–one with an academic slant

IMPERIAL House, led by Director Wasim Khan, is returning to pageantry with a new flagship event, “The Miss Guyana Teen Scholarship”, and is currently accepting applications from eligible teens between 13 and 19 years old.

The pageant is slated for September 7 at the National Culture Centre, and will see the winner walking away with an award that will cover tuition, possibly text books and other essentials, and examination fees towards her academic pursuits.

Imperial had previously leased the Miss Talent Teen Guyana franchise from Simpli Royal, and last held a pageant in 2016, when it was won by Aliya Wong. Simpli Royal returned to the helm of the pageant in 2017, which was the last time the pageant was held.

Khan explained, however, that this new pageant is not affiliated with or to be mistaken for the Miss Talented Teen Pageant.

“This is a completely new franchise; our flagship event. It’s a social programme for the advancement of education for young women in Guyana. The scholarship will be awarded to the winning delegate,” Khan said, adding:

“We felt that an investment in our queen’s education would be more lasting, and give her an opportunity to truly develop and meet her full potential. What you gain from this crown will forever be with you, and can never be lost, taken away or faded with time. An education, however, is the passport to the future; for tomorrow belongs to those who prepare for it today, and we want to do just that by investing in our youths.”

For this pageant, the delegates will compete in a personality interview, and talent and evening wear categories, as well as being involved in community projects and outreaches as part of the preliminaries. They will also undergo a lot of other preliminary training, with the intention of imparting life skills on the young ladies.

“In addition to the weekly rehearsals, pageant participants will have weekly education sessions through which they will learn skills that will help them during their pageant and in later stages of their life. These sessions include: CV/Essay Writing, money management and budgeting, conflict resolution, makeup and skincare, public speaking, time management, self-esteem and body Image, and women’s health in general,” Khan said.

Imperial House is a registered organisation working towards creating and implementing social programmes for the advancement of Guyanese youth through pageants and the theatrical arts. Its mandate is to support social investments through youth empowerment, community service, entrepreneurship and the advancement of education.

Application forms for the pageant are currently available for downloading on The Imperial House’s Facebook page, or they can be purchased at the Medical Choice Pharmacy on Camp Street for $1000.

All interested teens are asked to submit their applications on or before June 22, 2019 at the aforementioned location.