THE nine young women vying for the 2019 Miss Earth Guyana pageant were officially revealed last Saturday at the Sashing Ceremony held at the Theatre Guild, at an event that saw performances by AW Lyrical, Mr. Guyana African Roots, Eon Peters, and former Miss Talented Teen Guyana, Tiffani Bonner.

The nine young ladies represented those who made the cut from the 42 applicants that initially applied to be a part of the event, and include two-time beauty queen Faydeha King, and former Miss Berbice First runner up, Cintiana Harry.

The feature address at the sashing was delivered by Director of Tourism, Donald Sinclair, while also in attendance was a representative from the Mayor and City Council, and franchise holder of the Miss World Guyana Pageant, Natasha Martindale.

The Miss Earth Guyana pageant is officially set to take place on June 16 at the National Cultural Centre where the girls will be competing for the crown, bragging rights and approximately $1.2M in cash and prizes.

The Miss Earth Guyana Organization (MEGO) is owned by Guyana Premier, which is partnering with the Departments of Culture and Tourism and other sponsors, including Demerara Bakery Inc, Nand Persaud and Company Limited, and Precise Printing to ensure the pageant goes off flawlessly.

Last year, Guyana was represented at the international Miss Earth Pageant by Xameira Kippins who won the gold and silver medals in her category for her national costume and talent respectively.

The date and location has not yet been announced for this year’s hosting of the international pageant, however, over 100 countries have already confirmed they will be participating.

King, who was Miss Bartica Regatta 2013, and the 2018 Miss Black San Guyana queen, decided to try her hand at the Miss Earth Guyana pageant this year because of her love for her planet.

“I had chosen this pageant because of my determined spirit, my pageant experiences, and the way I’ve represent myself, my community and my country. I want to be Miss Earth Guyana 2019 because I believe that Mother Earth has so much to offer. It just takes someone who has the guts to make a move and lead our generation, to show how taking care and appreciating our environment can be beautiful,” the 26-year-old Berbician said.

This year, the pageant has quite a few delegates from the Ancient County, and one delegate from Essequibo.  At 18, Phelicia Adams, who hails from the Cinderella County, is the youngest entrant. She’s in it to lead by example, by being the change she wants to see for her country.

“I believe in being the change. It would be an honour to recreate Guyana in a new picture, as well as to showcase to the world all the wonders that Guyana has to offer. I believe it’s my duty as a woman to love and care for the earth,” she said.

In the lead up to coronation night and final win in June, the delegates will be undergoing choreography, and model image training with JADA Consultancy, headed by former Miss Universe Guyana,Melissa Payne; and communication and public speaking training will be provided by Action Coach Guyana.

The girls will also partake in national beach clean-up activities at the Georgetown Seawall and the Number 63 Beach in Berbice, as well as a few ‘green’ fundraising activities.