Miss Universe 1962
Miss Universe 1962 was the 11th Miss Universe pageant, held at the Miami Beach Auditorium in Miami Beach, Florida, the United States, on 14 July 1962.
At the conclusion of the event, Marlene Schmidt of the West Germany crowned Norma Nolan of Argentina as Miss Universe 1962. Nolan was the first representative of Argentina to win the contest.
Contestants from fifty-two countries and territories competed in this year's pageant. The pageant was hosted by Gene Rayburn.
Background
Selection of participants
Contestants from fifty-two countries and territories were selected to compete in the pageant. One candidate was appointed to represent their country, while two candidates were appointed to represent their country/territory to replace the original dethroned winner.Replacements
Virginia Bailey, 2nd runner-up of Miss Venezuela 1962, was appointed to represent Venezuela as Miss Venezuela 1962 Olga Antonetti was only 17 and did not meet the age requirement. Kim Carlton was appointed to represent England after Miss England 1962 Suzannah Eaton resigned due to her political views.Debuts, returns, and withdrawals
This edition saw the debuts of Dahomey, Haiti, Malaya, and Tahiti, and the returns of the Dominican Republic, which last competed in 1956, the Philippines in 1957, Singapore in 1958, and Costa Rica, Hong Kong, New Zealand, and Portugal last competed in 1960.Birgitte Heiberg of Denmark and Marlene Murray of Jamaica withdrew for undisclosed reasons. Burma, Chile, Guatemala, Madagascar, and Rhodesia and Nyasaland withdrew after their respective organizations failed to hold a national competition or appoint a delegate. A candidate from Bali was also expected to participate in this edition, but it did not proceed.
Pageant
Format
Same with 1955, fifteen semi-finalists were chosen at the preliminary competition that consists of the swimsuit and evening gown competition. Each of the fifteen semi-finalists gave a short speech during the final telecast using their native languages. Afterwards, the fifteen semi-finalists paraded again in their swimsuits and evening gowns, and the five finalists were eventually chosen.Selection committee
- Key-young Chang – Founder of the Hankook Ilbo and The Korea Times
- Yoshio Hayakowa – Japanese graphic designer
- Abraham Elias Issa – Jamaica businessman
- Serge Mendjisky – French painter
- Russell Patterson – American cartoonist
- Edilson Cid Varela – Brazilian journalist
- Earl Wilson – American journalist and columnist
Contestants
Fifty-two contestants competed for the title.| Country/Territory | Contestant | Age | Hometown |
 Flag of Argentina.svgsortname|Norma|Nolan |