The 20th annual Miss Global International pageant came to a boisterous close celebrating the crowning of Guyana’s Arian Dahlia Richmond.
The finale, held Sunday night at the Hotel Indigo Grand Cayman ballroom, embraced the theme ‘Uniting the World through Beauty and Tourism’. In addition to Guyana and Cayman, the finalists were from Argentina, Poland, Latvia, Cuba, Chile, Jamaica, Hungary, India, Peru, Luxembourg, South Africa, San Andres, Poland, Trinidad and Tobago, the US and the UK.
The diverse group of contestants, who were aged between 17 and 40 and included single, married and divorced women as well as mothers, competed in several segments including swimsuit and evening, talent and national costume.
The audience was treated to highlights of a talent showcase held on 10 Oct., with the top three performances featured at the finals. The national costume segment highlighted cultural significance and national pride from the various countries.
Local artists Rico Rolando, Oprehay and Vassco Got The Recipe performed on the night.
Judges first announced the top 10 finalists and ultimately selected five to advance to a question-and-answer segment, before crowning Richmond. The model, a marketing specialist and entrepreneur, hails from Bartica in the Cuyuni Mazaruni region of Guyana. She is pursuing a degree in tourism and hospitality management.
Selena Grant of Turks and Caicos claimed the first runner-up position as well as being named Miss Photogenic. Cayman’s Caitlyn Tyson took second runner-up honours.
Along with the crown and a cash prize of $7,000, Richmond walked away with seven of the pageant’s segment awards – Best in Gown, Best Smile, Miss Congeniality, Miss Talent, Best in Interview, Miss Community Minded and Miss People’s Choice – prompting cheers and applause from the audience.
Ahead of the coronation night, the international contestants displayed an array of talent at a showcase on 10 Oct. as well as participated in a meet-and-greet with media along with the organisation’s partners and sponsors.
‘More than a crown’
An elated Richmond told the Cayman Compass, “It’s more than a crown, it’s about a vehicle for societal change.”
She added, “This is for my country, Guyana. This is not just me. I am representing an entire nation of people who love pageantry, who understand that we are ambassadors for our country, it’s the way we connected with people; as we would say in Guyana, ‘mi skin growing right now’, because I’m getting chills throughout my body, and I think that this crown belongs to my country … it also extends to all of the countries that make up this amazing, amazing pageant.”
Catherine Tyson-Sewell, who is the pageant’s national director and franchise holder, told the Compass she was “thrilled” that Cayman was chosen as the host country for this year’s pageant. “This is a historical and momentous occasion not only for the pageant but also for our community, as we embrace the opportunity to unite nations in celebration of diversity, talent and grace.”
She added, “This is epic, and the Hotel Indigo did not disappoint. I look forward to this being the beginning of an annual affair that invites so many amazing women and their families and supporters to our beautiful country.”
Pageant owner and president Lachman Ramchandani, who organised the event, told the Compass that based on the production values of first-time host Cayman, he may look to have the pageant return to the territory.
“With the support I am going to be getting from the minister of tourism here, which he has endorsed, and the support that I will be getting from the sponsors that I have spoken to since I have been here, they will all come on board next year,” he said.
As for the newly crowned Richmond, she plans on expanding her efforts to empower young people. “For the past six years, my mother and I have been doing youth development work through an NGO titled, Youth Development Guyana. We focus on holistic education, and we have targeted four regions out of 10 in Guyana,” she said.
“When we complete those 10 regions, I plan on delving into the rest of the Caribbean because we focus not only on art therapy and STEM, but we focus on self-esteem building, public speaking and these are skills that children don’t hone in on usually and that’s why we focus on that.
“Imagine our children going through their lives feeling as if they are stupid; that is not what we want. This crown means that I have power to do more than I’ve already been doing,” she added.
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