Miss Universe 2003, the 52nd Miss Universe pageant was held at Figali Convention Center, Panama City, Panama on June 3, 2003. 71 delegates from around the universe competed for the crown. At the conclusion of the final night Amelia Vega of the Dominican Republic was crowned as the new Miss Universe 2003 by Miss Universe 2002, Justine Pasek of Panama.

Panama hosted the pageant for the second time. In 1986, Panama hosted the Miss Universe Pageant for the first time, the pageant final was held at ATLAPA Convention Center, in Panama City.

Results

Placements

Final results	Contestant
Miss Universe 2003	- Amelia Vega
1st runner-up	- Mariángel Ruiz
2nd runner-up	- Cindy Nell
3rd runner-up	- Sanja Papić
4th runner-up	- Miyako Miyazaki
Top 10	- Gislaine Ferreira - Leanne Marie Cecile - Kateřina Smrzová - Ndapewa Alfons - Faye Alibocus
Top 15	- Ana Sebastião - Marietta Chrousala - Stefanie de Roux - Claudia Ortiz - Susie Castillo

Special awards

Award	Contestant
Best National Costume	- Amelia Vega
Miss Congeniality	- Kai Davis
Miss Photogenic	- Carla Tricoli

Order of announcements

Top 15

• 1. South Africa
• 2. Trinidad & Tobago
• 3. Venezuela
• 4. Greece
• 5. Panama

• 6. Czech Republic
• 7. Namibia
• 8. Canada
• 9. Brazil
• 10. Serbia & Montenegro

• 11. USA
• 12. Angola
• 13. Japan
• 14. Dominican Republic
• 15. Peru

Top 10

• 1. Czech Republic
• 2. Canada
• 3. Brazil
• 4. Trnidad & Tobago
• 5. Serbia & Montenegro

• 6. South Africa
• 7. Namibia
• 8. Venezuela
• 9. Dominican Republic
• 10. Japan

Top 5

• 1. Venezuela
• 2. Japan
• 3. South Africa
• 4. Dominican Republic
• 5. Serbia & Montenegro

Judges

The following celebrities judged the final competition.

• Roberto Cavalli
• María Celeste Arrarás
• Peter Reckell
• Deborah Carthy-Deu
• Audrey Quock
• Richard Johnson
• Amelia Marshall
• Fernanda Tavares
• Matthew St. Patrick

Contestants

• - Denisa Kola
• - Ana Sebastião
• - Kai Davis
• - Laura Romero
• - Malayka Rasmijn
• - Ashlea Talbot
• - Nadia Johnson
• - Nadia Forte
• - Julie Taton
• - Becky Bernard
• - Irene Aguilera
• - Gislaine Ferreira
• - Elena Tihomirova
• - Leanne Marie Cecile
• - Nichelle Welcome
• - Wu Wei
• - Diana Mantilla
• - Andrea Ovares
• - Ivana Delic
• - Vanessa van Arendonk
• - Ivi Lazarou
• - Kateřina Smrzová
• - Amelia Vega
• - Andrea Jácome
• - Nour El-Samary
• - Diana Valdivieso
• - Katrin Susi
• - Anna Maria Strömberg
• - Emmanuelle Chossat
• - Alexsandra Vodjanikova
• - Marietta Chrousala
• - Florecita de Jesus
• - Leanna Damond
• - Viktoria Tomozi
• - Nikita Anand
• - Lesley Flood

• - Sivan Klein
• - Silvia Ceccon
• - Michelle Lecky
• - Miyako Miyazaki
• - Geum Na-na
• - Elaine Daly
• - Marie-Aimee Bergicourt
• - Marisol González
• - Ndapewa Alfons
• - Tessa Brix
• - Sharee Adams
• - Claudia Salmeron
• - Celia Ohumotu
• - Hanne-Karine Sørby
• - Stefanie de Roux
• - Claudia Ortiz
• - Carla Balingit
• - Iwona Makuch
• - Carla Tricoli
• - Olesya Bondarenko
• - Sanja Papić
• - Bernice Wong
• - Petra Mokrošová
• - Polona Baš
• - Cindy Nell
• - Eva González
• - Helena Stenbäck
• - Nadine Vinzens
• - Szu-Yu Chen
• - Yaowalak Traisurat
• - Faye Alibocus
• - Ozge Ulusoy
• - Lilja Kopytova
• - Susie Castillo
• - Mariángel Ruiz

National competitions

Debut

Withdraws

• - Bethsaida Smith did not compete at Miss Universe 2003.
• - Manuela Ósk Hardardóttir withdrew due to illness.
• - Kimberly Castro did not compete at Miss Universe 2003.

Returns

• Barbados which last competed in 1999.
• Belize which last competed in 2000.
• Argentina, Chinese Taipei and New Zealand which last competed in 2001.

Contestant notes

• Manuela Osk Hardarsdottir of Iceland withdrew from the pageant, when a dehydration caused by the weather prevented her from competing in the Preliminaries. However, she stayed in Panama until the pageant was over, joined by her boyfriend.
• In terms of regional representation, this was one of the most balanced top fives in recent years, with delegates from Africa (South Africa), the Asia-Pacific Region (Japan), Europe (Serbia & Montenegro), South America (Venezuela), and the Caribbean (Dominican Republic) all making the top five.
• India's Nikita Anand failed to place, breaking the 11 year Indian streak of placing in the Top 10 from 1992 to 2002 which produced 2 winners (1994-Sushmita Sen,2000-Lara Dutta), a 1st runner up (1995-Manpreet Brar), a 2nd runner up (1992-Madhu Sapre) and a 4th runner up (2001-Celina Jaitley).
• Angola and Serbia & Montenegro were called out to the semi-finals for the first time.
• Venezuela, South Africa, Canada, and Panama were the only countries in this edition's semi-finals who were also called out in last year's semi-finals.
• As for the other semi-finalists, Japan last placed in 1988, Namibia in 1992, Czech Republic in 1993, the Dominican Republic in 1995, Peru in 1996, both Brazil and Trinidad & Tobago in 1998, and both the USA and Greece in 2001.
• Alexsandra Vodjanikova of Germany went on to win Top Model of the World 2007 in Egypt. She changed her last name and she won with the name of Alessandra Alores.
• Due to China's obstruction to the Miss Universe pageant in 2003, Taiwan was forced to changed her sash label to Chinese Taipei. However, the organizer allowed Szu-Yu Chen to use Taiwan sash out of stage, but Chinese Taipei sash on stage.

References

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External links

• Miss Universe official website