Mrs Universe competition on May 18

THE grand finale of the Mrs Universe TT competition is scheduled to take place on May 18 at the Centre of Excellence.

This year’s competition has added another category, the Miss segment. The two-in-one competition will see a total of 14 women compete for five international titles at the 48th instalment of the pageant to be held in the Philippines later this year.

These include, Mrs Universe TT 2025, Mrs Woman of the Universe TT 2025, Mrs Grand International TT 2025, Miss Woman of the Universe TT 2025, Miss Cultural World TT 2025.

Calypsonian Meguella Simon, who is representing San Fernando, is among six married women and mothers in the Mrs segment, alongside, Adina Pollard-Simon representing Morvant, Ancilla Kirby-Scott (Laventille), Candace Picton-Friday (Sangre Grande), La Donna Maria Rouse (Claxton Bay) and, Natalya Langton-Navas (Chaguanas).

Alveada Meah the pageant’s national director said the Mrs Universe international competition has several other pageants, and because the TT leg is a replica, she decided to incorporate the Miss segment to the Mrs competition.

There are eight delegates in this leg: Aliana Seepersad (Princes Town), Jameela Mc Carthy (Maloney Gardens), Jamila Hope (Moruga), Jeanne-Marie Thompson (Arouca), Pryia Ali (Soledad Claxton Bay), Reneise Jogee-Ali (San Juan), Reyanna Torres (Freeport) and Ruby Mohammed (Cunupia).

The Miss winners will represent TT in the Miss Woman of the Universe and Miss World Cultural International pageants.

In the 2024 competition, four queens were crowned. Melissa John-Ramsubagh, Mrs Universe TT; first runner-up Dianne Mollino, Mrs Woman of the Universe TT; second-place winner Rehyan Francois, Mrs Grand International TT; and third-place winner Sarah Inderlal, Mrs Glamorous.

Except for Francois, the three winners went onto represent TT at the international pageants by the same names. Inderlal copped the Mrs Glamour International Pageant which was held in Bali. While John-Ramsubag did not place, she won a special award for Mrs Beautiful Woman at the competition held in South Korea, last October.

Mollino was the fourth runner up in her competition held in Turkey, also in October, and won the Best Body special prize. The three women also won the prize for Best National Costume in their respective competitions.

Meah, who was crowned Mrs Universe 2023 and is now the franchise holder for all these competitions, told Newsday her objective is to further expand the platform to provide women of all ages with the opportunity to shine on the world stage.

All her queens will be going for gold in the prestigious international pageants in 2025.

Organisers of the event, she said, are interested in having TT play host to the 2027 Mrs Universe International Pageant.

Based on her performance and how she handles the competitions will be a deciding factor.

“The pageant organisers are looking for a tropical island to host the 2027 competition and I want to convince them that TT is most suitable for a competition of this nature.”

She explained this contest usually attracts delegates from 100 different countries so it would bring exposure to TT’s tourism thrust.

Feeding off the energy and passion from the contestants who would have competed in several competitions to make it to the finals, she said she thrilled to present this incredible group of women on a global stage.

The delegates would have competed in a karaoke and salsa night, which saw La Donna Maria Rouse, representing Claxton Bay, giving an electrifying performance of Proud Mary, perfecting the Tina Turner moves, to be declared the winner in the Mrs category.

In the Miss category, Jameela Mc Carthy walked away with the top prize with a winning performance of Benjai’s Ah Trini.

While glitz and glamour play a key role in the competitions, there is a social component in which the delegates must mount presentations on relevant, humanitarian topics.

On a platform called the Forum, the Mrs Universe contestants, would have presented on domestic violence, while the Miss Universe contestants focused their spotlight on animal cruelty.

Mrs delegate Meguella Simon was the top presenter, while Miss delegate Reneise Jogee-Ali won in her category.

Meah explained that everything she does locally is a replica of the international pageants.

“Locally, the competition is held over a period of months, but at the international level, everything, including the salsa and karaoke and presentations, happens over five days.”

In her experience thus far, she said whoever wins at the Forum automatically find themselves in the top three at the grand finale.

“This year promises to be one of our best yet, and we cannot wait to see how the ladies will continue to shine.”

She promised the finale will be filled with glamour, glitter and fashion as the delegates emerge in their stunning outfits.

Meah is no stranger to pageants, having been exposed to this stage since she was 12 and having won numerous titles on her journey.

She was crowned the 2003 Miss Teen TT, was a finalist in the 2002 Miss India Trinidad and Tobago competition and also represented TT at the Miss Teen Caribbean in Barbados, where she was the third runner up.

Her success continued internationally when she was crowned Mrs Universe Leadership 2023 at the prestigious 46th Mrs Universe Pageant in the Philippines.

This achievement marked the beginning of her leadership journey as the national director of Mrs Universe TT and her vital role in mentoring and empowering women to rise with purpose and poise.

In addition to being a beauty ambassador, empowerment advocate, wife and mother of two, Meah is a professional with over 15 years’ experience in the banking sector.

Meah is also the national director of the Miss Multi-Cultural World, a platform that celebrates the beauty of diversity and inclusion, and national director of Mrs Universe South East Florida and, Miss/Mrs Woman of the Universe South East Florida.

In January 2024, she showcased her versatility on an international scale by walking the runway at New York Fashion Week for a renowned London fashion designer, solidifying her presence not just in leadership, but also in the world of high fashion.