Irina Antonenko from the Urals city of Yekaterinburg...

Along with the title and the crown, Antonenko received a cash prize of $100,000 and an opportunity to represent Russia at the forthcoming Miss World pageant.

Below are facts about the pageant"s history and traditions:

* Miss Russia is a nationwide beauty pageant, vested with exclusive rights to select Russian participants for the Miss Universe and Miss World pageants.

* The first Miss Russia, Kira Sklyarova, was crowned in 1927 in Paris. The participants were chosen only among 200,000 Russians, who immigrated to France after the 1917 October Revolution and the subsequent Civil War.

* In 1929, when the Russian-language magazine Illustrated Russia became the main organizer of the pageant, girls of Russian origin living in all European states were invited to take part. They, however, had to be unmarried, aged from 19 to 25 and have an unstained reputation.

* A pre-competition interview with the jury was obligatory for participation. A contestant had

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