17 vie for Miss World TT title

The 17 finalists for the Miss World Trinidad and Tobago competition, who were revealed at The Brix Autograph Collection by the screening committee on September 4, will enter the next phase training for the grand finale of the event.

The 17 candidates who were announced at an event titled The Reveal are Miss Arima – Jemima Pierre; Miss Arouca – Tinesha Williams; Miss Carenage – Lystia Mulzac; Miss Chaguanas – Gabbi Pope; Miss Claxton Bay – Janelle Pirmal; Miss Cunupia – Dania Duntin; Miss Diamond Vale – Emma-Leigh Aqui; Miss Diego Martin – Ornella Mendoza; Miss Glencoe – Gabriella Jagmohan; Miss La Horquetta – Nattola Williams; Miss Marabella – Felicia Ramoutar; Miss Maracas Valley – Aché Abrahams; Miss Morvant – Brenique Richards; Miss Palo Seco – Tianna Corrie; Miss Plymouth – Karielle Ramsden; Miss Princes Town – Anjali Ramkissoon and Miss San Juan – Savannah Sandy.

TT's representative to the Miss World International will be chosen on November 6 at the National Academy for the Performing Arts (NAPA), Port of Spain.

Prizes include $100,000 cash from West Bees Supermarket, a scholarship from the School of Accounting and Management (SAM Caribbean Ltd), frontline costumes from Tribe, executive chauffeur services from Kalloos, and a full wardrobe from local fashion designers.

New franchise holder and national pageant director of the Miss World TT, Charu Lochan Dass, who heads of the screening committee, is hoping to raise the standard of pageantry and give candidates the best opportunity to follow in the footsteps of former international beauty queens winners ­– Giselle Laronde West, Wendy Fitzwilliam and Janelle Penny Commissiong, the release said.

Speaking at the announcement of the candidates Lochan Dass said,

“The judges, all of whom are represented here tonight, had a really difficult task in choosing the top 15 finalists, and after a lot of deliberations, we settled on the top 17 girls who you will see here tonight. We are proud of our selection, and it is a reminder for us all that we are doing this for love of country, national service and our humanitarian project – Beauty with a Purpose.”

Caribbean stylist and production designer Richard Young who formed part of the screening committee admitted choosing 15 girls was a monumental task, “When we came here over a week ago, there were over 50 young women bubbling over with enthusiasm and energy. I was fascinated by the calibre of the girls, especially those candidates with their own passion projects which align with the Beauty with a Purpose platform. Indeed, it was very difficult to select 15 candidates, so we selected 17 girls. We are looking forward to crafting an enthralling show showcasing the beauty of TT," Young said in the release.

"We represent the most diverse set of people in the world. We are going to have women of varying height, sizes and ethnicity representing Scarborough, Maracas, San Fernando, Cocorite, Chaguanas to Port of Spain. It was a nationwide search, and I was proud to be part of a panel of ten judges who stayed back long after to ensure we identified the top 15, which spilled over to 17 candidates. We are truly a melting pot of beauty,” Young said.

The screening panel also comprised Karrian Hepburn Malcolm, Phaedra Adele, Ashwin Bally, Valmiki Maharaj, Rana Ibrahim, Sham Mohammed, Natalie Fonrose and Laronde West.

Carla Cupid, chief executive officer of Tourism Trinidad Limited (TTL) said partnering with the Miss World TT pageant was a natural fit, as her company’s mission is to showcase TT to the rest of the world.

“We often look for ambassadors to market TT by sharing our culture, creativity, beauty and talent and this is mutually beneficial because we are tapping into these ladies who will share what they experience in TT and share our destination. We will also be providing content when the international show is happening, and this will expose the world to what we have to offer as a destination,” Cupid said in the release.

The pageant's exclusive sponsors include, The Brix Autograph Collection which provided the venue; SM Group, providers of the stage setup, multimedia and lighting; Banners by Motor City; Kooties Garments which dressed the 17 finalists; hair services by Salon Essentials; make-up by Sacha Cosmetics; and transport services from Kalloo’s Auto Rentals.