JOYLYN Anita Conway was on Sunday crowned Miss World Guyana 2019 after being selected by a panel of nine judges during the selecting process.
She was crowned by Miss World Guyana 2018, Ambika Ramraj, at a small but elegant event held at the Pegasus International Hotel, and will represent Guyana at the Miss World competition in Thailand later this year.

Majesty International, the official licence holder of the Miss World franchise, had previously announced the postponement of the 2019 Miss World Guyana competition.
“The organisation is now accelerating a global restructuring programme to build on the progress the Miss World brand has made in executing social programmes to best serve the Guyanese community on a long-term basis. The restructuring will also give the organisation opportunities to foster personal and professional growth among young people, and create marketing opportunities to bring differentiated value and innovation to related industries,” the franchise holder had stated in their release at the time of the announcement.
As such, National Director, Natasha Martindale took the initiative to shift the timeline for the 2019 competition to 2020, whilst addressing some key recurring issues directly impacting the quality of journeys every year.

“To ensure our candidates are given a better chance at competing at the national and international level,” she said, “we will be giving them more time to prepare by introducing a preparatory period whereby candidates would gain the confidence that is required to become the face of Guyana. A longer preparation period would build more visibility, add value, boost confidence, build character and the resilience for each journey to be more meaningful.”

However, it was not accepted by the Miss World Organisation to not have Guyana represented this year. As such, Majesty International took the decision to choose a representative themselves, one they felt was best suited to the task.

With Conway having walked the journey last year, and been adjudged Second Princess, she has a fair understanding of the criteria. Also, the Miss World Pageant requires its queens to be social agents of change, and champions of cause. Conway is one of the few past candidates who is still active with her project.

The new queen is a proud Berbician, and a Natural Science enthusiast, having majored in Chemistry and minored in Biology at the University of Guyana.
She’s currently a Lecturer and Lab Instructor at the University of Guyana and the New Amsterdam Technical Institute.

A a strong believer in her faith, and a communicant Methodist, her mantra, “aspire to inspire before you expire” encompasses many of her hobbies, namely teaching, dancing, volunteering, coaching young women and children on personal development and also enjoy travelling, trying new foods and putting smiles on frowning faces.

Conway lives by the adage, “It costs nothing to light another candle”, hence her mission is to inspire girls in STEM to embrace their dreams with confidence via her ‘Beauty with a purpose’ project, “Stem Girls Glow”.