Among the finalists are a police officer, university students, a professional model, and a guidance counsellor. Of note, the top three winners will all be representing Jamaica in overseas pageants. “The first-place winner will, of course, be going to Miss World, while the first runner-up will be crowned Miss Earth and represent us at the Miss Earth international pageant. The second runner-up, Miss International, will also represent us in the Miss International pageant,” said franchisee Dahlia Harris.

This year’s edition features a multimedia challenge and Universal Service Fund (USF) as signed on in partnership. “This is our first year with the Miss Jamaica World pageant. The multimedia challenge this year is digital literacy and digital transformation, and this aligns perfectly with the Universal Service Fund’s mandate of bringing digital connectivity right across Jamaica. We have over 400 community Wi-Fi sites which services over 200,000 Jamaicans per month. It was really a natural marriage, and also the USF is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year, and it really is the embodiment of what the USF stands for in terms of improving digital literacy and bringing digital transformation to Jamaica in all aspects,” said CEO Charlton McFarlane.

This year the pageant has secured a partnership with the Ministry of Health and Wellness as the title sponsor. According to Dr Tamu Davidson, director of the NCDs and Injury Prevention Unit in the ministry, the pageant aligns with the message on breast cancer awareness. “This is what you call beauty with a purpose, and these are our future leaders. When we looked at breast cancer awareness and coming together, and the fact that they can bring this message to their communities as spokespersons and advocates, it was really a no-brainer for us to partner with the pageant. Breast cancer is the leading cause of cancer related deaths among women, not only in Jamaica but globally. We felt that a pageant with a purpose was really an excellent platform to amplify the message…” Davidson told the Jamaica Observer shortly after the launch. On Saturday, October 11, Asia Wright won the Miss Jamaica World Fitness Challenge at Emancipation Park in New Kingston. (Jamaica Observer)