| The
Miss Jamaica Festival Queen Contest began in 1963 as the Miss Jamaica
Beauty Contest, but the need for a greater emphasis on cultural
awareness prompted a shift in focus by 1975. The contest has itself
grown over the years to become the premier forum for intelligent,
culturally aware and poised young ladies seeking a platform for their
contribution to nation building.
The contestant's desire to assist in
the development of their communities plays an important role in the
selection of the Miss Jamaica Festival Queen, who is chosen to be not
only a cultural ambassador for her nation, but also an outstanding
role model for other young women across the island. As such, although
the queen's physical appearance will play a role in her selection, the
emphasis will be on her awareness of cultural and current affairs,
community involvement, personality and talent.
The contestants in the Miss Jamaica
Festival Queen Contest are the Parish Festival Queens, who are between
the ages of 18 and 25 years and have been crowned in the thirteen
parish contests held annually across the island. These contestants,
all queens in their own right, vie for the National Title.
Goal
The goal is to enable the selection of
a Miss Jamaica Festival Queen who will be qualified to act as cultural
ambassador for Jamaica, locally and internationally, and who would be
an outstanding role model for other young women by virtue of her
tangible contribution to the development of the nation during and
beyond the period of her reign. |
