Miss World 1956 was the sixth edition of the Miss World pageant, held on 15 October 1956 at the Lyceum Ballroom in London, United Kingdom. 24 contestants competed for title of Miss World. The winner was Petra Schürmann, who represented Germany. She was crowned by Miss World 1955, Susana Duijm of Venezuela. The announcement of the winner was marked by a moment of confusion. The United States representative, Miss USA 1956 first runner-up Betty Lane Cherry, was given the winner's sash to wear just before the ceremony, and briefly it was reported that she was the winner. She ultimately was named as the first runner-up, commenting to the press that "two seconds don't make one first".

Results

Contestants

Debuts

Returns

Last competed in 1954:

Withdrawals