MINISTER of Culture, Gender, Entertainment, and Sport Olivia “Babsy” Grange encouraged all 13 parish queens of the 2021 Miss Jamaica Festival Queen Competition to put their best foot forward when stepping on the world stage at the competition’s virtual grand coronation show on Emancipation Day, August 1.

Grange, who is the official patron of the competition, addressed the queens during a special Breakfast Courtesy Call at the Pegasus Hotel in Kingston on Thursday.

“I know that I have some of our nation’s most outstanding and promising young women sitting here before me this morning. This competition focuses on the complete development of the Jamaican woman, her intellectual and advocacy development, and the development of her mental and emotional strength as a cultural and youth ambassador,” said Grange.

“I know the work, the training, and the sleepless nights preparing for your interviews that you would have endured to get to this stage of the competition, but the journey is not over. Now that you are at the national level, I am urging you to continue to maintain your own high standards and do your absolute best when you step on the grand coronation stage on August 1. Continue to see yourselves as ambassadors of your parishes, carrying the hopes and aspirations of every single resident in your parish, especially young girls,” she continued.

The grand coronation will be held at the Little Theatre in Kingston beginning at 4:00 pm and will be aired live on TVJ and PBCJ as well as live-streamed on the Jamaica Cultural Development Commission’s website – www.jcdc.gov.jm, Facebook – Jamaica Cultural Development Commission, and YouTube – JCDC Jamaica1 pages.

The breakfast courtesy call with the competition’s patron was just one stop on the parish queens’ almost two-week long Kingston itinerary ahead of the grand coronation on Sunday, August 1.

“We have invited the world to ‘Come mek we Celebrate Online’, and you are at the forefront as we stream online across multiple platforms. This, of course, allows anyone, anywhere in the world to be able to tune in and watch this beautiful and patriotic highlight of our Independence celebrations,” said the minister.

“I am so very proud of all of you, and I know that the standards to which you are being held by this competition are reflective of your very own personal standards. I am, therefore, confident that each and every one of you will continue to excel far beyond the charming and articulate young women who are in front of me today. You are all winners in my eyes,” she concluded.

Since their arrival in the parish on Tuesday, July 20, the queens have made a courtesy call on the Governor General Sir Patrick Allen, and have also undergone special cultural ambassador training, courtesy of the Tourism Product Development Company (TPDCo), and training in maintaining a strong and positive social media presence as well as personal branding. They have also received training in speech and diction, talent and performance, protocol and social graces, walk and poise, and dining and etiquette.

The queens will continue their training this week and will also make additional courtesy calls on Prime Minister Andrew Holness and the Leader of the Opposition Mark Golding, as well as attend a special karaoke event to meet and mingle with the competition’s sponsors.

The Miss Jamaica Festival Queen Competition is a staple of the annual Independence and festival celebrations, and seeks to find the 13 most culturally aware, intelligent and poised young women from across the island each year, giving them a chance to be crowned as a national cultural ambassador, inclusive of a platform for their efforts towards nation- building.