Miss World 1978 Miss World 1978 Miss World 1978, the 28th edition of the Miss World pageant, was held on 16 November 1978 at the Royal Albert Hall in London, UK. The winner was Silvana Suárez from Argentina. She was crowned by Miss World 1977, Mary Stavin of Sweden. First runner-up was Ossie Margareta Carlsson representing Sweden, second was Denise Coward from Australia, third was Martha Eugenia Ortiz of Mexico, and fourth was Gloria Valenciano from Spain. This is the first time that the award for "Miss Talent" was given. 68 contestants participated in Miss World 1978. Last competed in 1970: Last competed
Miss World on to become a semi-finalist in both the Miss World and Miss Universe contest), while others such as Costa Rica were instructed by their national governments and parliaments not to attend the contest. Among the other boycotting nations were Denmark, Spain, Switzerland, Panama, Belgium and Kenya. There was further controversy over the possibly suspended participation of France and South Africa, which may or may not have been due to the boycott. For her part, Lawal asked that contestants not suspend their participation in the contest, saying that it was for the good of her country and that they could, as