It's in the tradition of the Miss Universe beauty contest to present three special awards annually to the chosen recipients/contestant either voted by the candidates themselves, photographers, the Miss Universe organization or some select judges. These are the special awards of Congeniality, Photogenic and National Costume trophy.
The first special award given was the Congeniality award handed out at the very first Miss Universe in 1952 when it was first called as Miss Friendship.
The Congeniality Award in the Miss Universe pageant is a special honor given to the contestant who is voted by her fellow delegates as the most friendly, gracious, and supportive during the competition. The award, which has evolved from "Miss Friendship" and "Miss Amity," recognizes the recipient's positive attitude, sisterhood, and ability to build lasting friendships.
The award celebrates the "spirit of sisterhood" and is a genuine reflection of a contestant's positive attitude, support, and friendship throughout the competition. It's a testament to the winner's character and the relationships she built with the other competitors.
The Miss Congeniality award is given to a contestant who is seen by her fellow competitors to embody grace, a friendly demeanor, and a positive attitude.
The recipient embodies kindness, generosity, positive energy, and sportsmanship. The award highlights the spirit of camaraderie and support among the contestants.
This coveted award is originally called as Miss Friendship from 1952 until 1959. It was changed to Miss Amity the following year in 1960 where it is the award's name for several years. The award was officially renamed as Miss Congeniality in 1991, and it is still being used today.
The following are the recipients of the Congeniality Awards through the years:
1952
Belgium
Myriam Lynn
Jeanne Vaughn Thompson
1954
Greece
Efi Andoroulakakis
1955
El Salvador
Maribel Arrieta Galvez
1956
Costa Rica
Anabella Granados
1957
Puerto Rico
Maria del Pilar "Mapita" Mercado Cordero
1958
Japan
Tomoko Moritake
1959
Thailand
Sondi Sodsai Vanijvadhana
1960
Burma
Myint Myint May
1961
Greece
Eleftheria Deloutsi
1962
(Tied)
Dominican Republic
Sarah Olimpia Frómeta de Gonzalez
Wales
Hazel Williams
1963
Scotland
Grace Calder W. Taylor
1964
California
Jeanne Venables
1965
Germany
Ingrid Bethke
1966
(Tied)
Curacao
Elizabeth Sanchez
Spain
Paquita Torres
1967
Scotland
Lena MacGarvie
1968
Japan
Yasuyo Lino
1969
Tunisia
Zohra Boufaden
1970
Guam
Hilary Ann Best
1971
Peru
Magnolia Martinez
1972
Zaire
Umbayi Mutaka
1973
Chile
Jeanette Gwendolyn Robertson
1974
Iceland
Anna Bjornsdottir
1975
Trinidad and Tobago
Christine Mary Jackson
1976
Trinidad and Tobago
Margaret Elizabeth McFarlane
1977
Canada
Trinidad and Tobago
Sophia Titus
1979
Japan
Yurika Koroda
1980
Cayman Islands
Dealia Devon Walter
1981
Bahamas
Linda Teresa Smith
1982
Cayman Islands
Maureen Theresa Lewis
1983
Gambia
Abbey Scattrel Janneh
1984
Gibraltar
Jessica Palao
1985
Guam
Lucy Carbullido Montinola
1986
Guam
Dina Ann Reyes Salas
1987
Honduras
Francia Tatiana Reyes
1988
Guam
Liza Maria Camacho
1989
Turks and Caicos Islands
Sharon Simmons
1990
Germany
Christiane Stocker
1991
US Virgin Islands
Monique Lindesay
1992
Turks and Caicos Islands
Barbara Johnson
1993
Ghana
Jamila Haruna Danzuru
1994
Namibia
Christalene Barbara Kahatjipara
1995
Nigeria
Toyin Enitan Raji
1996
Australia
Jodie McMullen
1997
Australia
Laura Csortan
1998
Turkey
Asuman Krause
1999
Portugal
Marissa Ferreira
2000
Aruba
Tamara Scaroni
2001
Bahamas
Nakera Simms
2002
US Virgin Islands
Merlisa Rhonda George
2003
Antigua and Barbuda
Kai Davis
2004
Italy
Laia Manetti
2005
US Virgin Islands
Tricia Homer
2006
Ghana
Angela Asare
2007
China
Zhang Ning Ning
2008
El Salvador
Rebecca Moreno
2009
China
Wang Jingyao
2010
Australia
Jesinta Campbell
2011
Montenegro
Nikolina Lončar
2012
Guatemala
Laura Godoy
2013
China
Jin Ye
2014
Nigeria
Queen Celestine
2015
Angola
Whitney Shikongo
2016
Korea
Jenny Kim
2017
(Tied)
Egypt
Farah Sedky
Panama
Laura de Sanctis
2018
Sri Lanka
Ornella Gunesekere
2019
Poland
Olga Bulawa
2020
No Awards Presented
2021
No Awards Presented
2022
(Tied)
Chile
Malta
Maxine Formosa
2023
Spain
Athenea Perez
2024
Trinidad and Tobago
Jenelle Thongs
1952 - Belgium
1953 - Louisiana
1954 - Greece
1955 - El Salvador
1956 - Costa Rica
1957 - Puerto Rico
1958 - Japan
1959 - Thailand
1960 - Burma
1961 - Greece
1962 - (Tied) Dominican Republic and Wales
1963 - Scotland
1964 - California
1965 - Germany
1966 - (Tied) Curacao and Spain
1967 - Scotland
1968 - Japan
1969 - Tunisia
1970 - Guam
1971 - Peru
1972 - Zaire
1973 - Chile
1974 - Iceland
1975 - Trinidad and Tobago
1976 - Trinidad and Tobago
1977 - Canada
1978 - Trinidad and Tobago
1979 - Japan
1980 - Cayman Islands
1981 - Bahamas
1982 - Cayman Islands
1983 - Gambia
1984 - Gibraltar
1985 - Guam
1986 - Guam
1987 - Honduras
1988 - Guam
1989 - Turks and Caicos Islands
1990 - Germany
1991 - US Virgin Islands
1992 - Turks and Caicos Islands
1993 - Ghana
1994 - Namibia
1995 - Nigeria
1996 - Australia
1997 - Australia
1998 - Turkey
1999 - Portugal
2000 - Aruba
2001 - Bahamas
2002 - US Virgin Islands
2003 - Antigua and Barbuda
2004 - Italy
2005 - US Virgin Islands
2006 - Ghana
2007 - China
2008 - El Salvador
2009 - China
2010 - Australia
2011 - Montenegro
2012 - Guatemala
2013 - China
2014 - Nigeria
2015 - Angola
2016 - Korea
2017 - (Tied) Egypt and Panama
2018 - Sri Lanka
2019 - Poland
2022 - (Tied) Chile and Malta
2023 - Spain
2024 - Trinidad and Tobago
By number of wins
4 - Guam, Trinidad and Tobago
3 - Australia, Japan, US Virgin Islands
2 - Bahamas, Cayman Islands, Chile, China, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Nigeria, Scotland, Spain, Turks and Caicos Islands
1 - Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Aruba, Belgium, Canada, Costa Rica, Curacao, Dominican Republic, Egypt, El Salvador, Gambia, Gibraltar, Guatemala, Honduras, Iceland, Italy, Korea, Malta, Montenegro, Myanmar, Namibia, Panama, Peru, Poland, Portugal, Puerto Rico, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Tunisia, Turkey, Wales, Zaire
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