Season 57
Miss Universe is an annual international beauty contest run by the Miss Universe Organisation in which women from around the world compete to win the title of Miss Universe, which they hold for a year until the following pageant.
The contest was founded in 1952 by California clothing company Pacific Mills. The pageant became part of Kayser-Roth and then Gulf and Western Industries, before being acquired by Donald Trump in 1996.
Miss Universe is broadcast annually around the world as a television special.
Miss Universe 2008 aired on DStv's GO channel on Monday 22 December 2008, at 19h30. The special was 90 minutes long.
About
According to the organizers, the Miss Universe contest is more than a beauty pageant: women having aspirations to become Miss Universe must be intelligent, well-mannered and cultured.
Often a candidate has lost because she did not have a good answer during the question responses rounds; although this section of competition has held less importance during recent pageants than it did in the twentieth century.
Delegates also participate in swimsuit and evening gown competitions.
Miss Universe 2008
Miss Universe 2008, the 57th Miss Universe beauty pageant, was held at the Crown Convention Center (Diamond Bay Resort) in Nha Trang, Vietnam on July 14, 2008.
Dayana Mendoza, Miss Venezuela, was crowned Miss Universe 2008 by outgoing titleholder Riyo Mori of Japan.
Eighty contestants competed in the event, which was broadcast and distributed globally via NBC in English and Telemundo in Spanish to TV outlets in more than 180 countries. The pageant was watched by a live audience of 7,500 and nearly a billion television viewers worldwide.
Tabloid talk show host Jerry Springer and host of America's Got Talent, Mel B of the UK pop group Spice Girls, hosted this year's competition.
Placements
Winner
Miss Universe 2008: Dayana Mendoza (Venezuela)
Runners-up
1st runner-up: Taliana Vargas (Colombia)
2nd runner-up: Marianne Cruz (Dominican Republic)
3rd runner-up: Vera Krasova (Russia)
4th runner-up: Elisa Nájera (Mexico)
The following contestants placed in the top 10 and competed in both swimsuit and evening gown (in order of placement):
Zana Krasniqi (Kosovo)
Claudia Moro (Spain)
Crystle Stewart (USA)
Claudia Ferraris (Italy)
Laura Dundovic (Australia)
The following contestants placed in the top 15 and competed in the swimsuit competition (in order of placement):
Eliška Bucková (Czech Republic)
Jázmin Dammak (Hungary)
Tansey Coetzee (South Africa)
Hiroko Mima (Japan)
Nguyen Thùy Lâm (Vietnam)
Special Awards
Miss Congeniality: Rebeca Moreno (El Salvador)
Best National Costume: Gavintra Photijak (Thailand)
Charming Áo Dài: Dayana Mendoza (Venezuela)
Best in Bikini (Queen of Vinpearl): Elisa Nájera (Mexico)
For the first time since the award's inception, no Miss Photogenic Award was given.