Sixteen of 41 candidates who signed up for the Miss Guyana Teen Scholarship Pageant (MGTSP) have been shortlisted to participate in the first stage of the competition which is a new online initiative in the form of a digital University. The initiative was designed to re-work the pageant’s scholarship programme into a digital platform owing to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The pageant which was founded by the Imperial House organisation saw a week-long selection process which involved screening applications from five administrative regions with a representation of 24 schools and institutions including the Guyana School of Agriculture, the Bertram Collins School of the Public Service, and the University of Guyana.

The intense selection process will see 16 brilliant and talented teen girls- some of whom are national athletes, dancers, artists, writers, runway models, singers and musicians, community leaders, poets, educators, spiritualists, aspiring doctors, entrepreneurs, humanitarians, businesswomen, philanthropists, chefs, and engineers- vying for the crown as well as a paid scholarship.

The classes commenced on Monday and saw candidates participating in several webinars featuring Self-awareness and Value, Professionalism and Etiquette, and Human Rights and Social Development. Candidates will be able to interact and engage in these sessions via Google suite services such as Google Drive and Google Classroom, as well as WhatsApp, Facebook and Zoom.

Each session will be accessed through online interviews, oral reports, assignments, or essays. The candidate to obtain the highest grade will be awarded $75,000 of which 20 percent of the said monetary prize will go to a charity or special programme of the winning candidate’s choice; preferably one that supports the health response to the COVID-19 pandemic, food and essential supplies for vulnerable groups, or education support for children.

The awardee will also be tasked with spearheading her own activity owing to the current health crisis.
The candidates who perform exceptionally well in the online programme will automatically secure a spot in the quarter-finals for the Miss Guyana Teen Scholarship 2021 Pageant where they will have the opportunity to vie for the Miss Guyana Teen Scholar Crown, along with a $400,000 scholarship award.

Last year of September, Devya Singh won the first Miss Guyana Teen Scholarship title. This year to mark the end of her reign, Devya along with runners-up Naheeryah Newland and Christel Mangra will collectively coordinate activities, humanitarian work, and public engagements when Guyana and the world can return to normal.
This year, the MGTSP was expected to commence in June and end with the coronation on September 12.

However, due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in Guyana and the rest of the world at large, the organisation was forced to cancel its live pageant.
In 2019, the Imperial House returned to pageantry with a new venture, which is now the Miss teen Guyana Scholarship pageant.
The Imperial House is a registered organisation working towards creating and implementing social programmes for the advancement of youths, especially young women through pageantry and theatrical arts.

The organisation’s mandate is to support social investments through youth empowerment, community service, entrepreneurship and education.