Iona Pinto

2026-09-14T05:57:35Z

2001:67C:2628:647:36:2300:0:A8: Expanded article with additional sourced details.

{{Short description|Indian model and beauty pageant titleholder}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2018}}
{{Use Indian English|date=September 2018}}
{{Infobox pageant titleholder
| name = Iona Pinto
| birth_date = {{birth date|df=yes|1936|6|17}}
| birth_place = [[New Delhi]], [[British India]]
| death_date = {{death date|df=yes|2012|6|21}}
| death_place = [[Angeles City]], [[Philippines]]
| occupation = [[Model (person)|Model]] and beauty pageant titleholder
| title = Eve's Weekly Miss India 1960
| competitions = {{Plainlist|
* Eve's Weekly Miss India 1960
* [[Miss International 1960]] (1st runner-up)
* [[Miss World 1960]] (Top 18)
}}
}}

'''Iona Pinto''' (17 June 1936 – 21 June 2012), also known as '''Iona Pinto-Vaz''', was an Indian model and beauty pageant titleholder. She won the 1960 ''Eve's Weekly Miss India'' competition and represented India at [[Miss International 1960]] and [[Miss World 1960]]. She finished as the first runner-up at Miss International 1960.<ref name="GPC">{{cite web|title=An ode to Eve's Weekly Miss India, the first beauty pageant of India|url=https://thegreatpageantcommunity.com/2017/01/02/an-ode-to-eves-weekly-miss-india-the-first-beauty-pageant-of-india/|website=The Great Pageant Company|date=2 January 2017|access-date=14 September 2026}}</ref><ref name="MI1960">{{cite web|title=Miss International 1960|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111227161840/http://www.pageantopolis.com/international/Int_1960.htm|website=Pageantopolis|archive-date=27 December 2011|access-date=14 September 2026}}</ref>

==Career==

Pinto won the 1960 ''Eve's Weekly Miss India'' competition. The pageant was organised by ''[[Eve's Weekly]]'', an Indian magazine that had established its beauty contest in 1959. Fleur Ezekiel won the inaugural edition in 1959 and represented India at [[Miss World 1959]].<ref name="GPC"/>

In 1960, Pinto became the second winner of the ''Eve's Weekly Miss India'' competition and represented India at both [[Miss International 1960]] and [[Miss World 1960]].<ref name="GPC"/>

The first [[Miss International]] pageant was held on 12 August 1960 at the Long Beach Municipal Auditorium in [[Long Beach, California]]. The competition had 52 entries. [[Stella Márquez]] of Colombia won the title, followed by Pinto of India in second place, Sigridur Geirsdóttir of Iceland in third, Joyce Kay of England in fourth and Charlene Lundberg of the United States in fifth.<ref name="MI1960"/>

At Miss International 1960, Pinto was one of the 15 semifinalists and advanced to the final five. She finished as the first runner-up to Colombia's Maria Stella Márquez Zawadzky, who won by half a point. Pinto received US$4,000 as the first runner-up.<ref name="MI1960Detail">{{cite web|title=Miss International 1960 - Part Two|url=https://www.oocities.org/televisioncity/9699/inter60b.html|website=Miss International Seminar Series|access-date=14 September 2026}}</ref>

Pinto represented India at [[Miss World 1960]], held on 8 November 1960 at the Lyceum Ballroom in London. The competition had 39 participants and was won by Norma Gladys Cappagli of Argentina. Pinto advanced to the Top 18.<ref name="MWOfficial">{{cite web|title=10th Miss World - 1960|url=https://www.missworld.com/contestants/1960|website=Miss World|access-date=14 September 2026}}</ref><ref name="MW1960">{{cite web|title=Miss World 1960|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140514215212/http://www.pageantopolis.com/international/world_1960.htm|website=Pageantopolis|archive-date=14 May 2014|access-date=14 September 2026}}</ref>

Pinto subsequently worked as a model and was associated with the Indian beauty-pageant industry.<ref name="MidDay">{{cite news|last=Sanghavi|first=Malavika|title=A star is gone|work=Mid-Day|date=25 June 2012|url=https://www.mid-day.com/news/india-news/article/a-star-is-gone-169543|access-date=14 September 2026}}</ref>

==Personal life and death==

Pinto was married to Allan Vaz and had three children.<ref name="TOI">{{cite web|title=IONA PINTO-VAZ|url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/iona-pinto-vaz/articleshow/15033803.cms|website=The Times of India|date=18 July 2012|access-date=14 September 2026}}</ref> She died on 21 June 2012 in [[Angeles City]], [[Philippines]], after a battle with cancer.<ref name="MidDay"/> A Month's Mind Mass was scheduled at [[Holy Name Cathedral, Mumbai|Holy Name Cathedral]] in Colaba, Mumbai, on 21 July 2012.<ref name="TOI"/>

==Pageant results==

{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders"
|+ Pageant results
|-
! scope="col" | Year
! scope="col" | Competition
! scope="col" | Representing
! scope="col" | Result
|-
! scope="row" | 1960
| Eve's Weekly Miss India
| India
| Winner
|-
! scope="row" | 1960
| [[Miss International 1960]]
| India
| 1st runner-up
|-
! scope="row" | 1960
| [[Miss World 1960]]
| India
| Top 18
|}

==References==

{{Reflist}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pinto, Iona}}
[[Category:1936 births]]
[[Category:2012 deaths]]
[[Category:Indian beauty pageant winners]]
[[Category:Indian female models]]
[[Category:Miss International 1960 delegates]]
[[Category:Miss World 1960 delegates]]
[[Category:People from New Delhi]]

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Iona Pinto