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The hunt for Miss Universe Bahrain has kicked off, and the 10 finalists have been sharing their Ramadan experiences in the lead-up to the final competition, writes Naman Arora.
This year, online voters have a stronger voice in choosing who represents the kingdom on the global stage in September.
“Right after the Miss Universe competition was held in El Salvador last November, we announced the opening of application submission for Miss Universe Bahrain 2024,” the competition’s organiser Yugen PR’s public relations director Ian Borromeo told GulfWeekly.
“After three months of applications, in late February, we conducted online interviews with all girls who submitted their entries.
“Based on their interviews, we selected 15 inspirational women from Bahrain whose stories can empower others from the region.”
After the first round, the 15 shortlisted candidates were called in for the competition’s signature Blind Introduction where everyone was put in a meeting room, where they could only hear, not see, one another.
This year’s Top 15 Blind Introduction was adjudicated by international runway and pageant coach Ian Lorenz, pageant vlogger Adam Genato, Miss Universe Egypt 2023 Mohra Tantawy, and Miss Universe Pakistan 2023 Erica Robin, who competed in the semi-finals of last year’s competition.
These judges selected their favourite four finalists.
“After that announcement, we asked the public to choose the other six contestants through online voting to complete our top 10,” Ian added.
“After one week of voting, the other six spots were revealed and our top 10 got completed.
“To start the pre-finals competition, we have tasked our top 10 to complete a 10-week video challenge where they will be showing different facets of their life as a Bahraini - their culture, beliefs, personality and advocacy work.”
The first is the ongoing Ramadan video challenge, where each contestant is sharing a core experience of the holy month, from preparing a feast to community service.
In the second week, they will share a video through which the public can get to know them, followed by a showcase of advocacy work in the third week.
The fourth week will spotlight Bahraini food, with each contestant talking about their favourite aspects of the local cuisine.
Next, pageant contenders will show off their talents, and the sixth week will give fans a chance to see what a day in the aspiring beauty queens’ lives looks like.
The seventh week will feature motivational talks, followed by tourism and fashion videos in the following two weeks and a commercial shoot to end the challenge.
“These videos will be posted on the official Instagram page of Miss Universe Bahrain for their fans and followers to get to know them more before the grand finale in June,” Ian explained.
“The fan vote plays an important role in the selection this year as they will be the 11th judging spot. The 10-person jury will cast their scores on the finale night but the winner of the fan vote will receive extra points.
“We are looking for a total package — a woman of substance, someone who can inspire her generation as well as the general audience with her authenticity, hard work, genuine heart, dedication to her craft, passion in striving for excellence and most importantly, the values of a Bahraini woman.”
The Miss Universe Bahrain competition started in 2021, and the title was held in its first year by Manar Nadeem Deyani and in 2022 by Evlin Abdulla Khalifa, followed by Lujane Yacoub last year.
According to Lujane, the experience was a big break in her career, and memories from the event are something she will carry with her forever.
“It gave me a platform and responsibility that I had to represent Bahrain, and I had to decide what I could do with my voice,” she explained.
“It also prepared me to get into college, and with that experience, I have been able to get into a very selective drama and acting programme at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts in the USA.”
When asked what advice she had to share with this year’s contestants, she said, “Don’t strive for perfection, but rather excellence. See yourself as the leader you are, and recognise the power that you have.”
For details, follow
@missuniversebahrain on Instagram.
