MEDICAL student 22-year-old Arti Cameron, delegate one, beat five other delegates to become Miss Guyana World 2011, last Sunday at the National Cultural Centre. Cameron also scored three special prizes, “Miss Photogenic”, “Miss Body Beautiful” and finally “Best Gown”, for her evening gown designed by local designer Michelle Cole-Rose.
Delegate four, aspiring attorney-at-law, 20-year-old Utieka John, scored the third runner-up position; the second runner-up spot went to delegate number six,  aspiring social worker 22-year-old Celeste Dolphin; and delegate two, aspiring child psychologist, 21-year-old Soyini Fraser, placed as first runner-up.
The other two delegates were 21-year-old student of international relations at the University of Guyana, Ruquahyah Boyer; and Siestra Allen, who is going for a degree in Theatre Arts. Boyer won the “Best Talent” prize.
In the talent segment of the pageant, Cameron chose to express herself in dance, performing “Mixed moods and attitudes”. She emerged wearing a fedora with her outfit, a la early Alicia Keyes, which she wore to dance to “A woman’s worth”, she then went hatless to dance to Rihanna’s “Who’s that chick”, finally stripping down to Shakira’s signature belly bearing look for “Loca, Loca”.
Fraser dramatized Maya Angelou’s “Still I rise”, starting out her performance depicting a suppressed woman, and with the use of gradual costume change, finishing as a professionally outfitted woman on a raised platform.
Dolphin impressed many with her offering on the violin. Attractively clad in bustier top, dress shorts, black bow tie and matching heels, she played excerpts from three classical numbers before going into a medley of folk songs, encouraging the audience to sing along.
The audience lapped it up when John, outfitted in a shimmering curve-hugging silver gown, rendered “Flying without wings”, a song by Irish pop group, Westlife, which was famously covered by Ruben Studdard on American Idol.

In the evening gown segment, Cameron wore a stunning turquoise gown featuring countless scales which she said expressed her love for the sea.
Fraser wore a shimmering halter-necked yellow gown, described at the event as designed to ‘bring out the elegance of the girl”.
John wore purple; the highlights of the gown included a larger vertical bow and a train. Dolphin wore a bejeweled gown which revealed her back. Allen and Boyer impressed too with Allen wearing “Goddess of the Earth” a rich blue gown.
In the question and answer segment, co-host of the event, Attorney-at-Law Nigel Hughes, asked the final question to the evening’s finalists: “The theme of this pageant is empowering women: how can men help?
Cameron said men should play a supportive role in the lives of women and encourage fellow men to support women.
Fraser was crowned “Princess of the World”, to be hosted in the Czech Republic on October, while Dolphin was crowned “Miss Guyana Caribbean”, and will represent Guyana at the pageant in Tortola this year.
Miss World 2011, the 61st edition of the Miss World pageant, is scheduled to take place at Earls Court Exhibition Centre in London, on November 6, 2011, where Cameron will be representing Guyana. Alexandria Mills of the United States will crown her successor at the end of the event.