| Miss World Iceland | |
| Type: | Beauty pageant |
| Headquarters: | Reykjavík |
| Location: | Iceland |
| Language: | Icelandic |
| Leader Title: | License Holder |
| Leader Name: | Linda Pétursdóttir |
Miss World Iceland (originally Miss Iceland; Icelandic: Ungfrú Ísland), is a national beauty pageant in Iceland. The winner of this contest represents Iceland at Miss World.
The competition has been carried out since 1950; in the first year it was called Miss Reykjavík (Ungfrú Reykjavík). Since 1955, the contest has taken place under the current name Miss Iceland. In the past, contest winners gained the right to represent Iceland in Miss Universe, Miss World or Miss International. As of 2009, the winner goes on to compete in Miss World.[1] [2] There are six regional preliminary contests in each of the five rural regions and in the capital Reykjavík. 20 to 24 candidates, three to four from each region, take part in the finals.
Iceland is one of the most successful countries at the Miss World pageant with three victories, a record for a nation with a population of less than half a million people.
In 2018, the organizers abandoned the Ungfrú Ísland (Miss Iceland) brand in order to adopt a new format for Miss World and created Miss World Iceland.
In 2019, former Miss World of 1988, Linda Pétursdóttir, became the license holder for Miss World Iceland and is now in charge of organizing the contest.
Rafn Rafnsson, the new chief executive of the Miss Iceland contest, "in hopes of diversifying the field of contestants beyond the statuesque blonde with striking blue eyes that has become the Icelandic stereotype", said "There is no Miss Iceland stereotype..."[3] [4] [5] One week later, in response to Rafnsson's statement, 1,300 people applied to become Miss Iceland,[4] [5] including several nontraditional candidates, such as:
In response to the increase of nontraditional applicants, Rafnsson said, "We have to follow the rules set by the international contest."[4] [5] This "means rejecting any applicants younger than 18 or older than 24. In addition to the age limits, contestants must be unmarried, childless and, of course, female."[4] [5] Íris Telma Jonsdóttir, Iceland's 2012 Miss World contestant, "has the unfortunate job of sifting through applications for the coming Miss Iceland contest and the publicity stirred by feminists has even sparked an abnormally high influx of legitimate hopefuls. That means she has a lot more reading to do before selecting the field of 25 women who will actually compete for a chance to move on to Miss World."[4] [5]
Winning International Title
| Year | Miss World Iceland | Municipality |
|---|---|---|
| 2018 | Erla Ólafsdóttir[7] | Reykjavík |
| 2019 | Kolfinna Mist Austfjörð[8] | Reykjavík |
| 2021 | Hugrún Birta Egilsdóttir | Reykjavík |
Beginning in 2018, the winner of Miss World Iceland of will compete for Miss World.
| Year | Municipality | Miss World Iceland | Placement at Miss World | Special Awards | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | No contest slated for 2022 due to the 2022 World Cup and the fact that Miss World 2021 was postponed to March 2022 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. | |||||
| 2021 | Reykjavík | Hugrún Birta Egilsdóttir | Top 40 | 1st Runner-Up in Miss World Sports 2021 | ||
| 2020 | No contest in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. | |||||
| 2019 | Reykjavík | Kolfinna Mist Austfjörð | Unplaced | Top 27 in Miss World Talent 2019 | Miss World Iceland – Linda Pétursdóttir directorship | |
| 2018 | Reykjavík | Erla Ólafsdóttir | Unplaced | Appointed Miss World Iceland by the then national director for the pageant, Björn Leifsson Miss World Iceland – Björn Leifsson directorship |
See main article: Miss Iceland.
Ungfrú Ísland winners between 1955 and 2017 competed at Miss World pageant.
