The winner of the Miss World T&T pageant has to be able to act as an ambassador and represent T&T.
Co-ordinator of the Miss T&T World pageant Daniel Seebaran said the team was looking for someone who can "represent" and who possessed both inward and outward beauty. "When people in other countries hear that someone is from Trinidad, they expect warmth and friendliness, we are looking for someone who can represent that," he said. Speaking at the media launch of the competition on Tuesday at the Cascadia Hotel, St Ann's, Seebaran said the aim was to find the contestant with that requisite beauty on the inside and outside.
He described the competition as a tourism vehicle and said that the winner would essentially function as an ambassador of T&T and would need to work to promote and sell the country. A total of eight finalists will be taken through a rigorous series of training sessions, which include physical fitness, beauty sessions, personal development training and a number of photo shoots. Three finalists have already been selected from south Trinidad, an area that photographer Calvin French said had tremendous potential in terms of the girls' energy and charm. "North Trinidad isn't the only place to offer beauty," French said.
The South finalists-Nisa Mohammed from Santa Flora, Brittany Wiltshire from La Romaine and Nariba Edwards from Oropouche-were present at the launch. All three agreed the main reason they entered the competition was to take advantage of the numerous opportunities that would stem from the exposure.
At the launch was former Miss T&T World representative, Ashanna Arthur. She represented T&T in 2009 and described the competition as an intense and tiring ordeal. "People wouldn't expect getting glamorous and putting on dresses to be tiring," joked Arthur. She said the competition wasn't what people would expect.
She said that there were times when she trained until midnight and added that it took a great deal of commitment. Casting will be completed by this weekend and eight finalists will be selected to compete for the title of Miss World T&T and the opportunity to represent T&T internationally in the Miss World competition.
Casting will continue this weekend in Couva and Chaguanas on Saturday and Arima on Sunday.