EIGHTEEN-YEAR-OLD Michelle Joseph was crowned Miss Rupununi from a field of seven at the recently-concluded Rupununi Expo held two Saturdays ago at the ‘Triple R’ Rupununi Rodeo Site.

She was sponsored by Andrew Brown of Sky TV, and has won for herself G$70,000 and a cellular phone, complements of the Guyana Telephone and Telegraph Company Limited (GT&T).

Minister of Labour, Mr Manzoor Nadir, places the crown on the head of Michelle Joseph. Looking on are the two runners-up.

The phone company also presented cash prizes and cell-phones to the first and second runners- up, namely Gabriela Rodrigues, 16, who received $45,000, and Sandy Smith, also 16, who walked away with $35,000.

The pageant was attended by hundreds of Rupununi residents, along with scores of visitors from coastal Guyana and neighbouring Brazil.

Now in its eight consecutive year, the event has over the years paved the way for young women from the Rupununi to participate in pageants at the national level, and has thus far seen three former queens from the district come very close to taking the coveted title.

Those young women are Shevon Thomas, who was judged first runner-up one year; Denese Rodrigues, who is now deceased; and Fayon Nicholson.