The local franchise holder for the Miss World pageant is encouraging potential contestants to ready themselves for this year’s competition. This comes against the backdrop of the recent announcement by the Miss World organisation of December 16 as the date for this year’s contest, which will be held at the Coca Cola Music Hall in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

Actress and broadcaster Dahlia Harris along with long-standing entertainment personality Weston Haughton are the local franchise holders and they note that they have been given the go-ahead. It is therefore time for local aspirants to start getting ready to defend the title which is currently held by Jamaica’s Toni-Ann Singh.

“We are so excited about the Miss World contest being held this year. I feel that with the vaccine now being available to countries across the world, not only is it an opportunity for economies to continue to bounce back, but it is an opportunity for us to reach out to those who are most in need and vulnerable. That is what Miss World is all about and the Beauty With A Purpose legacy. So more than any other year Miss World is going to be extremely important to how we reach out to each other globally and help each other to rebound from COVID-19. Jamaica definitely wants to be a part of that, especially due to the fact that we have been the Miss World title holder for the past two years. Toni-Ann has been an exemplary ambassador. Even though she has not been able to travel all over the world , she has still been reaching out and making her own contribution,” said Harris.

She noted that the date falls in line with their schedule as Miss Jamaica World is traditionally crowned in late August or early September, therefore this December date is perfect and her team is excited about that.

For Harris, having adequate time to pull the contest together is not a factor as she will be calling on corporate support. For her the challenge lies in how prepared the contestants will be for the pageant.

“The contest is as good as the young ladies who enter. That really is the bottom line. So my word to all the young ladies who were thinking about it, if you haven’t started preparing, get ready now. Get your Beauty With A Purpose projects together, get everything that you feel is required for you to become the next Miss World, because we are going for a back-to-back win.”

“Having won Miss World we had a lot of persons in corporate Jamaica who publicly reached out and publicly made commitments to support the Miss Jamaica World organisation, so now we are going to call on them and we look forward to their support… we have enough time,” Harris continued.

Toni-Ann Sigh became the fourth Jamaican to take the coveted global beauty title following Carole Joan Crawford in 1963, Cindy Breakspeare in 1976 and Lisa Hanna in 1993. Singh won the title on December 14, 2019 at ExCeL Auditorium in London. During the top 5 question and answer round, she was asked by broadcaster Piers Morgan: “Why should you win the title of Miss World 2019?” She responded by saying: “I think I represent something special…a generation of women who are pushing forward to change the world. I don’t consider myself better than any other girls on the stage, but I will say that my passion for women and making sure that they have had the same opportunities that I have had is something that sets me apart.”

Sing has the distinction of being the longest reigning title holder in the 70-year history of the pageant. Like so many entertainment events, the 2020 edition of the competition had to be cancelled due to the global health crisis caused by the spread of the novel strain of the coronavirus.