zealand at Miss World|New Zealand]] || Raewyn Marcroft || 18 || [[Waikato]]
|-
| {{flagicon|NOR}} [[Norway at Miss World|Norway]]  || Anita Nesbø || 20 || [[Akershus]]
|-
| {{flag|PNG|name=Papua New Guinea}}  || Jennifer Abaijah || 19 || [[Port Moresby]]
|-
| {{flagicon|PER|state}} [[Miss Peru|Peru]] || Olga Zumarán || 22 || [[Lima]]
|-
| {{flagicon|PHI|1936}} [[Mutya ng Pilipinas|Philippines]] || Suzette Nicolas || 24 || [[Manila]]
|-
| {{flagicon|PUR|1952}} [[Miss World Puerto Rico|Puerto Rico]] || 	Andrenira Ruíz || 19 || [[San Juan, Puerto Rico|San Juan]]
|-
| {{flagicon|SIN}} [[Miss Singapore World|Singapore]] || Sushil Kaur Sandhu || 20 || [[Singapore]]
|-
| {{flagicon|KOR}} [[Miss Korea|South Korea]]{{Efn|Competed as Korea in the pageant}} || Lee Han-na || 19 || [[Seoul]]
|-
| {{flagicon|ESP}} [[Miss Spain|Spain]] || Cristina Pérez Cottrell || 18 || [[Málaga]]
|-
| {{flagicon|SRI}} [[Miss World Sri Lanka|Sri Lanka]] || Sonya Elizabeth Tucker || 20 || [[Colombo]]
|-
| {{flagicon|SUR}} [[Miss Suriname|Suriname]] || Joan Boldewijn || 18 || [[Paramaribo]]
|-
| {{flagicon|SWE}} [[Miss Sweden|Sweden]] || Carita Gustafsson || 20 || [[Gothenburg]]
|-
| {{flagicon|SUI}} [[Miss Switzerland|Switzerland]] || Margrit Kilchoer || 22 || [[Geneva]]
|-
| {{flagicon|THA}} [[Miss Thailand World|Thailand]]|| Massupha Karbprapun || 21 || [[Bangkok]]
|-
| {{flagicon|TTO}} [[Miss Trinidad and Tobago|Trinidad and Tobago]] || Rachael Thomas || 21 || [[Diego Martin]]
|-
| {{flagicon|TUR}} [[Miss Turkey|Turkey]] || [[Aydan Şener]]<ref>{{Cite news|date=4 May 2020|last=Tarihi|first=Güncelleme|title=Güzeller canlı yayında buluştu|trans-title=Beauties met on live broadcast|url=https://www.hurriyet.com.tr/galeri-1929dan-gunumuze-turkiye-guzelleri-41508916|access-date=29 April 2025|website=[[Hürriyet]]|language=tr|archive-date=2 January 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230102125519/https://www.hurriyet.com.tr/galeri-1929dan-gunumuze-turkiye-guzelleri-41508916|url-status=live}}</ref> || 18 || [[Kilis]]
|-
| {{flagicon|GBR}} [[Miss United Kingdom|United Kingdom]] || Michele Donnelly || 20 || [[Cardiff]]
|-
| {{flagicon|USA}} [[United States representatives at Miss World|United States]] || Lisa Moss || 23 || [[Shreveport, Louisiana|Shreveport]]
|-
| {{flagicon|URU}} [[Miss Uruguay|Uruguay]] || Marianela Bas || 23 || [[Montevideo]]
|-
| '''{{flagicon|VEN|1954}} [[Miss Venezuela|Venezuela]]''' || '''[[Pilín León|Pilin León]]'''<ref name="Rome News-Tribune" /><ref name="Weeks" /> || 18 || [[Maracay]]
|-
| {{flagicon|FRG}} [[Miss World Germany|West Germany]] || Barbara Reimund || 18 || [[Stuttgart]]
|-
| {{flagicon|SAM}} [[Miss Samoa|Western Samoa]] || Julianna Curry || 17 || [[Apia]]
|-
| {{flagicon|ZIM}} [[Miss Zimbabwe|Zimbabwe]] || Juliet Nyathi<ref name="Ribane 2006" /> || 24 || [[Bulawayo]]
|}

==Notes==
{{notelist}}

==References==
{{reflist|refs= 
<ref name="Weeks">{{cite news | url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=2245&dat=19860813&id=6uIzAAAAIBAJ&pg=6730,5611442&hl=en | title=Venezuelan beauties undergo rigorous training to win international pageants | newspaper=[[Lodi News-Sentinel]] | date=August 13, 1986 | access-date=25 January 2016 | author=Weeks, Sally}}</ref>
}}

==Further reading==
* [https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=2194&dat=19810910&id=na4yAAAAIBAJ&sjid=y-4FAAAAIBAJ&pg=6495,5007549&hl=en ''Ottawa Citizen'']. September 10, 1981.

==External links==
* {{official website|http://www.missworld.com|name=Official website}}

{{Miss World}}

[[Category:Miss World]]
[[Category:1981 in London]]
[[Category:1981 beauty pageants]]
[[Category:Beauty pageants in England]]
[[Category:Events at the Royal Albert Hall]]
[[Category:November 1981 in the United Kingdom]]