# Miss Universe 1956

Miss Universe 1956 was the fifth Miss Universe pageant, held at the Long Beach Municipal Auditorium in Long Beach, California, United States on 20 July 1956.
At the end of the event, Hillevi Rombin of Sweden crowned Carol Morris of the United States as Miss Universe 1956. It is the second victory of the United States in the history of the pageant.
Contestants from thirty countries and territories competed in this edition. The pageant was hosted by Bob Russell for the fifth time.

## Background
### Selection of participants

Contestants from thirty countries and territories were selected to compete in the pageant. This is the last edition before 2023 where women who are married and have children can participate. Two contestants were selected to replace the original dethroned winner.

#### Replacements

Guðlaug Guðmundsdóttir, the first runner-up of Miss Iceland 1956, was appointed to replace Miss Iceland 1956 Ágústa Guðmundsdóttir after it was discovered that the latter was already married. Edith Noble Nakpil was replaced by Isabel Escobar Rodriguez as the representative of the Philippines due to undisclosed reasons.

#### Debuts, returns, and withdrawals

This edition saw the debuts of British Guiana, the Dominican Republic, Holland, and Iceland, and the returns of Turkey and Peru, who last competed in 1953 and 1954, respectively. Mirva Arvinen of Finland withdrew due to undisclosed reasons. Ceylon, El Salvador, Finland, Honduras, Lebanon, Nicaragua, Norway, South Korea, and the West Indies withdrew after their respective organizations failed to hold a national competition or designate a contestant.

## Results
### Placements

| Placement | Contestant |
| Miss Universe 1956 | United States – Carol Morris |
| 1st runner-up | West Germany – Marina Orschel |
| 2nd runner-up | Sweden – Ingrid Goude |
| 3rd runner-up | England – Iris Waller |
| 4th runner-up | Italy – Rossana Galli |
| Top 15 | Argentina – Ileana Carré  Belgium – Lucienne Auquier  Brazil – Maria José Cardoso  Cuba – Marcia Rodríguez  France – Anita Treyens  Greece – Rita Gouma  Israel – Sara Tal  Mexico – Erna Bauman  Peru – Lola Sabogal  Venezuela – Blanca Heredia |

### Special awards

| Award | Contestant |
| Miss Friendship | Costa Rica – Anabella Granados |
| Miss Photogenic | West Germany – Marina Orschel |
| Miss Popular Girl | United States – Carol Morris |

## 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

* Vincent Trotta – Artistic Director at Paramount Pictures
* James H. Noguer – American professor of Foreign Languages
* Tom Kelley – American photographer
* Dorothy Kirsten – American opera singer
* Earl Wilson – American journalist and columnist
* Alberto Vargas – Peruvian-American painter known for his "Vargas Girls"
* Max Factor – American businessman and make-up man
* Claude Berr – Founder and president of the Comite Pour Election de Miss Europe

## Contestants

Thirty contestants competed for the title.
| Country/Territory | Contestant | Age | Hometown |
| Alaska | Barbara Sellar | 18 | Fairbanks |
| Argentina | Ileana Carré | 19 | Buenos Aires |
| Belgium | Lucienne Auquier | 19 | Brussels |
| Brazil | Maria José Cardoso | 21 | Porto Alegre |
| British Guiana | Rosalind Iva Joan Fung | 20 | Georgetown |
| Canada | Elaine Bishenden | 18 | Toronto |
| Chile | Concepción Obach | 20 | Santiago |
| Costa Rica | Anabella Granados | 18 | Alajuela |
| Cuba | Marcia Rodríguez | 19 | Havana |
| Dominican Republic | Olga Fiallo | 22 | Ciudad Trujillo |
| Ecuador | Mercedes Flores Espín | 18 | Guayaquil |
| England | Iris Waller | 21 | Gateshead |
| France | Anita Treyens | 18 | Paris |
| West Germany | Marina Orschel | 19 | Berlin |
| Greece | Rita Gouma | 20 | Athens |
| Guatemala | Ileana Garlinger | 21 | Guatemala City |
| Holland | Rita Schmidt | 20 | Alkmaar |
| Iceland | Guðlaug Guðmundsdóttir | 19 | Kópavogur |
| Israel | Sara Tal | 22 | Tel Aviv |
| Italy | Rossana Galli | 21 | Rome |
| Japan | Yoshie Baba | 19 | Aizuwakamatsu |
| Mexico | Erna Marta Bauman | 18 | Mexico City |
| Peru | Lola Sabogal | 21 | Lima |
| Philippines | Isabel Rodriguez | 19 | Manila |
| Puerto Rico | Paquita Vivo | 20 | Santurce, San Juan |
| Sweden | Ingrid Goude | 19 | Stockholm |
| Turkey | Can Uysaloğlu | 18 | Istanbul |
| United States | Carol Morris | 20 | Des Moines |
| Uruguay | Titina Aguirre | 19 | Montevideo |
| Venezuela | Blanca Heredia | 22 | Caracas |