Reigning local Miss Venus Model Guyana Onesha Hutson has taken the local franchise of the pageant under her wings, with plans for a launch early next month.
Applications are currently being accepted from all eligible young women from across Guyana.
The pageant is fourteen years old and native to Anguilla. Onesha was the first representative from Guyana when she competed last year and finished as the second runner-up.
“Miss Venus Model Guyana (MVMG) is a pageant with a difference and focuses on educating women. [It is] a pageant that believes in the potential of our women, and one that is set to helping them achieve and develop strategies to elevate themselves with the assistance of support groups to improve on their education and skills. In addition to this, the international leg of the pageant promotes the Caribbean cultural diversity, self-confidence and edification, while embracing service through the crown,” Hutson said in an interview.
The pageant requires that its delegates have a community project or a platform that they will work on developing in Guyana. Hutson’s project last year was themed ‘Embracing Her Second Chance’ and focused on young mothers who felt discouraged and frustrated due to them entering motherhood earlier than they had expected.
The project was particularly close to Hutson’s heart as she herself had become a mother while attending university. “It was an added motivation and an inner strength was founded having transitioned from a woman to a mother in the prime of my modelling career. It was a challenge at first, but I gained strength from it,” she said.
She had said in a previous interview that while motherhood was magical and life changing in a good way, she knew what it felt like to struggle with school, work and studies. Using her experience, Hutson focused on young mothers and helped them to see that all was not lost. She used her platform to help women rebuild and regain their strengths, skills and abilities and encouraged them to follow their dreams in spite of their circumstances. “Being a mother should not allow you to feel less [than] yourself or forget about achieving your goals. For me, it’s an added strength and push when one is determined to make the very best out of life and despite the challenges,” she noted.
Being a part of the Miss Venus Model competition has allowed Hutson the platform to highlight the issues that mattered the most to her and now with her spearheading the franchise, she is hoping to give other women the opportunity to highlight the matters dearest to their hearts.
The local leg of the pageant is slated for March month end. As the reigning queen, Hutson is eagerly anticipating her successor.
The closing date for the processing of applications is February 22nd, with ten contestants expected to be shortlisted by February 24th. The delegates will be trained by Hutson herself and renowned Guyanese designer Mark Junor, among a few other pageant veterans.
Hutson noted that she sees the pageant becoming bigger and better in the near future, making fashion statements and having their own support groups and fundraisers throughout the year. Though the pageant caters for women only, she hopes that soon enough they can have a pageant for men also.
Applicants interested in the Miss Venus Model Guyana Pageant must be a female Guyanese by birth, must be between the ages of 18 and 27, must be physically fit, must be confident and honest, must have a community project/platform and must be ready to represent Guyana fully. Applicants are also required to have a valid Guyanese passport.
This year’s queen will have the opportunity to vie for not only the international title and bragging rights but for a scholarship worth US$5,000 to the University of the West Indies. If the winner is currently studying at a university, the funds can be transferred for tuition at that university.
The international leg of the pageant is slated for Anguilla in June. The date and venue for the local leg is tentative and will be updated on the Miss Venus Model Guyana Facebook Page. Application forms are also available on the Facebook page as well.
The MVMG team is also inviting sponsors to come on board. Anyone interested can contact the team through the Facebook page, or on 691-8340 and 663-8966.
