TEN finalists will be vying for the title of Miss Jamaica World Middlesex at the Golf View Hotel in Manchester, tonight at 8:00 pm.

The motto of the annual pageant is ‘Beauty with a Purpose.’

“The competition is geared towards helping the contestants to be more aware while exposing them to the spirit of volunteerism,” said Nikki Murray, franchise holder.

Murray said the finalists, who are from parishes Manchester and St Elizabeth, recently hosted a treat at the paediatric ward of the Percy Junor Hospital in Spalding.

“They are giving back to the community,” she said.

Murray said most of the contestants are students and range between ages 18 to 23. “One is an English teacher,” she said.

The entrants are to be judged on categories including awareness, congeniality, figure, and personality.

The Miss Jamaica (World) Middlesex winner will automatically qualify for the Miss Jamaica World elimination to be held at the Montego Bay Convention Centre in St James on July 21.

The winner will also receive $60,000 in cash. The first runner-up will get $30,000 while the third prize is $15,000.

Started in 1992, the annual competition was formerly named Miss Jamaica World Western Beauty Pageant. Veteran reggae singer Freddie McGregor will provide the evening’s entertainment package.

— Brian Bonitto