| Year | Municipality | Ungfrú Ísland | Placement at Miss World | Special Awards | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | Reykjavík | Ólafía Ósk Finnsdóttir | Unplaced | ||
| 2016 | Reykjavík | Anna Orlowska | Unplaced | ||
| 2015 | Kópavogur | Arna Ýr Jónsdóttir | Unplaced | Top 30 in Miss World Talent 2015 | Later won Miss Universe Iceland 2017. |
| 2014 | Hafnarfjörður | Tanja Ýr Ástþórsdóttir | Unplaced | ||
| 2013 | Reykjavík | Sigríður Dagbjört Ásgeirsdóttir | Unplaced | ||
| 2012 | Reykjavík | Íris Telma Jónsdóttir | Unplaced | ||
| 2011 | Akranes | Sigrún Eva Ármannsdóttir | Unplaced | ||
| 2010 | Garðabær | Fanney Ingvarsdóttir | Unplaced | ||
| 2009 | Guðrún Dögg Rúnarsdóttir | Unplaced | |||
| 2008 | Reykjavík | Alexandra Ívarsdóttir | Top 15 | ||
| 2007 | Reykjavík | Jóhanna Vala Jónsdóttir | Unplaced | ||
| 2006 | Ísafjarðarbær | Ásdís Hallgrímsdóttir | Unplaced | ||
| 2005 | Seltjarnarnes | Unnur Birna Vilhjálmsdóttir | Miss World 2005 | Miss World Northern Europe | |
| 2004 | Árborg | Hugrún Harðardóttir | Unplaced | ||
| 2003 | Reykjavík | Regína Jónsdóttir | Unplaced | ||
| 2002 | Eyrun Steinsson | Pulled out of the pageant due to the Amina Lawal incident in Nigeria. | |||
| 2001 | Kolbrún Pálina Helgadóttir | Unplaced | |||
| 2000 | Elva Dögg Melsted | Unplaced | |||
| 1999 | Katrín Baldursdóttir | Unplaced | |||
| colspan=6 | |||||
| 1994 | Álftanes | Birna Bragadóttir | Unplaced | ||
| 1993 | Reykjavík | Guðrún Rut Hreiðarsdóttir | Unplaced | ||
| 1992 | Reykjavík | María Rún Hafliðadóttir | Unplaced | ||
| 1991 | Reykjavík | Svava Haraldsdóttir | Unplaced | ||
| 1990 | Garðabær | Ásta Sigríður Einarsdóttir | Unplaced | ||
| 1989 | Reykjavík | Hugrún Linda Guðmundsdóttir | Unplaced | ||
| 1988 | Vopnafjörður | Linda Pétursdóttir | Miss World 1988 | Miss World Europe | Current License Holder for Miss World Iceland |
| 1987 | Reykjavík | Anna Margret Jónsdóttir | 2nd Runner-Up | Miss World Europe 1st Runner-Up | |
| 1986 | Akureyri | Gígja Birgisdóttir | Unplaced | ||
| 1985 | Reykjavík | Hólmfríður Karlsdóttir | Miss World 1985 | Miss World Europe | |
| 1984 | Reykjavík | Berglind Johansen | Top 15 | ||
| 1983 | Álftanes | Unnur Steinsson | Top 7 | Also competed in Miss Universe 1983. | |
| 1982 | Reykjavík | María Björk Sverrisdóttir | Unplaced | ||
| 1981 | Reykjavík | Ásdís Eva Hannesdóttir | Unplaced | ||
| 1980 | colspan=5 | ||||
| 1979 | Reykjavík | Sigrún Sætran | Unplaced | ||
| 1978 | Vestmannaeyjar | Ásdís Loftsdóttir | Unplaced | ||
| 1977 | Reykjavík | Sigurlaug Halldórsdóttir | Unplaced | ||
| 1976 | Reykjavík | Sigríður Olgeirsdóttir | Unplaced | ||
| 1975 | Halldóra Björk Jónsdóttir | Unplaced | |||
| 1974 | colspan=5 | ||||
| 1973 | Nína Breiðfjörd | Unplaced | |||
| 1972 | Rósa Helgadóttir | Unplaced | |||
| 1971 | Fanney Bjarnadóttir | Unplaced | |||
| 1970 | Anna Hansdóttir | Unplaced | |||
| 1969 | Ragnheiður Pétursdóttir | Unplaced | |||
| 1968 | Helga Jonsdóttir | colspan=3 | |||
| 1967 | Hrefna Wigelund Steinþórsdóttir | Unplaced | |||
| 1966 | Auður Harðardóttir | Unplaced | |||
| 1965 | Sigrún Vignisdóttir | Unplaced | |||
| 1964 | Rósa Einarsdóttir | Unplaced | |||
| 1963 | María Ragnarsdóttir | Unplaced | |||
| 1962 | Rannveig Ólafsdóttir | Unplaced | |||
| 1961 | Jóhanna Kolbrún Kristjánsdóttir | Unplaced | |||
| 1960 | Kristín Þorvaldsdóttir | Unplaced | |||
| 1959 | Sigurbjörg Sveinsdóttir | Unplaced | |||
| 1958 | Hjördís Sigurvinsdóttir | colspan=3 | |||
| 1957 | Rúna Brynjólfdóttir | Unplaced | |||
| 1956 | Ágústa Guðmundsdóttir[9] | Unplaced | |||
| 1955 | Arna Hjörleifsdóttir | Unplaced | |||